The Skinny: Isles 5, Montreal 4 (OT)

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Game 45

Isles 5, Montreal 4 (OT)

John Tavares scored his second goal of the game 1:51 into overtime and Thomas Greiss made a career-high 52 saves as the Islanders defeated the Montreal Canadiens 5-4 before a sellout crowd of 21,302 at Bell Centre.

It was Tavares' franchise-record 10th career overtime goal. He is the 30th player in NHL history to record 10 overtime goals.  Since Tavares entered the NHL in 2009, only Alex Ovechkin has more overtime goals (15).  Max Pacioretty is the only other player with 10 overtime goals in that span.

The Isles have won two straight on the road and have moved back into a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Scoring: 

1ST PERIOD

01:24 New York Anthony Beauvillier (8) ASST: Mathew Barzal (30) 1-0

06:29 New York Mathew Barzal (16) ASST: Jordan Eberle (21) 2-0

08:01 Montreal Nicolas Deslauriers (6) ASST: Jakub Jerabek (1) 2-1

12:10 Montreal Paul Byron (12) ASST: David Schlemko (2) 2-2

2ND PERIOD

02:37 New York Adam Pelech (1) ASST: Mathew Barzal (31), Jordan Eberle (22) 3-2

05:36 New York SHG - John Tavares (23) 4-2

19:16 Montreal Jonathan Drouin (6) ASST: Alex Galchenyuk (14), Jakub Jerabek (2) 4-3

3RD PERIOD

13:01 Montreal PPG - Max Pacioretty (12) ASST: Jeff Petry (14), Alex Galchenyuk (15) 4-4

OT PERIOD

01:51 New York John Tavares (24) ASST: Thomas Hickey (8) 5-4

The Skinny 

The Isles scored the opening goal for the third straight game (matching a season high) and grabbed a 2-0 lead for the first time since December 23rd vs Winnipeg … Anthony Beauvillier who was playing in his 100th NHL game, scored in his hometown (again) and has four goals in the last three games.… The Isles improved to 8-11-2 in their last 21 games … Isles improved to 16-1-0 when they score first, 14-0-0 when they lead after one period and 16-0-0 when they lead after two periods…Mathew Barzal had a goal and two assists (30/31) as he extended his rookie lead over Will Butcher (24). Barzal also extended his lead in rookie points over Brock Boeser (47-40) with was his 5th multi-assist game and 10th multi-point game…. Barzal's 31 assists are the most by an Islander rookie since Bryan Berard had 40 assists in 1996-97; Barzal also passed Tavares for second on the team (30) …Adam Pelech's goal was his first since April 8, 2017 in New Jersey; Pelech also finished with a +4 rating…The Isles allowed at least 35 shots for the 10th time in 11 games (5-5-1)...  Including shootout winners, the Isles have scored 158 goals in the first 45 games (first time since 1993-94 when they had 159) and allowed 164 goals (highest since 1995-96, when they allowed 169) … The Isles have allowed at least one third period goal in 21 straight games; it's the longest such streak since they also allowed a goal in 21 third periods over parts of two seasons (2011-12 & 2012-13)..Tavares' shorthanded goal was his 2nd this season and third of his career…Jakub Jerabek assisted on the first Montreal goal for his first NHL point; he later added a second assist…Max Pacioretty extended his point streak to five games with the tying goal…Mathew Barzal now has 10 points in the last three goals (3-7-10).  He had points on five straight goals before Tavares' shorty ended the streak…Karl Alzner played in his 584th consecutive game.  With Andrew Cogliano's streak ending due to his suspension, Alzner now has the 4th longest active streak…The Canadiens are 2-0-2 in their last four games.

The (Latest) Injury

Scott Mayfield left the game in the second period with an upper body injury.  He did not return.

What a Line!

Over the last three games:

• Mathew Barzal  3-7-10 

• Jordan Eberle  0-7-7

• Anthony Beauvillier 4-1-5

NHL Leading Goal Scorers

1. Alex Ovechkin 28

2. Nikita Kucherov 27

3. Anders Lee 25

4. Sean Couturier 25

5. John Tavares 24

Most Shots Allowed by Isles

• 61 - 11/23/2009 @ TOR

• 60 - 11/22/1972 @ PHI

• 57-  4/07/2009 @ CAR

• 57-  3/05/2007 @ NYR

• 57-  4/12/1999 @ NJD

• 57 - 11/11/1973 @ NYR

• 56 - 1/15/2018 @ MTL

Most Saves by an Islander Goalie

• 58 – Dwayne Roloson 11/23/2009 @ TOR (OT Win)

• 56 – Billy Smith 11/22/1972 @ PHI (Loss)

• 55-  Rick DiPietro 3/05/2007 @ NYR (SO Loss)

• 55-  Felix Potvin 4/12/1999 @ NJD (Win)

• 52 – Thomas Greiss 1/15/2018 @ MTL (OT Win)

Islanders with a Shorthanded Goal and an Overtime Goal in the Same Game

• Brent Sutter 11/15/90 @ CGY

• Chris Campoli 11/3/08 Vs CBJ

• Michael Peca 2/12/02 @ PHL (scored SH goal in OT)

• John Tavares 1/15/2018 @ MTL

Barzal's Latest History Lesson

Barzal is the first Islander in 40 years to record at least three points five times in his rookie season.

Most 3-Point Games by an Islander Rookie

1. Bryan Trottier 9 (1975-76)

2. Mike Bossy 6 (1977-78)

3. MATHEW BARZAL 5 (2017-18)

4. Stefan Persson 5 (1977-78)

5. Trent Hunter 4 (2003-04)

A Very Helping Hand

Mathew Barzal now has seven assists in the last three games, and leads all rookies with 31 assists.  

Most Assists by an Islander Rookie, Post-Cup Era 

Rk Player A Season

1 Bryan Berard 40 1996-97

2 Vladimir Malakhov 38 1992-93

3 Pat LaFontaine 35 1984-85

4 David Volek 34 1988-89

5 Pat Flatley 31 1984-85

  MATHEW BARZAL 31 2017-18 

Most Seasons With 30+ Assists

1. Denis Potvin 15

2. Bryan Trottier 13

3. Mike Bossy 10

4. JOHN TAVARES 8

       John Tonelli 8

Most Seasons with 24+ Goals (Isles)

• Bryan Trottier 12 (11 consecutive)

• Mike Bossy 10 (consecutive)

• John Tavares 9 (consecutive)

One and Done

The Isles are 14-0-0 this season when leading after one period.  Dating back to last season the Isles have won 18 straight games and are 21-0-1 in their last 22 games when leading after twenty minutes.

Five's Alive

The Isles have scored at least five goals nine times at home (8-1-0) and fifteen times overall (14-1-0). The Isles have also scored two shootout winners for a fifth goal of the game (not included above). The Isles scored five goals (including shootout winners) in only 10 games all last season.

Five's Trouble

The Isles have allowed at least five goals five times at home (0-4-1) and twelve times overall (0-11-1).  They have allowed at least five goals in four of their five regulation losses at home.

First Things First

The Isles have scored first 17 times this season (16-1-0). The Isles won the first eleven times they scored first this season and had won a franchise-record 16 straight dating back to last season.

First Goal 

The Isles are 16-1-0 when they score first and are 7-17-4 when they allow the opening goal. 

This Year vs. Last Year

The Isles are 23-18-4 this season; they were 19-17-9 through 45 games last season.

Lots of Wins

Jaroslav Halak has 225 career wins, tying Ken Wregget for 67th place on the all-time NHL win list.   

Greiss, Greiss, Baby

Thomas Greiss is 10-6-2 on the season, including 7-4-0 in his last 11 decisions.

Fastest to 45

Doug Weight is now 47-30-8 as an NHL coach. On January 7th vs. the Devils, he reached 45 wins faster than any coach in Islander history:

Fewest Games to 45 Wins by an Islander Coach:

83 – Doug Weight (45-30-8)

89– Peter Laviolette 2001-02 & 2002-03(45-31-9-4)

91 – Ted Nolan 2006-07 & 2007-08 (45-34-12)

95- Terry Simpson 1986-87 & 1987-88 (45-37-13)

97—Steve Stirling 2003-04 & 2005-06 (45-37-11-4)

The Shots

Isles       7-6-7-4=24

Montreal 13-22-19-2=56

The Isles are 6-6-2 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even, and 17-11-2 when they are outshot.

Offside Challenges

The Isles have challenged three times and been successful twice.

10/10 vs STL Blues – unsuccessful; Isles killed ensuing power play.

10/12 @ Ana Ducks – successful

1/15 @ Mtl Canadiens – successful 

The opponents have not yet challenged an Islander goal due to an offside this season.

Home and Road

The Islanders are 22-18-4 overall; 13-5-3 at home and 10-13-1 on the road.  

Montreal is 18-20-6 overall; 11-8-5 at home and 7-12-1 on the road.  

By Division & Conference

The Isles are 7-6-1 in Division games and 16-12-3 in games versus other divisions.   The Isles are 13-11-1 against the East and 10-7-3 against the West.  

Our House

The Isles are 13-5-3 at home; they are 6-4-0 against the East and 7-1-3 against the West.  All-time the Isles are 28-5-6 all-time at Barclays against the West.

In the Nets

Thomas Greiss made a career-high 52 saves and improves to 10-6-2 on the season and 3-3-0 in his career against Montreal. 

Carey Price made 19 saves. He is 13-14-4 on the season and 11-5-4 in his career against the Isles. 

Power Plays

The Isles were 0-2 on the power play in 4:00 of PP time; Montreal was 1-4 in 6:34 of PP time.

The Isles are 13-8-1 when they score at least one power play goal and 10-10-3 when they do not.  The Isles are 13-13-2 when they allow at least one power play goal and 10-5-2 when they do not.    

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 22-6-2 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 1-12-2 when they do not.  

One Goal Games

The Isles are 9-4-4 in games decided by a single goal including 1-4 in regulation. They are 5-3 in games decided in overtime and are 3-1 in shootouts.  The Isles are 4-3 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1 goal game into a 2-goal game.

Back-to-Backs

Including tonight, the Isles are 5-4-0 on the front-end of back-to-backs and 3-5-0 on the back-end. The Isles will host New Jersey on Tuesday to conclude this back-to-back set. The next back-to-back set is January 30th vs Florida and January 31st in Toronto.

Tired vs. Rested

• The Isles are 1-3-0 when both teams played the night before. 

• The Isles are 5-0-0 when they are rested, and their opponents are not. 

• The Isles are 2-2-0 when their opponents are rested, and the Isles are not.

• The Isles are 14-13-4 when both teams are rested. 

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Nick Leddy (25:57); Montreal: Jeff Petry (25:46)

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Johnny Boychuk (4-1-1), Nick Leddy (14-15-2), John Tavares (2-1-0), Calvin deHaan (2-0-0), Dennis Seidenberg (1-0-0).

John Tavares led the forwards in ice-time (22:37). Isles record by Forward ice-time leaders: John Tavares (20-11-4), Josh Bailey (2-1-0), Brock Nelson (0-1-0), Mathew Barzal (0-3-0), Andrew Ladd (1-1-0), Anders Lee (1-0-0).

Face-offs

Isles 33, Montreal 39 (46%) 

John Tavares won 15 of 28 for the Isles; Tomas Plekanec won 11 of 20 for Montreal.

Face-offs by period: 1st period 13/23; 2nd period 5/18; 3rd period 14/27; Overtime 1/4.

Face-offs by strength: Even strength: 27/58, Power play 1/3, Penalty kill 5/11.

Hit Count

Isles 23 (Anders Lee -5)

Montreal 25 (Nicolas Deslauriers -6)

Fights

There were no fights. Season total – 7: (Boychuk 1, Mayfield 1, Cizikas 1, Chimera 1, Prince 1, Bailey 1, Eberle 1).

Blocked Shots

The Isles blocked 16 shots (Scott Mayfield, Thomas Hickey and John Tavares -3).

For the Corsi Crowd 

All situations: Isles 51, Montreal 85.

5-on-5 Isles 42, Montreal 67.

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Mathew Barzal +4

Montreal: Tomas Plekanec +19

Night and Day 

The Isles are 19-18-3 in night games and 4-0-1 in matinees.  The Isles, who went 2-3-1 in matinees last season have only one matinee remaining this season: February 19th vs Minnesota (1pm).

Ironmen

Overall: Jason Chimera 233 (including 106 for the Capitals), Jordan Eberle 196 (including 151 for the Oilers: 

As Isles: Jason Chimera 127, Nick Leddy 122.

Century Club

Nick Leddy is only the 8th defenseman in Islander history to have played at least 120 consecutive regular season games:

1. Denis Potvin 11/29/1975-1/17/1979 262

2. Bryan McCabe 10/7/1995-2/4/1998 220 (*) (**)

3. Gerry Hart 3/1/1975-11/22/1977 198

4. Andrew MacDonald 12/19/2011- 3/2/2014 164 (**)

5. Janne Niinimaa 3/13/2004-1/7/2006 136 (**)

6. Ken Morrow 3/1/1980-12/29/1981 134 (*)

7. Mark Streit 10/8/2011-4/26/2013 130

8.  Nick Leddy 10/23/2016 – CURRENT 122

9. Calvin deHaan 4/7/2016- 12/16/2017 118

10. Travis Hamonic 2/24/2012-1/12/2014 117

11.Travis Hamonic 11/24/2010– 2/4/2012 113 (*)

12. Jean Potvin 10/23/1975-1/2/1977 110

13. Kenny Jonsson 12/26/1996-2/4/1998 104

14. Thomas Hickey 4/26/2013- 11/22/2014 103

 (*) Start of NHL career.

(**) Entire career with Islanders

Scratches

(Nikolay Kulemin -IR), (Calvin deHaan-IR), (Johnny Boychuk -IR), (Josh Bailey – Injured), (Andrew Ladd-IR), (Casey Cizikas – Injured), Dennis Seidenberg

Total games lost: 123

Late Heroes

The Isles have scored three times in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or win a game:

10/9 – STL Blues – Anders Lee (19:00); tied game, but Isles lost in shootout

12/7 – PIT Penguins – Brock Nelson (18:50); tied game, but Isles lost in overtime

12/27- BUF Sabres – Josh Bailey (18:51); tied game, and Isles won in overtime

Late Goals Allowed

The Isles have allowed a goal twice in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or win a game:

12/16 – LA Kings – Anze Kopitar (19:47); tied game, but Isles won in overtime

12/21—Ana Ducks – Rickard Rakell (18:45); tied game and Ducks won in overtime

7-11

The Isles have used 7 defensemen twice this season (10/19 @NYR, 10/21 vs SJ) and are 2-0-0 in those games.  Under Doug Weight, the Isles are 6-0-0 when they dress seven natural defensemen.

All-time Islander Leader Boards:

Games Played (skaters)

1. Bryan Trottier 1123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1060 *** 3. Bob Nystrom 900 

…

7.  Patrick Flatley 712 *** 8. Brent Sutter 694 *** 9. Josh Bailey 681 *** 10. Derek King 638 *** 11. John Tavares 632

Goals

1. Mike Bossy 573 *** 2. Bryan Trottier 500 *** 3. Denis Potvin 310 *** 4. Clark Gillies 304***

5. Pat LaFontaine and Brent Sutter 287 *** 7. John Tavares 259

…

20. Frans Nielsen and Alexei Yashin 119 *** 22. Josh Bailey, Mark Parrish, Matt Moulson and Steve Thomas 118 *** 26. Ray Ferraro 116 *** 27. Anders Lee 108

Assists

1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553*** 4. Clark Gillies 359***

5. John Tonelli 338 *** 6. John Tavares 332

…

13. Bobby Nystrom 278 *** 14. Billy Harris 259 *** 15. Tomas Jonsson 249 *** 16. Josh Bailey 238

Points

1. Bryan Trottier 1353 *** 2. Mike Bossy 1126 *** 3. Denis Potvin 1052 *** 4. Clark Gillies 663 ***

5. Brent Sutter 610 *** 6. John Tavares 591

…

13. Billy Harris 443 *** 14. Kyle Okposo & Stefan Persson 369 *** 16. Josh Bailey 356

Games Played (Goalies)

1. Billy Smith 674 *** 2. Rick DiPietro 318 *** 3. Glenn Resch 282

…

6. Glenn Healy 176 *** 7. Jaroslav Halak 151 *** 8. Roland Melanson 136*** 9. Mark Fitzpatrick 129 ***

10. Garth Snow 127 *** 11.  Evgeni Nabokov 123 *** 12. Thomas Greiss 112

Wins (Goalie)

1. Billy Smith 304 *** 2. Glenn Resch 157 *** 3. Rick DiPietro 130***4. Kelly Hrudey 106 ***

5. Jaroslav Halak 81 *** 6.  Rollie Melanson 77*** 7. Glenn Healy 66 *** 8.  Tommy Salo 62 *** 

9. Thomas Greiss 59

Season Series Stats

The Isles lead the season series one games to none (and two points to one).  The teams will play a home-and-home series February 28th (in Montreal) – March 2nd (in Brooklyn) to complete the season series.

The Isles are 3-0-0 in their last three games against Montreal; that matches their longest winning streak against the Canadiens since 1993-94.

On the Farm

Bridgeport is 18-13-4-2 on the season as they head to Charlotte for games on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The games with the Checkers will be very important as the teams are currently neck-and-neck for the final playoff spot.

Tanner Fritz leads Bridgeport with 37 points (10-27-37); Rookie Scott Eansor leads the team in goals with 13. Christopher Gibson is 14-7-2 in the nets with 2 shutouts.

The Sound Tigers will return home to host Providence on Saturday and Toronto on Sunday.  

Up Next

TUESDAY, JANUARY 16th –NEW JERSEY AT ISLANDERS 7:00PM 

[MSG+ (Islander pre-game at 6:30PM), WMCA 570, 88.7 WRHU-FM, WRCN 103.9FM]

The Isles conclude the back-to-back set as they return home to face the Devils.

The Isles have done very well against New Jersey in recent years.  The Isles have won their last 8 home games vs New Jersey (including all five in Brooklyn) and are 13-1-1 in their last 15 overall against the Devs.

The remaining games of the season series will be played in New Jersey on February 24th and March 31st.

Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since January 21, 1982. Information contained in "The Skinny" has been gathered from various sources.  Follow Eric @ehornick on Twitter & on his blog www.nyiskinny.com.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since January 21, 1982. Visit my blog: NYISkinny.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick