"The Skinny"
By Eric Hornick
Game 37
Isles 4, Toronto 0
Mathew Barzal scored a second period natural hat trick and Robin Lehner made 36 saves for his 2nd shutout of the season as the Isles blanked the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-0 before a sellout crowd of 19,514 at Scotiabank Arena.
Barzal now has five goals in the last two games (and seven goals in his last seven games) while Lehner has now gone 127:29 without allowing a goal.
Barry Trotz recorded his 782th coaching victory, matching Isles legend Al Arbour for 4th place on the All-time NHL list.
Isles are 6-1-0 in their last seven games; since the 6:11 mark of the second period on Friday they have outscored the opposition by a 9-0 score. The Leafs had won five straight games and had gone 9-0-1 in their prior 10 home games.
The Scoring:
1st Period
Valtteri Filppula (9) Michael Dal Colle, Ryan Pulock 09:35 NYI 1,TOR 0
2nd Period
Mathew Barzal (8) Johnny Boychuk, Anthony Beauvillier 02:49 NYI 2,TOR 0
Mathew Barzal (9) Nick Leddy, Brock Nelson 04:56 NYI 3,TOR 0 PPG
Mathew Barzal (10) Ryan Pulock 10:33 NYI 4,TOR 0
3rd Period
No Goals
The Skinny
Mathew Barzal recorded his 2nd career hat trick, his 5th career multi-goal game and his 110th career game with at least three points; the reigning Calder Trophy winner leads the team in both assists (25) and points (35)…Barzal is the first Islander to record a natural hat trick since John Tavares did so on October 28, 2017 in Nashville; it was the 38th natural hat trick in Isles history and the 8th scored in a span of 8 minutes or less...Valtteri Filppula scored his 9th goal in the first period (he had only 11 goals all last season); Michael Dal Colle was credited with his first NHL point on the play… Josh Bailey played his 752nd game as an Islander (tying Mike Bossy)… Anthony Beauvillier recorded an assist for the 2nd straight game …The Isles have an identical record as last season through 37 games; including shootout winners they have scored 22 fewer goals and allowed 28 fewer goals than last year's first 37 games… The Isles are a season-high seven games over NHL-.500 (20-13-4); they were last seven over .500 when they were 20-13-4 last season… The Isles have clinched a winning month for the third straight month (8-4-1 in December); it's the first time since 2015-16 that they have opened the season with three winning months…The Isles snapped point streaks for six Leafs players, including John Tavares who had recorded at least one point in six straight games and had recorded two points in each of his last five games before facing the Islanders for the first time in his NHL career...The Isles have earned 23 points in 20 road games this season; they had only 23 points through 25 road games last season… The Isles have now swept four consecutive sets of back-to-backs this season (@PHL-@CAR, @NJ – Vs. CAR, @COL-@ARI, Vs. OTT-@TOR) and are 5-0-0 on the back-end of back-to-backs.
First Times in a Ridiculously Long Time
Mathew Barzal is the first Islander since Mike Bossy (3-20-1986) to record a hat trick against Toronto.
Robin Lehner is the first Islander to record a shutout against the Leafs since Tommy Salo did so on October 4, 1997.
First Time EVER (Regular Season Play*)
Robin Lehner is the first Islander to record a shutout against the Leafs in Toronto and is the first Islander goalie to ever record a shutout in the Province of Ontario (Toronto, Ottawa, and one game in Hamilton).
Streaking Lehner
Robin Lehner has won four consecutive decisions for the first time as an Islander and the first time since he closed the 2013-14 season four straight wins (he also won the first two games the following season for a 6-game multi-season streak). Lehner has allowed only seven goals in his last seven games (4-1-2, 1.05 GAA, .961 save percentage). In seven December appearances, Lehner's GAA is 1.08, which is the best in the NHL among goalies who have appeared in more than two games.
Join the Crowd
Mathew Barzal (21 years, 217 days) is the 3rd youngest player in club history to record a natural hat trick. Only Bob Nystrom (21 years, 117 days on 1-31-74) and John Tavares (20 years, 117 days on 1-15-11) were younger. (h/t NHL PR)
Worst to First
The Isles allowed the most goals in the NHL last season. Here's where they are this season:
Fewest Goals Allowed This Season (Including SO goals)
1. ISLES 101
2. Nashville 101
3. Boston 103
Fewest Goals Allowed This Season (excluding SO goals)
1. ISLES 98
2. Nashville 100
3. Boston 103
Last 30 Seasons: Most Goals by an Islander Before 22nd Birthday:
1. John Tavares 84
2. Anthony Beauvillier 41
Beauvillier's 22nd birthday is not until June.
Last 30 Seasons: Most Assists and Points by an Islander Before 22nd Birthday:
1. John Tavares 118 assists, 202 points
2. Mathew Barzal 88 assists, 120 points
Barzal's 22nd birthday is not until May.
USA Hockey
Anders Lee has 138 career goals, leaving him one goal behind Kyle Okposo. Okposo is 2nd on the Islander goal-scoring list among American-born players, trailing only Pat LaFontaine (287).
Catching Al
Among active coaches, Barry Trotz has coached the most games and is 2nd to Ken Hitchcock in wins. Trotz' NHL record is 7821-581-60-138 in 1561 games and has matched Al Arbour for 4th in career wins.
Most Coaching Wins
1. Scotty Bowman 1244
2. Joel Quenneville 890
3. Ken Hitchcock 832
4. Al Arbour 782
Barry Trotz 782
Most Games Coached
1. Scotty Bowman 2141
2. Joel Quenneville 1636
3. Al Arbour 1607
4. Barry Trotz 1561
5. Ken Hitchcock 1553
Trotz will catch Al Arbour in games coached on Opening Night next season. If Quenneville doesn't return to coaching Trotz would pass him sometime in December 2019.
This Season vs. Last Season
This Season: 20-13-4 (44 points), with 111 goals scored and 101 goals allowed (includes SO winners)
Last Season: 20-13-4 (44 points), with 133 goals scored and 129 goals allowed (includes SO winners)
First Things First
The Isles are 11-5-4 when scoring first and are 9-8-0 when allowing the opening goal.
The Shots
Isles 10-10-8=28
Toronto 10-8-18=36
The Isles are 4-8-1 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even and 16-4-3 when they are outshot.
Home and Road
The Islanders are 20-13-4 overall; 9-5-3 at home (2-0-1 on Long Island and 7-5-2 in Brooklyn) and 11-8-1 on the road. The Isles will play 21 games in Uniondale and 20 games in Brooklyn this season.
Toronto is 26-11-2 overall; 12-6-1 at home and 14-5-1 on the road.
By Division & Conference
The Isles are 10-3-1 in Division games and 10-10-3 in games versus other divisions. The Isles are 14-5-4 against the East and 6-8-0 against the West.
In the Nets
Robin Lehner made 36 saves for his 10th career shutout; he improved to 8-6-3 on the season and 4-4-0 in his career against Toronto.
Garrett Sparks made 24 saves but falls to 6-2-1 on the season and 1-1-0 in his career against the Isles.
Power Plays
The Isles were 1-3 on the power play in 4:04 of PP time; Toronto was 0-2 on the power play in 3:12 of PP time.
The Isles are 14-1-1 when they score at least one power play goal and 6-12-3 when they do not. The Isles are 7-9-3 when they allow at least one power play goal and 12-4-1 when they do not.
Three is a Magic Number
The Isles are 18-1-1 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 2-12-3 when they do not.
One Goal Games
The Isles are 7-2-4 in games decided by a single goal including 3-2 in regulation. They are 2-1 in games decided in overtime and are 2-3 in shootouts. The Isles are 2-4 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 4-1-0 in the front half and 5-0-0 in the back half. The next back-to-back is January 12th vs. the Rangers and January 13th vs. Tampa Bay.
Tired vs. Rested
• The Isles are 2-0-0 when both teams played the night before.
• The Isles are 2-0-1 when they are rested, and their opponents are not.
• The Isles are 4-0-0 when their opponents are rested, and the Isles are not.
• The Isles are 12-13-3 when both teams are rested.
Ice-time Leaders
Isles: Scott Mayfield (21:29); Toronto: Travis Dermott (21:45)
Mathew Barzal led Isles forwards with 17:32 of ice-time.
Isles record by ice-time leader: Ryan Pulock (10-6-3), Nick Leddy (6-6-1), Scott Mayfield (4-1-0).
Face-offs
Isles 26,Toronto 37 (41%).
Josh Bailey won 4 of 5 for the Isles; John Tavares won 15 of 19 for Toronto.
Face-offs by period: 1st period 3/16; 2nd period 13/27; 3rd period 10/20
Face-offs by strength: Even strength: 26/57, Power play 0/2, Penalty kill 0/4.
Hit Count
Isles 23 (Ryan Pulock-5)
Toronto 15 (Travis Demott-4)
Fights
There were no fights. Season total –11 (Scott Mayfield -4, Ross Johnston-3, Josh Bailey, Johnny Boychuk, Anders Lee, Matt Martin).
Blocked Shots
The Isles blocked 19 shots (6 players with 2).
For the Corsi Crowd
All situations: Isles 55, Toronto 70
5-on-5 Isles 50, Toronto 62
5-on-5 leaders:
Isles: Anders Lee +10
Toronto: Igor Ozhiganov +14
Matinee Isles
The Isles are 17-12-4 in night games and 3-1-0 in matinees. The next matinee is on January 12th vs. the Rangers.
Ironmen
Anders Lee 155, Brock Nelson 132, Mathew Barzal 119
Scratches
(Andrew Ladd – IR), (Thomas Hickey- IR), (Jordan Eberle-IR), (Cal Clutterbuck-INJ), Luca Sbisa, Tom Kuhnhackl
Total games lost: 69
Late Heroes
The Isles have not yet scored in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or take the lead.
Late Goals Allowed
The Isles have allowed a goal four times in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or win a game:
10/4 – CAR Hurricanes – Jordan Staal tied game (18:25), but Isles won in overtime.
11/8 – TB Lightning – Tyler Johnson scored the winning goal (18:34)
11/23 – NJ Devils – Marcus Johansson tied game (19:49), but Isles won in overtime.
12/15- DET Red Wings – Thomas Vanek tied game (18:57), but Isles won in a shootout.
Offside Challenges
12/8 vs DET Red Wings – Red Wings goal overturned after successful Isles challenge.
12/20 vs VEG Golden Knights – Golden Knights goal overturned after successful Isles challenge.
Comeback Kids
The Isles are 4-3-0 when trailing in a game by a 2-0 score, defeating NYR (11/15), CBJ (12/1), DET (12/8) and OTT (12.28); all four wins have been in regulation.
The Isles are 6-1-1 when scoring the game's first two goals.
All-time Islander Leader Boards:
Games Played (skaters)
1. Bryan Trottier 1123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1060 *** 3. Bob Nystrom 900 *** 4. Clark Gillies 872 ***
5. Bob Bourne 814***6. Mike Bossy and Josh Bailey 752
Goals
1. Mike Bossy 573 *** 2. Bryan Trottier 500 *** 3. Denis Potvin 310 …
16. Mariusz Czerkawski 145 *** 17. Kyle Okposo 139 *** 18. Anders Lee 138 ***19. Josh Bailey 132…
24. Mark Parrish, Matt Moulson and Steve Thomas 118 *** 27. Ray Ferraro 116 *** 28. Brock Nelson 111
Assists
1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553…
12. Pat LaFontaine 279 *** 13. Bobby Nystrom 278 *** 14. Josh Bailey 275
Points
1. Bryan Trottier 1353 *** 2. Mike Bossy 1126 *** 3. Denis Potvin 1052…
12. Patrick Flatley 488 *** 13. Billy Harris 443 *** 14. Josh Bailey 407
Games Played (Goalies)
1. Billy Smith 674 *** 2. Rick DiPietro 318 *** 3. Glenn Resch 282 …
7. Glenn Healy 176 *** 8. Thomas Greiss 142
Wins (Goalie)
1. Billy Smith 304 *** 2. Glenn Resch 157 *** 3. Rick DiPietro 130*** 4. Kelly Hrudey 108***
5. Jaroslav Halak 88 *** 6. Rollie Melanson 77*** 7. Thomas Greiss 74
Season Series Stats
The Isles lead the season series one game to none (and 2 points to 0). The teams will finish their head-to-head schedule with a pair of games at Nassau Coliseum: February 28 and April 1.
The Isles win snaps a 4-game Leaf winning streak vs. the Isles. It's the first Islander win in Toronto in exactly three years (12-29-2015 by a 6-3 score).
On the Farm
The Sound Tigers continue to roll; Travis St. Denis scored an overtime goal on Saturday to beat Hartford 3-2. Both St. Denis and Otto Koivula had a goal and an assist as the Sound Tigers improved to 2-0-0 on their six-game road trip. Kieffer Bellows had the other Bridgeport goal.
Bridgeport is 21-9-4-1 and has earned points in 21 of their last 25 games (17-4-3-1). The Sound Tigers, who closed out 2018 with three straight wins, next play on Wednesday in Rochester.
Leaders: Goals: Michael Dal Colle 16 ; Assists: Sebastian Aho/Joshua Ho-Sang 20; Points: Dal Colle 28. Goalies: Jeremy Smith 11-5-1 (2.67 GAA); Christopher Gibson 10-4-4 (3.06 GAA)
Up Next
MONDAY, DECEMBER 31st – ISLANDERS AT BUFFALO 6:00PM
[MSG+ (Islanders pre-game at 5:30pm), WRCN 103.9FM, 88.7 WRHU-FM, Radio.com]
The Isles close out 2018 with a New Year's Eve game in Buffalo.
This will be the 6th time that the Isles have provided the opposition for the traditional "Pucks and Tux' game in Buffalo; the Isles are 4-1-0 in the previous five (winning the last four contests, including three years ago before Thomas Greiss).
The Isles won two of three from the Sabres last year, including an overtime winner from Mathew Barzal.
Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since 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
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