Face-offs improving

The Isles beat the Stars in the face-off circle today by a 33-21 margin.  Their 61.1% success rate was their highest this season.

The Isles have now won the majority of draws in four consecutive games (130-106 in total or 55.1%)  This matches their longest streak of face-off success in nearly eight years.  The last time they had a longer streak was 1/21-2/1/2011, when they won the majority of draws in five straight games.

For the season, the Isles are at 47.7% on the draws, which is currently 28th in the NHL.  However, over these four games (since November 10th) the Isles are 3rd in the NHL in face-off percentage.  Every Islander center is over 50% in that span, led by Casey Cizikas (64% in 2 games) and Stephen Gionta (60% in two games).   Mathew Barzal (59.1%) has been the best for those who have played all four games.

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