The Skinny: Carolina 2, Isles 1. Carolina leads series, 2-0.

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Eastern Conference Second Round Game 1

Carolina 2, Isles 1 

Carolina leads series 2-0

Warren Foegele and Nino Niederreiter scored 48 seconds apart early in the 3rd period as the Carolina Hurricanes rallied from a 1-0 deficit and defeated the Isles 2-1 before a sellout crowd of 15,795 at Barclays Center.

Curtis McElhinney, making his first appearance of the playoffs, stopped the final 17 Islander shots to earn his first career playoff victory.  McElhinney, who replaced the injured Petr Mrazek in the second period, is the first goalie in NHL history to make his first three playoff appearances for three different teams (Calgary 2009 and Toronto 2018).

The Canes lead the series 2-0, winning both games at Barclays Center.  It's the first time in Islander history that they have opened a series at home and lost both games; the Canes franchise had won the first two games of a series only once (Hartford vs. Quebec in 1986, best-of-5 series).

Game 3 is in Raleigh on Wednesday night.

The Scoring: 

1st Period

Mathew Barzal (1) Anders Lee, Jordan Eberle 13:17 CAR 0,NYI 1 PPG

2nd Period

No Goals

3rd Period

Warren Foegele (5) Lucas Wallmark, Saku Maenalanen 00:17 CAR 1,NYI 1

Nino Niederreiter (1) Teuvo Teravainen, Jaccob Slavin 01:05 CAR 2,NYI 1

The Series (Carolina leads 2-0)

Game 1: Carolina 1, Isles 0

Game 2: Carolina 2, Isles 1

Game 3: Wednesday at Carolina 7pm

Game 4: Friday at Carolina 7pm

Game 5 (if needed): May 5 at Isles

Game 6 (if needed): May 7 at Carolina

Game 7 (if needed): May 8 at Isles

The Skinny   

The Isles dropped the first two game of a series for the 14th time in their history and for the  first time since the 2002 Conference Quarter-Finals vs. Toronto... The Isles scored the first goal for the first time since Game 1 vs. Pittsburgh… Linesman Derek Amell worked his 200th Stanley Cup playoff game…Petr Mrazek allowed his first goal in 135:04 when Mathew Barzal's pass deflected in off Jaccob Slavin's skate for Barzal's first career playoff goal…. The Isles had a goal disallowed in the second period when the officials ruled that Devon Toews has used a direct kicking motion to score from below the goal line… The Isles have played four second round games at Barclays Center (2016 vs. Tampa Bay and this series) and have lost all four by one goal.  This is the first of the four to not reach overtime… This was the seventh playoff game ever played at Barclays; the Isles have won two (both in overtime), lost three in overtime and lost two in regulation…The Isles held Carolina to 18 shots, fewest by a playoff opponent since Tampa Bay had the same number (4-8-04) in the first game of the Stanley Cup season. The 1994 Rangers were the last team to have 18 or fewer shots in an Islander home playoff games; that season also ended well for them…It's the third time that the Isles have been held to one goal or fewer in the first two games of a series (1994 vs. Rangers, 2002 vs. Toronto)… The Isles have not allowed a power play goal in five straight playoff games, tying a club record that was set over two years (1978 vs Toronto-game 7; 1979 vs. Chicago games 1-4) and tied in 1984 (games 5-6 vs. Montreal and games 1-3 vs. Edmonton)…Curtis McElhinney is the 3rd-oldest goalie to record his first playoff win.  McElhinney, who will turn 36 next month, is younger than only Eddie Johnston (6-1 in 1972 for Boston) and Lester Patrick (1-0 in 1928 for the Rangers). While Johnston won 237 regular season games, it was Patrick's only NHL appearance.  Thus, McElhinney became the oldest goalie in 91 years to record his first win.…There has been a one-goal game in the NHL in each of the last 14 days.

For the History Books

Warren Foegele's goal was the earliest the Isles had allowed in a playoff game since April 8, 1987 when Mike Gartner scored 15 seconds into game 1 vs. Kelly Hrudey (Hrudey would have the last laugh).  It was also the earliest goal the Isles have ever allowed in the 3rd period of a playoff game [Reijo Ruotsalainen -1982 (Rangers) and Bobby Gould- 1983 (Washington)].  Gould's goal was scored at the Coliseum and was also the earliest goal the Isles had allowed at home before today.

Foegele has made a habit of scoring early in this year's playoffs; he also scored at 17 seconds of the first period vs. Washington in game 3 in Raleigh so today's goal tied his own club record.

Niederreiter's goal at 1:05 gave Carolina the earliest two goals in any playoff period in their history.

The Injuries

Trevor Van Riemsdyk suffered an upper body injury :36 into the game and did not return.  Petr Mrazek left with a lower body injury in the 2nd period.  Saku Maenalanen left the game early in the 3rd period. 

Cal Clutterbuck was assisted off the ice at the end of the game.

When Mrazek left, Todd Scarola needed to dress as the emergency goalie.  Scarola played collegiately for Stony Brook and played roller hockey for the Empire State Legends Elite team in March.

Overtime is Our Time

The Isles are 34-17 (.667) all-time in overtime, including 18-10 (.643) at home.  The .667 overall percentage and .643 home percentages are both the best in NHL history. The Isles are 1-1 in overtime this season; nine of the 24 playoff games the Isles have played since 2015 have gone to overtime with the Isles holding a 5-4 record.  

Lead/Tie/Trail

In game 1, the game was tied for 64:04.  

In game 2, the Isles led for 27:00, the game was tied for 14:05, and Carolina led for 18:55.

Series Total: The Isles have led for 27:00, the game was tied for 78:09, and Carolina led for 18:55.

Vs Pittsburgh, the Isles led for 127:34, the game was tied for 112:14 and Pittsburgh led for 4:51

Other than the final 8:22 of game two, the final 9:33 of game three and the final :38 of game four (all vs. Pittsburgh), the score of every Isles playoff game has been tied or within one goal for the entire playoffs.

Playoffs All-Time

The Isles fall to 148-122 in 270 all-time playoff games.  They are 84-46 at home (including 2-5 at Barclays) and 64-76 on the road.  

What a Season!

The Isles finished 2nd in the Metro Division, 4th in the Eastern Conference and 5th in the NHL. The Isles have not finished that high since the conference was created. They last finished that high in a conference in 87-88, when they were 3rd in the Wales Conference.  It's the first time since 1985-86 that the Isles have finished in the top five overall.

The Best (Fourth) Line in Hockey

In the regular season, the Isles were 35-16-6 when Casey Cizikas, Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck all play and are 13-11-1 when one or more miss a game.  They are 4-2 when all three play in the playoffs.

In game 1, the trio combined for 1 shot on goal and 11 hits.  The trio has combined for 20 shots on goal and 75 hits in the playoffs.

Most Points (Post-Cup Era)

• 103: 2018-19 

• 101: 2014-15

Most Road Points (Post Cup Era)

• 51: 2018-19

• 49: 2014-15

Worst to First

The Isles allowed the most goals in the NHL last season and the fewest goals in the NHL this season.  Only once before in NHL history had a team allowed the most goals in one season and the fewest in the next; the Ottawa Senators did so in 1917-18 and 1918-19.  

Coach Trotz

In regular season play, Barry Trotz is 2nd among active coaches in games and third in wins. Trotz' NHL record is 810-595-60-141 in 1,606 games. 

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  890

3. Ken Hitchcock    849

4. Barry Trotz    810

5. Al Arbour    782

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman   2,141

2. Joel Quenneville 1,636

3. Al Arbour   1,607

4. Barry Trotz   1,606

5. Ken Hitchcock   1,598

Trotz, who is a finalist for the Jack Adams Award, will catch Al Arbour in games coached on Opening Night next season.  

Coach Trotz (Playoffs)

Barry Trotz has now coached 119 playoff games (59-60), tying Toe Blake for 15th all-time in games coached; he is one game behind Lindy Ruff (120).  His 59 wins are 19th all time, two behind Jacques Lemaire and four behind Fred Shero and Claude Julien.  Trotz won the Stanley Cup last season; Joel Quenneville (3) and Mike Sullivan (2) are the only active coaches with multiple Stanley Cups.

Most playoff wins by Islander coaches:

• Al Arbour 123

• Jack Capuano 10

• Terry Simpson 9

• Barry Trotz 4

• Peter Laviolette 4

• Ted Nolan 1

• Steve Stirling 1

Most playoff games coached (Islanders):

• Al Arbour 209

• Jack Capuano 24

• Terry Simpson 20

• Peter Laviolette 12

• Barry Trotz 6

• Steve Stirling 5

• Ted Nolan 5

Most overtime wins/overtime record:

• Al Arbour 26 (26-9)

• Jack Capuano 4 (4-5)

• Terry Simpson 3 (3-0)

• Barry Trotz 1 (1-1)

• Peter Laviolette 0 (0-1)

• Steve Stirling 0 (0-1)

Most playoff series wins:

• Al Arbour 29

• Barry Trotz 1

• Jack Capuano 1

• Terry Simpson 1

What a Difference a Year Makes

This Season: 48-27-7 (103 points), with 228 goals scored and 196 goals allowed (includes SO winners)

Last Season: 35-37-10 (80 points), with 264 goals scored and 296 goals allowed (includes SO winners)

The Isles allowed 100 fewer goals, a decrease of 33.7% as compared to last season.

First Things First

The Isles are 1-0 when scoring first and are 3-1 when allowing the first goal in the playoffs.

The Shots

Isles        7-13-7=27

Carolina  3-9-6=18

Shots by Game

• Game 1: Isles 31, Carolina 32

• Game 2: Isles 27, Carolina 18

• Series: Isles 58, Carolina 50

• Vs Pittsburgh: Isles 129, Pittsburgh 136

• Playoff Totals: Isles 187, Opponents 186

The Isles are 1-1 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-0 when the shots are even and 3-1 when they are outshot. [The Isles won a franchise-record 31 games when outshot this season.]

In the Nets

Robin Lehner made 16 saves but falls to 4-2 in the playoffs and 0-21 in his career against Carolina.   

Petr Mrzaek made 9 saves before leaving due to an injury 6:27 into the 2nd period.  Curtis McElhinney made 17 saves to earn the victory in relief.  McElhinney, who has never started a Stanley Cup playoff games is now 1-1 in the playoffs and 1-0 in his career against the Isles. 

Power Plays

The Isles were 1-2 on the power play in 2:48 of PP time; Carolina was 0-3 on the power play in 4:35 of PP time, including 1:25 of 5-on-3 time.

Power Plays by Game

• Game 1: Isles 0-4 (7:43; 7 shots), Carolina 0-4 (5:43, 7 shots)

• Game 2: Isles 1-2 (2:48; 2 shots), Carolina 0-3 (4:35, 2 shots)

• Series: Isles 1-6 (10:31; 9 shots), Carolina 0-7 (10:18, 9 shots)

• Vs Pittsburgh: Isles 2-13 (20:47, 25 shots), Pittsburgh 1-12 (19:32, 11 shots)

• Playoff Totals: Isles 3-19 (31:18, 34 shots), Opponents 1-19 (29:50, 20 shots)

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 4-0 in the playoffs when they score at least three goals and 0-2 when they do not.  In the regular season the Isles went 38-2-2 when they scored at least three goals (including shootout winners) and 10-25-5 when they did not.  The 10 wins when being held to two goals or fewer are a franchise record.

One Goal Games

The Isles are 1-2 in the playoffs in one-goal games (0-1 in regulation and 1-1 in overtime); they were 19-6-7 in games decided by a single goal in the regular season. The Isles are 1-0 in playoff games where an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Ryan Pulock (23:18);  Carolina: Jaccob Slavin (27:21)

Mathew Barzal led Isles forwards with 20:18 of ice-time 

Isles record by ice-time leader: Adam Pelech (1-0), Ryan Pulock (3-2) 

Face-offs

Isles 30, Carolina 22 (58%).

Valtteri Filppula and Casey Cizikas each won 7 of 10 for the Isles; Justin Williams won 3 of 4 for Carolina.

Face-offs by period: 1st period 12/18; 2nd period 11/20; 3rd period 7/14.

Face-offs by strength: Even strength: 26/46, Power play 2/3, Penalty kill 2/3.

Face-offs by Game

• Game 1: Isles 36, Carolina 23 (59%).  

• Game 2: Isles 30, Carolina 22 (58%)

• Series: Isles 66, Carolina 45 (59%).

• Vs Pittsburgh: Isles 120, Pittsburgh 112 (52%)

• Playoff Total: Isles 186, Opponents 157 (54%)

Hit Count

Isles 44 (Leo Komarov -6)

Carolina 38 (Brock McGinn -5)

Hits Game by Game:

• Game 1: Isles 44, Carolina 33

• Game 2: Isles 44, Carolina 38

• Series: Isles 88, Carolina 71 

• Vs Pittsburgh: Isles 180, Pittsburgh 171

• Playoff Total: Isles 268, Opponents 247

Fights

There were no fights. Playoff total -0.  The Isles were involved in 16 fights in the regular season.

Blocked Shots

The Isles blocked 16 shots (Nick Leddy -4).  

For the Corsi Crowd 

All situations: Isles 56, Carolina 51

5-on-5 Isles 47, Carolina 45

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Scott Mayfield and Devon Toews +20

Carolina: Sebastian Aho +11 

Corsi Game by Game:

• Game 1 (All) Isles 57, Carolina 60;  (5-on-5) Isles 42, Carolina 43

• Game 2 (All) Isles 56, Carolina 51;  (5-on-5) Isles 47, Carolina 45

• Series (All) Isles 113, Carolina 111;  (5-on-5) Isles 89, Carolina 88

Scratches

(Andrew Ladd -INJ), (Tanner Fritz- INJ), (Johnny Boychuk), Luca Sbisa, Dennis Seidenberg, Ross Johnston, Michael Dal Colle

Playoff games lost: 14.  The Isles lost 153 man-games in the regular season

Post-Season Late Heroes

The Isles have scored once in overtime:

4/10 – PIT Penguins-Josh Bailey scored the winning goal (4:39 of OT) 

Post-Season Late Goals Allowed

The Isles have allowed a goal once in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or win a game, and have allowed one overtime goal:

4/10 – PIT Penguins – Justin Schultz tied the game (18:31), but the Isles won in overtime. 

4/26 – CAR Hurricanes – Jordan Staal scored the winning goal (4:04 of OT)

Playoff Offside Challenges

4/10 – PIT Penguins – Isles goal overturned after successful Penguin challenge. 

On the Farm  

The Sound Tigers were eliminated on Saturday night with an overtime loss to Hershey; the Bears win the series 3 games to 2 and will face regular season champion Charlotte in the 2nd round

Bridgeport finished the regular season with a record of 43-24-6-3; the 97 points is their most ever in a 76-game schedule and their highest total since Jack Capuano led them to a 106-point campaign in 2008-09 (80 games).  

Playoff Leaders: Goals: Three with 2; Assists: Kyle Burrough-3; Points: Oliver Wahlstrom/Matt Lorito 4;

 +/-: Joshua Ho-Sang +2. Goalies: Christopher Gibson 2-2 (1.91 GAA); Jeremy Smith 0-1 (2.09 GAA).

Up Next

ROUND 2 VS CAROLINA

GAME 3: WEDNESDAY, MAY 1st – AT CAROLINA 7:00PM

[NBCSN, 88.7 WRHU-FM, 103.9 FM WRCN and Radio.com.  Expanded post-game coverage on MSG/MSG+]]

May Hockey!

The Isles will look to get back in the series in game 3 on Wednesday in Raleigh.  The Isles had success in Raleigh in the regular season, winning both games (both were played in October).

 

The Isles have rebounded from a 2-0 deficit to win a playoff series four times, most recently in 1985 vs. Washington (best-of-5). They have lost the last six playoff series that they have lost the first two games.

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

The Skinny: Carolina 1, Isles 0 (OT). Carolina leads series 1-0.

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Eastern Conference Second Round Game 1

Carolina 1, Isles 0 

Jordan Staal scored the game's only goal 4:04 into overtime as the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Isles 1-0 to take a 1-0 lead in their 2nd Round series before a sellout crowd of 15,795 at Barclays Center.

The goaltenders, Robin Lehner and Petr Mrazek, took turns making spectacular saves as both goalies extended personal shutout streaks to over 120 minutes, before Staal's first career playoff overtime matters decided the first-ever playoff matchup between the teams.

It was the second time an Islander playoff game had gone to overtime scoreless; Mike Bossy beat Tony Esposito (Chicago) at 2:31 of overtime on April 18, 1979.  It was the first time a Stanley Cup game had gone to overtime scoreless since April 18, 2016 when St. Louis beat Chicago on a David Backes goal and the first Hurricane franchise game to ever do so.

The Scoring: 

1st Period

No Goals

2nd Period

No Goals

3rd Period

No Goals

OT

Jordan Staal (4) Nino Niederreiter, Brett Pesce 04:04 CAR 1,NYI 0

The Series (Carolina leads 1-0)

Game 1: Carolina 1, Isles 0

Game 2: Sunday at Isles 3pm

Game 3: Wednesday at Carolina 7pm

Game 4: Friday at Carolina 7pm

Game 5 (if needed): May 5 at Isles

Game 6 (if needed): May 7 at Carolina

Game 7 (if needed): May 8 at Isles

The Skinny   

The Isles dropped the first game of a series for the first time since 2013 Conference Quarter-Finals vs. Pittsburgh... The Isles have allowed the first goal in four straight games; it is the only goal that they have allowed in all four games. It's the second time in Islander history that they have allowed one goal or fewer in at least four straight games: (5: May 1-12, 1984 vs. Montreal/Edmonton)…This was the first Islander game at Barclays in 69 days as the Isles became the first team since the 1950 Rangers to have two home rinks during the playoffs.  Linesman Brian Murphy worked his 300th Stanley Cup playoff game…Jordan Staal's overtime goal came on the 13th anniversary of his brother Eric scoring an overtime winner for Carolina against Montreal; brother Marc also has a playoff overtime goal…It was Staal's 3rd career overtime point (1-2-3)…The Isles were coming off the longest gap between series in their history while Carolina was coming off their shortest gap; the three NHL teams that played seven games in the first round (Carolina, Boston and San Jose) all won their opening game in round 2…Petr Mrazek recorded his second shutout of this year's playoffs and his fifth in 19 career playoff games.  He lowered his playoff career goals against average to 2.09 (vs. 2.61 career in the regular season). The Isles had a goal disallowed in the second period when the officials ruled that Anders Lee had interfered with Mrazek... Jordan Eberle saw his 4-game goal streak end, as did Mathew Barzal's 4-game assist streak…It is the 25th time that the Isles have been shutout in a playoff game (8th at home); it is the 4th time that they have been blanked 1-0 (Game 3 vs Philadelphia, 1975, Game 1 vs. Edmonton, 1984, and Game 5 vs. Philadelphia 1985)…It's the third 1-0 win in Canes franchise playoff history (1986 Hartford vs. Montreal, 2002 vs. New Jersey).

Shutout Streaks

Petr Mrazek has not allowed a goal in 121:47, stopping 50 shots in that span.

Jordan Staal's goal ended Robin Lehner's 123:29 shutout streak; he had stopped 63 consecutive shots.

Overtime is (Usually) Our Time

The Isles fall to 34-17 (.667) all-time in overtime, including 18-10 (.643) at home.  The .667 overall percentage and .643 home percentages are both the best in NHL history. The Isles are 1-1 in overtime this season; nine of the 23 playoff games the Isles have played since 2015 have gone to overtime with the Isles holding a 5-4 record.  

Carolina is 2-1 in this year's playoffs in overtime and are 23-14 (including 5-6 as the Hartford Whalers) all-time.

…But Not in 2nd Round Games at Barclays

The Isles have played three games in the second round at Barclays, including two vs. Tampa Bay in 2016. All three have been decided in overtime, and the Isles have lost all three on goals allowed in the first five minutes of the extra session.

This was the sixth playoff game ever played at Barclays; the Isles have won two (both in overtime) and lost one other game in regulation.

Lead/Tie/Trail

In game 1, the game was tied for 64:04.  

Series Total: the game was tied for 64:04.

Vs Pittsburgh, the Isles led for 127:34, the game was tied for 112:14 and Pittsburgh led for 4:51

Playoff Totals:   Isles 127:34, Tied 176:18, Opponents 4:51

Other than the final 8:22 of game two, the final 9:33 of game three and the final :38 of game four (all vs. Pittsburgh), the score of every Isles playoff game has been tied or within one goal for the entire playoffs.

Playoffs All-Time

The Isles fall to 148-121 in 269 all-time playoff games.  They are 84-45 at home (including 2-4 at Barclays) and 64-76 on the road.  

What a Season!

The Isles finished 2nd in the Metro Division, 4th in the Eastern Conference and 5th in the NHL. The Isles have not finished that high since the conference was created. They last finished that high in a conference in 87-88, when they were 3rd in the Wales Conference.  It's the first time since 1985-86 that the Isles have finished in the top five overall.

The Best (Fourth) Line in Hockey

In the regular season, the Isles were 35-16-6 when Casey Cizikas, Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck all play and are 13-11-1 when one or more miss a game.  They are 4-1 when all three play in the playoffs.

In game 1, the trio combined for 7 shots on goal and 17 hits.   

Most Points (Post-Cup Era)

• 103: 2018-19 

• 101: 2014-15

Most Road Points (Post Cup Era)

• 51: 2018-19

• 49: 2014-15

Worst to First

The Isles allowed the most goals in the NHL last season and the fewest goals in the NHL this season.  Only once before in NHL history had a team allowed the most goals in one season and the fewest in the next; the Ottawa Senators did so in 1917-18 and 1918-19.  

Coach Trotz

In regular season play, Barry Trotz is 2nd among active coaches in games and third in wins. Trotz' NHL record is 810-595-60-141 in 1,606 games. 

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  890

3. Ken Hitchcock    849

4. Barry Trotz    810

5. Al Arbour    782

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman   2,141

2. Joel Quenneville 1,636

3. Al Arbour   1,607

4. Barry Trotz   1,606

5. Ken Hitchcock   1,598

Trotz, who is a finalist for the Jack Adams Award, will catch Al Arbour in games coached on Opening Night next season.  

Coach Trotz (Playoffs)

Barry Trotz has now coached 118 playoff games (59-59), breaking a  tied for 16th all-time in games coached with Billy Reay (117) and Jacques Lemaire (117).  His 59 wins are 19th all time, two behind Jacques Lemaire and four behind Fred Shero and Claude Julien.  Trotz won the Stanley Cup last season; Joel Quenneville (3) and Mike Sullivan (2) are the only active coaches with multiple Stanley Cups.

Most playoff wins by Islander coaches:

• Al Arbour 123

• Jack Capuano 10

• Terry Simpson 9

• Barry Trotz 4

• Peter Laviolette 4

• Ted Nolan 1

• Steve Stirling 1

Most playoff games coached (Islanders):

• Al Arbour 209

• Jack Capuano 24

• Terry Simpson 20

• Peter Laviolette 12

• Steve Stirling 5

• Ted Nolan 5

• Barry Trotz 5

Most overtime wins/overtime record:

• Al Arbour 26 (26-9)

• Jack Capuano 4 (4-5)

• Terry Simpson 3 (3-0)

• Barry Trotz 1 (1-1)

• Peter Laviolette 0 (0-1)

• Steve Stirling 0 (0-1)

Most playoff series wins:

• Al Arbour 29

• Barry Trotz 1

• Jack Capuano 1

• Terry Simpson 1

What a Difference a Year Makes

This Season: 48-27-7 (103 points), with 228 goals scored and 196 goals allowed (includes SO winners)

Last Season: 35-37-10 (80 points), with 264 goals scored and 296 goals allowed (includes SO winners)

The Isles allowed 100 fewer goals, a decrease of 33.7% as compared to last season.

First Things First

The Isles are 1-0 when scoring first and are 3-1 when allowing the first goal in the playoffs.

The Shots

Isles        11-12-6-2=31

Carolina  9-12-10-1=32

Shots by Game

• Game 1: Isles 31, Carolina 32

• Series: Isles 31, Carolina 32

• Vs Pittsburgh: Isles 129, Pittsburgh 136

• Playoff Totals: Isles 160, Opponents 168

The Isles are 1-0 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-0 when the shots are even and 3-1 when they are outshot. [The Isles won a franchise-record 31 games when outshot this season.]

In the Nets

Robin Lehner made 31 saves but falls to 4-1 in the playoffs and 0-1 in his career against Carolina.   

Petr Mrzaek made 31 saves and improves to 5-3 in the playoffs and 1-0 in his career against the Isles. 

Power Plays

The Isles were 0-4 on the power play in 7:43 of PP time; Carolina was 0-4 on the power play in 5:43 of PP time.

Power Plays by Game

• Game 1: Isles 0-4 (7:43; 7 shots), Carolina 0-4 (5:43, 7 shots)

• Series: Isles 0-4 (7:43; 7 shots), Carolina 0-4 (5:43, 7 shots)

• Vs Pittsburgh: Isles 2-13 (20:47, 25 shots), Pittsburgh 1-12 (19:32, 11 shots)

• Playoff Totals: Isles 2-17 (28:30, 32 shots), Opponents 1-16 (25:15, 18 shots)

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 4-0 in the playoffs when they score at least three goals and 0-1 when they do not.  In the regular season the Isles went 38-2-2 when they scored at least three goals (including shootout winners) and 10-25-5 when they did not.  The 10 wins when being held to two goals or fewer are a franchise record.

One Goal Games

The Isles are 1-1 in the playoffs in one-goal games (0-0 in regulation and 1-1 in overtime); they were 19-6-7 in games decided by a single goal in the regular season. The Isles are 1-0 in playoff games where an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Ryan Pulock (23:14);  Carolina: Justin Faulk (24:27)

Jordan Eberle led Isles forwards with 19:40 of ice-time 

Isles record by ice-time leader: Adam Pelech (1-0), Ryan Pulock (4-0) 

Face-offs

Isles 36, Carolina 23 (61%).

Casey Cizikas won 14 of 18 for the Isles; Jordan Staal won 11 of 21 for Carolina.

Face-offs by period: 1st period 11/16; 2nd period 13/20; 3rd period 11/19; overtime 1/4.

Face-offs by strength: Even strength: 26/44, Power play 6/9, Penalty kill 4/6.

Face-offs by Game

• Game 1: Isles 36, Carolina 23 (59%).  

• Series: Isles 36, Carolina 23 (59%).

• Vs Pittsburgh: Isles 120, Pittsburgh 112 (52%)

• Playoff Total: Isles 156, Opponents 135 (54%)

Hit Count

Isles 44 (Matt Martin -9)

Carolina 38 (Jordan Staal -6)

Hits Game by Game:

• Game 1: Isles 44, Carolina 38

• Series: Isles 44, Carolina 38 

• Vs Pittsburgh: Isles 180, Pittsburgh 171

• Playoff Total: Isles 224, Opponents 209

Fights

There were no fights. Playoff total -0.  The Isles were involved in 16 fights in the regular season.

Blocked Shots

The Isles blocked 19 shots (Nick Leddy -5).  

For the Corsi Crowd 

All situations: Isles 57, Carolina 60

5-on-5 Isles 42, Carolina 43

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Casey Cizikas +8

Carolina: Nino Niederreiter +11 

Corsi Game by Game:

• Game 1 (All) Isles 57, Carolina 60;  (5-on-5) Isles 42, Carolina 43

• Series (All) Isles 57, Carolina 60;  (5-on-5) Isles 42, Carolina 43

Scratches

(Andrew Ladd -INJ), (Tanner Fritz- INJ), (Johnny Boychuk), Luca Sbisa, Dennis Seidenberg, Ross Johnston, Michael Dal Colle

Playoff games lost: 11.  The Isles lost 153 man-games in the regular season

Post-Season Late Heroes

The Isles have scored once in overtime:

4/10 – PIT Penguins-Josh Bailey scored the winning goal (4:39 of OT) 

Post-Season Late Goals Allowed

The Isles have allowed a goal once in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or win a game, and have allowed one overtime goal:

4/10 – PIT Penguins – Justin Schultz tied the game (18:31), but the Isles won in overtime. 

4/26 – CAR Hurricanes – Jordan Staal scored the winning goal (4:04 of OT)

Playoff Offside Challenges

4/10 – PIT Penguins – Isles goal overturned after successful Penguin challenge. 

On the Farm  

The Sound Tigers are tied 2 games to 2 ending into the deciding game of their series with Hershey on Saturday. The winner of tomorrow's game will face regular season champion Charlotte in the 2nd round

Bridgeport finished the regular season with a record of 43-24-6-3; the 97 points is their most ever in a 76-game schedule and their highest total since Jack Capuano led them to a 106-point campaign in 2008-09 (80 games).  

Playoff Leaders: Goals: Kieffer Bellows 2; Assists: Four with 2; Points: Oliver Wahlstrom/Matt Lorito 3;

 +/-: Three with +1. Goalies: Christopher Gibson 2-1 (1.69 GAA); Jeremy Smith 0-1 (2.09 GAA).

Up Next

ROUND 2 VS CAROLINA

GAME 2: SUNDAY, APRIL 28th – AT ISLANDERS 3:00PM

[NBC-Channel 4, 88.7 WRHU-FM, 103.9 FM WRCN and Radio.com]

The Isles will look to even the series in game 2 on Sunday afternoon.  The Isles have not lost the first two games of a series since 2002 vs. Toronto, and both of those games were at the Air Canada Center.

The Isles have never opened a playoff series by losing the first two games at home. 

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

The Skinny: Isles 3, Pittsburgh 1. Isles SWEEP series, 4-0.

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Eastern Conference First Round Game 4

Isles 3, Pittsburgh 1 

It's on to Round 2. 

For the second straight game, Jordan Eberle and Brock Nelson scored first period goals to erase an early Penguin lead as the Isles eliminated the Pittsburgh Penguins with a 3-1 victory before a sellout crowd of 18,609 at PPG Paints Arena. 

Josh Bailey's empty-netter from his own zone clinched the series for their first sweep since the 1983 Final. It's the seventh best-of-7 sweep in franchise history, but the other six all occurred between 1977-1983. 

Robin Lehner made 32 saves; he stopped 130 of 136 Pittsburgh shots in the series as he became the first NHL goalie since Michael Leighton (2010 with Philadelphia) to win his first four career playoff starts. Only 12 other goalies in NHL history have done so.

The Isles will now await the winner of the Washington-Carolina series.  The second round series will open in either DC if the Caps advance or in Brooklyn if the Canes win the series.

The Scoring: 

1st Period

Jake Guentzel (1) Sidney Crosby, Jared McCann 00:35 NYI 0,PIT 1

Jordan Eberle (4) Mathew Barzal, Scott Mayfield 02:09 NYI 1,PIT 1

Brock Nelson (3) Josh Bailey, Tom Kuhnhackl 18:06 NYI 2,PIT 1

2nd Period

No Goals

3rd Period

Josh Bailey (3)EN Valtteri Filppula 19:22 NYI 3,PIT 1

The Series (Isles win 4-0)

Game 1: Isles 4, Pittsburgh 3 (OT)

Game 2: Isles 3, Pittsburgh 1

Game 3: Isles 4, Pittsburgh 1

Game 4: Isles 3, Pittsburgh 1

The Skinny   

Jordan Eberle went 4-2-6 in the series; he is the first Islander to open a playoff run by scoring in four straight games since Ray Ferraro (1993 vs. Washington) and also joins Ferraro as the only players in Isles history to score in their first four playoff games with the team…Eberle is the first Islander since Kip Miller (games 4-7 vs. Toronto in 2002) to score in four consecutive playoff games; he last scored in four consecutive regular season games in January/February 2012…Mathew Barzal had five assists in the series; he is the first Islander in at least the last 31 years to have five assists in the first four games of a playoff year.. Both Eberle and Barzal went +6 in the series; that also hasn't been done by an Islander in the last 31 years… Valtteri Filppula appeared in his 30th career playoff game against Pittsburgh (most of any active player).  Only Dominic Moore (31 games) has played more playoff games against the Pens.  Filppula is 25-60-85 in 162 playoff games. He has played 61 more playoff games than Johnny Boychuk, who is 2nd in career games among current Isles with 101…The Isles have won all ten series when winning the first three games.… It's the first time since the 2013 Eastern Conference Final (vs. Boston) that the Penguins have been swept… No Isles goalie or coach had ever won their first two playoff games; both Robin Lehner and Barry Trotz have now won their first four… The Isles outscored the Penguins 14-6 in the series; the Penguins scored first in each of the last three games. The Isles are 7-8 all-time in playoff games in Pittsburgh and have won four of the last six dating back to game 7 of the 1993 Patrick Division Finals…Matt Martin tied the club record (which he previously shared with Steve Webb) for hits in a playoff game: 11. Since real-time scoring began in 1998-99, no player has averaged more hits/playoff game than Martin (6.9)…Jake Guentzel's goal was the third earliest for the Penguins in a playoff game and was the earliest allowed by the Isles in exactly 16 years (Mike Fisher for Ottawa on 4/16/03)..The Isles held Pittsburgh to one goal in each of the last three games.  It's the third time in Islander history that they have allowed one goal or fewer in three straight games: (3: April 18-22, 1979 vs. Chicago, 5: May 1-12, 1984 vs. Montreal/Edmonton)…The last time the Isles clinched a playoff series on the road was also in Pittsburgh, in 1993… A team that has swept its first round series has played for the Stanley Cup in each of the last two years (Nashville, Vegas); the Isles and Columbus are the only teams to sweep a first round series this year...Brock Nelson is the first Islander to score consecutive game winning goals in the same series since Ray Ferraro (games 3 and 4) in 1993; John Tavares had the series-winner vs. Florida and the game 1 winner vs. Tampa Bay in 2016.

The Injuries

Both Johnny Boychuk and Cal Clutterbuck left the game with injuries in the 2nd period and did not return.

Vs. Pittsburgh

This is the fifth all-time playoff meeting between the teams:

• 1975- Quarter-Finals.  Isles won series 4 games to 3.

• 1982- Preliminary Series. Isles won series 3 games to 2.

• 1993- Division Final.  Isles won series 4 games to 3.

• 2013- Conference Quarter-Finals.  Pittsburgh won series 4 games to 2.

• 2019- Conference First Round.  Isles won series 4 games to 0.

Overtime is Our Time

The Isles are 34-16 (.680) all-time in overtime, including 18-9 (.667) at home.  The .680 overall percentage and .667 home percentages are both the best in NHL history. The Isles are 1-0 in overtime this season; eight of the 20 playoff games the Isles have played since 2014 have gone to overtime with the Isles holding a 5-3 record.  

Pittsburgh is 30-31 in overtime, including 12-12 on the road.

There have been six overtime games between the teams; each team has won three.  John Tonelli (1982) and David Volek (1993) have the other winners for the Isles while Rick Kehoe (1982), Chris Kunitz (2013) and Brooks Orpik (2013) have winners for Pittsburgh. Each of the six games was decided in the first nine minutes of overtime.

Lead/Tie/Trail

In game 1, the Isles led for 27:43 and the game was tied for 36:56.  

In game 2, the Isles led for 12:06, the game was tied for 45:05 and Pittsburgh led for 2:49.  

In game 3, the Isles led for 45:36, the game was tied for 13:56 and Pittsburgh led for :28.

In game 4, the Isles led for 42:09, the game was tied for 16:17 and Pittsburgh led for 1:34

Totals:   Isles 127:34, Tied 112:14, Pittsburgh 4:51

Other than the final 8:22 of game two, the final 9:33 of game three and the final :38 of game four,  the score has been tied or within one goal for the entire series.

Playoffs All-time

The Isles improve to 148-120 in 267 all-time playoff games.  They are 84-44 at home (including 2-3 at Barclays) and 64-76 on the road.  

What a Season!

The Isles finished 2nd in the Metro Division, 4th in the Eastern Conference and 5th in the NHL. The Isles have not finished that high since the conference was created. They last finished that high in a conference in 87-88, when they were 3rd in the Wales Conference.  It's the first time since 1985-86 that the Isles have finished in the top five overall.

Two Isles Goalies with at least 23 Wins in a Regular Season

• 1978-79: Chico Resch (26) & Billy Smith (25)

• 2018-19: Robin Lehner (25) & Thomas Greiss (23)

Best Goals Against Average by An Islander in a Regular Season

1. Chico Resch 1975-76 2.08

2. Robin Lehner 2018-19 2.13

3. Thomas Greiss 2018-19 2.28

4. Chico Resch 1975-76 2.28

5. Jaroslav Halak 2015-16 2.30

Best Save Percentage by an Islander in a Regular Season 

1. Robin Lehner 2018-19 .930

2. Chico Resch 1975-76 .928

3. Thomas Greiss 2018-19 .927

4. Thomas Greiss 2015-16 .925

The Best (Fourth) Line in Hockey

In the regular season, the Isles were 35-16-6 when Casey Cizikas, Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck all play and are 13-11-1 when one or more miss a game.  They are 4-0 when all three play in the playoffs.

In this series, the trio has combined for 19 shots on goal and 64 hits.

It's Good to be Home

The Isles went 12-7-2 on Coliseum ice; they averaged 97.1% of capacity on Long Island (including 14 sellouts).  They are 2-0 in playoff games at the Coliseum (2 sellouts).

Most Points (Post-Cup Era)

• 103: 2018-19 

• 101: 2014-15

Most Road Points (Post Cup Era)

• 51: 2018-19

• 49: 2014-15

Fewest Goals Allowed (Includes SO)

• 190 1975-76 (no overtime games; 80-game schedule)

• 193 1976-77 (no overtime games; 80-game schedule)

• 196 2018-19 (189 in regulation, two in overtime, and five in shootouts)

The Isles allowed 190 goals in the 80-game 1975-76 season (2.38/game). The Isles have allowed 2.30 goals in regulation and 2.39 goals including OT/SO this season.

Worst to First

The Isles allowed the most goals in the NHL last season and the fewest goals in the NHL this season.  Only once before in NHL history had a team allowed the most goals in one season and the fewest in the next; the Ottawa Senators did so in 1917-18 and 1918-19.  

Coach Trotz

In regular season play, Barry Trotz is 2nd among active coaches in games and third in wins. Trotz' NHL record is 810-595-60-141 in 1,606 games. 

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  890

3. Ken Hitchcock    849

4. Barry Trotz    810

5. Al Arbour    782

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman   2,141

2. Joel Quenneville 1,636

3. Al Arbour   1,607

4. Barry Trotz   1,606

5. Ken Hitchcock   1,598

Trotz will catch Al Arbour in games coached on Opening Night next season.  

Coach Trotz (Playoffs)

Barry Trotz has now coached 117 playoff games (59-58).  He is tied-16th all-time in games coached with  Billy Reay (117) and Jacques Lemaire (117).  His 59 wins are 19th all time, two behind Jacques Lemaire and four behind Fred Shero and Claude Julien.  Trotz won the Stanley Cup last season; Joel Quenneville (3) and Mike Sullivan (2) are the only active coaches with multiple Stanley Cups.

Most playoff wins by Islander coaches:

• Al Arbour 123

• Jack Capuano 10

• Terry Simpson 9

• Barry Trotz 4

• Peter Laviolette 4

• Ted Nolan 1

• Steve Stirling 1

Most playoff games coached (Islanders):

• Al Arbour 209

• Jack Capuano 24

• Terry Simpson 20

• Peter Laviolette 12

• Steve Stirling 5

• Ted Nolan 5

• Barry Trotz 4

Most overtime wins/overtime record:

• Al Arbour 26 (26-9)

• Jack Capuano 4 (4-5)

• Terry Simpson 3 (3-0)

• Barry Trotz 1 (1-0)

• Peter Laviolette 0 (0-1)

• Steve Stirling 0 (0-1)

Most playoff series wins:

• Al Arbour 29

• Barry Trotz 1

• Jack Capuano 1

• Terry Simpson 1

What a Difference a Year Makes

This Season: 48-27-7 (103 points), with 228 goals scored and 196 goals allowed (includes SO winners)

Last Season: 35-37-10 (80 points), with 264 goals scored and 296 goals allowed (includes SO winners)

The Isles allowed 100 fewer goals, a decrease of 33.7% as compared to last season.

First Things First

The Isles are 1-0 when scoring first and are 3-0 when allowing the first goal in the playoffs.

The Shots

Isles          7-10-9=26

Pittsburgh 10-14-9=33

Shots by Game

• Game 1: Isles 33, Pittsburgh 44

• Game 2: Isles 34, Pittsburgh 33

• Game 3: Isles 36, Pittsburgh 26

• Game 4: Isles 26, Pittsburgh 33

• Series: Isles 129, Pittsburgh 136

The Isles are 1-0 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-0 when the shots are even and 3-0 when they are outshot. [The Isles won a franchise-record 31 games when outshot this season.]

In the Nets

Robin Lehner made 32 saves to improve to 4-0 in the playoffs and in his career against Pittsburgh.   

Matt Murray made 23 saves but falls to 0-4 in the playoffs and in his career against the Isles. 

Power Plays

The Isles were 0-3 on the power play in 6:00 of PP time; Pittsburgh was 0-3 on the power play in 6:00 of PP time.

Power Plays by Game

• Game 1: Isles 1-2 (2:25; 5 shots), Pittsburgh 1-3 (5:11, 2 shots)

• Game 2: Isles 1-6 (9:59, 8 shots), Pittsburgh 0-2 (3:05, 3 shots)

• Game 3: Isles 0-2 (2:23, 5 shots), Pittsburgh 0-4 (5:16, 4 shots)

• Game 4: Isles 0-3 (6:00, 7 shots), Pittsburgh 0-3 (6:00, 2 shots)

• Series: Isles 2-13 (20:47, 25 shots), Pittsburgh 1-12 (19:32, 11 shots)

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 4-0 in the playoffs when they score at least three goals.  In the regular season the Isles went 38-2-2 when they scored at least three goals (including shootout winners) and 10-25-5 when they did not.  The 10 wins when being held to two goals or fewer are a franchise record.

One Goal Games

The Isles are 1-0 in the playoffs in one-goal games; they were 19-6-7 in games decided by a single goal in the regular season. The Isles are 1-0 in playoff games where an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Ryan Pulock (24:05);  Pittsburgh: Kris Letang (25:41)

Josh Bailey led Isles forwards with 18:01 of ice-time 

Isles record by ice-time leader: Adam Pelech (1-0), Ryan Pulock (3-0) 

Face-offs

Isles 26, Pittsburgh 30 (46%).

Brock Nelson won 8 of 15 for the Isles; Sidney Crosby won 17 of 25 for Pittsburgh.

Face-offs by period: 1st period 10/17; 2nd period 6/16; 3rd period 10/23.

Face-offs by strength: Even strength: 22/46, Power play 2/5, Penalty kill 2/5.

Face-offs by Game

• Game 1: Isles 35, Pittsburgh 29 (55%).  

• Game 2: Isles 33, Pittsburgh 24 (58%).

• Game 3: Isles 26, Pittsburgh 29 (47%)

• Game 4: Isles 26, Pittsburgh 30 (46%)

• Series: Isles 120, Pittsburgh 112 (52%)

Hit Count

Isles 50 (Matt Martin -11)

Pittsburgh 34 (Garrett Wilson-4)

Hits Game by Game:

• Game 1: Isles 42, Pittsburgh 43

• Game 2: Isles 41, Pittsburgh 36 

• Game 3: Isles 47, Pittsburgh 58

• Game 4: Isles 50, Pittsburgh 34

• Series: Isles 180, Pittsburgh 171

Fights

There were no fights. Playoff total -0.  The Isles were involved in 16 fights in the regular season.

Blocked Shots

The Isles blocked 23 shots (Adam Pelech-6).  

For the Corsi Crowd 

All situations: Isles 54, Pittsburgh 74

5-on-5 Isles 41, Pittsburgh 61

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Nick Leddy +8

Pittsburgh: Jake Guentzel +20

Corsi Game by Game:

• Game 1 (All) Isles 62, Pittsburgh 83;  (5-on-5) Isles 49, Pittsburgh 70

• Game 2 (All) Isles 59, Pittsburgh 62; (5-on-5) Isles 39, Pittsburgh 47 

• Game 3 (All) Isles 61, Pittsburgh 58; (5-on-5) Isles 48, Pittsburgh 45

• Game 4 (All) Isles 54, Pittsburgh 74; (5-on-5) Isles 41, Pittsburgh 61

• Series (All) Isles 236, Pittsburgh 277; (5-on-5) Isles 177, Pittsburgh 223

Scratches

(Andrew Ladd -INJ), (Tanner Fritz- INJ),Thomas Hickey, Luca Sbisa, Dennis Seidenberg, Ross Johnston, Michael Dal Colle

Playoff games lost: 8.  The Isles lost 153 man-games in the regular season

Post-Season Late Heroes

The Isles have scored once in overtime:

4/10 – PIT Penguins-Josh Bailey scored the winning goal (4:39 of OT) 

Post-Season 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:

4/10 – PIT Penguins – Justin Schultz tied the game (18:31), but the Isles won in overtime. 

Playoff Offside Challenges

4/10 – PIT Penguins – Isles goal overturned after successful Penguin challenge. 

On the Farm  

The Sound Tigers will begin the best-of-5 first round series on Friday against Hershey.

Playoff Schedule:

    1           Friday, Apr. 19          at Bridgeport 

    2           Saturday, Apr. 20      at Bridgeport

    3           Tuesday, Apr. 23      at Hershey

    4*         Thursday, Apr. 25      at Hershey

    5*         Saturday, Apr. 27      at Bridgeport

The Sound Tigers went 12-1-1-1 in their final 15 games at home.

Overall, Bridgeport finished the regular season with a record of 43-24-6-3; the 97 points is their most ever in a 76-game schedule and their highest total since Jack Capuano led them to a 106-point campaign in 2008-09 (80 games).  

Leaders: Goals: Steve Bernier 24; Assists: Chris Bourque 39; Points: Chris Bourque 54; +/-: Jeff Kubiak/Otto Koivula +14. Goalies: Christopher Gibson 22-11-5 (2.84 GAA); Jeremy Smith 21-13-4 (2.92 GAA)

Up Next

ROUND 2 VS WASHINGTON OR CAROLINA

HOME GAMES AT BARCLAYS CENTER

All games on NBCSN or NBC, with extensive post game coverage on MSG/MSG+/MSGGo,

Radio coverage on  88.7 WRHU-FM, 103.9 FM WRCN and Radio.com

And Finally…

Tonight's game was the final of 85 Islander telecasts this season on MSG Networks.  Thanks to my MSG colleagues for an amazing season – the ones you know:  Brendan Burke, Butch Goring, Shannon Hogan, AJ Mleczko and Jenn Botterill and the ones you should: Jim Gallagher, Joel Mandelbaum, Sarah Servetnick, Charlie Cucchiara and JT Townsend.

See you with the 589th consecutive edition of The Skinny next week!

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

Former Islander Dmitry Nabokov passes away

Russian media reporting that Dmitri Nabokov has passed away at the age of 42.

Nabokov went 4-9-13 in 30 games for the Isles over the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 (playing most of his Islander games for Coach Butch Goring).

A former 1st round pick of the Blackhawks (1995), he was acquired by the Isles in a trade for JP Dumont and a 5th round pick.  (Dumont would eventually score over 200 NHL goals, mainly for Buffalo and Nashville.)   

Nabokov returned to Russia following the 1999-2000 season.

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

The Skinny: Isles 4, Pittsburgh 1. Isles lead series, 3-0.

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Eastern Conference First Round Game 3

Isles 4, Pittsburgh 1 

Jordan Eberle and Brock Nelson scored goals 1:02 apart in the first period to erase an early Penguin lead as the Isles took a 3-games-to-0 lead over the Pittsburgh Penguins with a 4-1 victory before a sellout crowd of 18,610 at PPG Paints Arena.

Those two goals were the fastest by the Isles in a playoff game since 2002 (Kip Miller and Mariusz Czerkawski scored 38 seconds apart vs. Toronto in game 6)

It's the first time since the 1983 Stanley Cup Final that the Isles lead a series 3-0; game 4 is scheduled for Pittsburgh on Tuesday evening.

The Scoring: 

1st Period

Garrett Wilson (1) Marcus Pettersson, Justin Schultz 12:54 NYI 0,PIT 1

Jordan Eberle (3) Ryan Pulock, Mathew Barzal 13:22 NYI 1,PIT 1

Brock Nelson (2) Tom Kuhnhackl 14:24 NYI 2,PIT 1

2nd Period

No Goals

3rd Period

Leo Komarov (1) Anthony Beauvillier, Valtteri Filppula 10:27 NYI 3,PIT 1

Anders Lee (1) Valtteri Filppula, Adam Pelech 18:32 EN NYI 4, PIT 1

The Series (Isles lead 3-0)

Game 1: Isles 4, Pittsburgh 3 (OT)

Game 2: Isles 3, Pittsburgh 1

Game 3: Isles 4, Pittsburgh 1

Game 4: Tuesday in Pittsburgh (7:30)

Game 5 (if needed): Thursday April 18 on Long Island

Game 6 (if needed): Saturday April 20 in Pittsburgh

Game 7 (if needed): Monday April 22 on Long Island

The Skinny   

Jordan Eberle is 3-2-5 in the series; he is the first Islander to open a playoff run by scoring in three straight games since Ray Ferraro (1993 vs. Washington) and also joins Ferraro as the only players in Isles history to score in their first three playoff games with the team…Eberle is the first Islander since Kyle Okposo (games 2-4 vs. Pittsburgh in 2013) to score in three consecutive playoff games…Mathew Barzal has four assists in the series. Both Eberle and Barzal are +5 in the series… Valtteri Filppula appeared in his 29th career playoff game against Pittsburgh (most of any active player).  Only Dominic Moore (31 games) has played more playoff games against the Pens.  Filppula is 25-60-85 in 161 playoff games. He has played 61 more playoff games than Johnny Boychuk, who is 2nd in career games among current Isles with 100…Boychuk is the 360th player in NHL history to appear in 100 playoff games...The Isles lead a series 3-0 for the first time since the 1983 Final; they have won all nine previous series when winning the first three games.… It's the first time since 2013 that the Penguins have lost the first three games of a series; they were swept by Boston in the Eastern Conference Final…Both Leo Komarov (18th game) and Anders Lee (6th game) scored their first career playoff goals.  It was Leo's first goal in 37 games, including regular season (1/20/19 vs. Anaheim)…No Isles goalie or coach had ever won their first two playoff games; both Robin Lehner and Barry Trotz have now won their first three…The Isles have held Sidney Crosby without a point in the first three games of the series; they have NEVER held him pointless in three consecutive regular season games.…The Isles have outscored the Penguins 11-5 in the series; it's the first time that the Isles have outscored the opposition by six goals in the a series since the 1983 Final.

Vs. Pittsburgh

This is the fifth all-time playoff meeting between the teams:

• 1975- Quarter-Finals.  Isles won series 4 games to 3.

• 1982- Preliminary Series. Isles won series 3 games to 2.

• 1993- Division Final.  Isles won series 4 games to 3.

• 2013- Conference Quarter-Finals.  Pittsburgh won series 4 games to 2.

• 2019- Conference First Round.  Isles lead series 3 games to 0.

An overtime goal has ended the last three series: John Tonelli (1982), David Volek (1993) and Brooks Orpik (2013) scored the series-ending goals.

This is only the second time that the Isles have had home-ice in a series vs. Pittsburgh (1982).

Overtime is Our Time

The Isles are 34-16 (.680) all-time in overtime, including 18-9 (.667) at home.  The .680 overall percentage and .667 home percentages are both the best in NHL history. The Isles are 1-0 in overtime this season; eight of the 20 playoff games the Isles have played since 2014 have gone to overtime with the Isles holding a 5-3 record.  

Pittsburgh is 30-31 in overtime, including 12-12 on the road.

There have been six overtime games between the teams; each team has won three.  John Tonelli (1982) and David Volek (1993) have the other winners for the Isles while Rick Kehoe (1982), Chris Kunitz (2013) and Brooks Orpik (2013) have winners for Pittsburgh. Each of the six games was decided in the first nine minutes of overtime.

Lead/Tie/Trail

In game 1, the Isles led for 27:43 and the game was tied for 36:56.  

In game 2, the Isles led for 12:06, the game was tied for 45:05 and Pittsburgh led for 2:49.  

In game 3, the Isles led for 45:36, the game was tied for 13:54 and Pittsburgh led for :28.

Totals:   Isles 85:25, Tied 95:55, Pittsburgh 3:17

Other than the final 8:22 of game two and the final 9:33 of game three, the score has been tied or within one goal for the entire series.

Playoffs All-time

The Isles improve to 147-120 in 267 all-time playoff games.  They are 84-44 at home (including 2-3 at Barclays) and 63-76 on the road.  

What a Season!

The Isles finished 2nd in the Metro Division, 4th in the Eastern Conference and 5th in the NHL. The Isles have not finished that high since the conference was created. They last finished that high in a conference in 87-88, when they were 3rd in the Wales Conference.  It's the first time since 1985-86 that the Isles have finished in the top five overall.

Two Isles Goalies with at least 23 Wins in a Regular Season

• 1978-79: Chico Resch (26) & Billy Smith (25)

• 2018-19: Robin Lehner (25) & Thomas Greiss (23)

Best Goals Against Average by An Islander in a Regular Season

1. Chico Resch 1975-76 2.08

2. Robin Lehner 2018-19 2.13

3. Thomas Greiss 2018-19 2.28

4. Chico Resch 1975-76 2.28

5. Jaroslav Halak 2015-16 2.30

Best Save Percentage by an Islander in a Regular Season 

1. Robin Lehner 2018-19 .930

2. Chico Resch 1975-76 .928

3. Thomas Greiss 2018-19 .927

4. Thomas Greiss 2015-16 .925

The Best (Fourth) Line in Hockey

In the regular season, the Isles were 35-16-6 when Casey Cizikas, Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck all play and are 13-11-1 when one or more miss a game.  They are 3-0 when all three play in the playoffs.

In this series, the trio has combined for 17 shots on goal and 46 hits.

It's Good to be Home

The Isles went 12-7-2 on Coliseum ice; they averaged 97.1% of capacity on Long Island (including 14 sellouts).  They are 2-0 in playoff games at the Coliseum (2 sellouts).

Most Points (Post-Cup Era)

• 103: 2018-19 

• 101: 2014-15

Most Road Points (Post-Cup Era)

• 51: 2018-19

• 49: 2014-15

Fewest Goals Allowed (Includes SO)

• 190 1975-76 (no overtime games; 80-game schedule)

• 193 1976-77 (no overtime games; 80-game schedule)

• 196 2018-19 (189 in regulation, two in overtime, and five in shootouts)

The Isles allowed 190 goals in the 80-game 1975-76 season (2.38/game). The Isles have allowed 2.30 goals in regulation and 2.39 goals including OT/SO this season.

Worst to First

The Isles allowed the most goals in the NHL last season and the fewest goals in the NHL this season.  Only once before in NHL history had a team allowed the most goals in one season and the fewest in the next; the Ottawa Senators did so in 1917-18 and 1918-19.  

Coach Trotz

In regular season play, Barry Trotz is 2nd among active coaches in games and third in wins. Trotz' NHL record is 810-595-60-141 in 1,606 games. 

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  890

3. Ken Hitchcock    849

4. Barry Trotz    810

5. Al Arbour    782

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman   2,141

2. Joel Quenneville 1,636

3. Al Arbour   1,607

4. Barry Trotz   1,606

5. Ken Hitchcock   1,598

Trotz will catch Al Arbour in games coached on Opening Night next season.  

Coach Trotz (Playoffs)

Barry Trotz has now coached 116 playoff games (58-58).  He is 18th all-time in games coached and will pass Billy Reay (117) and Jacques Lemaire (117) this month.  His 58th win breaks a tie with Billy Reay for 19th all time.  Trotz won the Stanley Cup last season; Joel Quenneville (3) and Mike Sullivan (2) are the only active coaches with multiple Stanley Cups.

Most playoff wins by Islander coaches:

• Al Arbour 123

• Jack Capuano 10

• Terry Simpson 9

• Peter Laviolette 4

• Barry Trotz 3

• Ted Nolan 1

• Steve Stirling 1

Most playoff games coached (Islanders):

• Al Arbour 209

• Jack Capuano 24

• Terry Simpson 20

• Peter Laviolette 12

• Steve Stirling 5

• Ted Nolan 5

• Barry Trotz 3

Most overtime wins/overtime record:

• Al Arbour 26 (26-9)

• Jack Capuano 4 (4-5)

• Terry Simpson 3 (3-0)

• Barry Trotz 1 (1-0)

• Peter Laviolette 0 (0-1)

• Steve Stirling 0 (0-1)

Most playoff series wins:

• Al Arbour 29

• Jack Capuano 1

• Terry Simpson 1

What a Difference a Year Makes

This Season: 48-27-7 (103 points), with 228 goals scored and 196 goals allowed (includes SO winners)

Last Season: 35-37-10 (80 points), with 264 goals scored and 296 goals allowed (includes SO winners)

The Isles allowed 100 fewer goals, a decrease of 33.7% as compared to last season.

First Things First

The Isles are 1-0 when scoring first and are 2-0 when allowing the first goal in the playoffs.

The Shots

Isles          8-16-12=36

Pittsburgh 7-9-9=26

Shots by Game

• Game 1: Isles 33, Pittsburgh 44

• Game 2: Isles 34, Pittsburgh 33

• Game 3: Isles 36, Pittsburgh 26

• Series: Isles 103, Pittsburgh 103

The Isles are 1-0 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-0 when the shots are even and 2-0 when they are outshot. [The Isles won a franchise-record 31 games when outshot this season.]

In the Nets

Robin Lehner made 25 saves to improve to 3-0 in the playoffs and in his career against Pittsburgh.   

Matt Murray made 32 saves but falls to 0-3 in the playoffs and in his career against the Isles. 

Power Plays

The Isles were 0-2 on the power play in 2:23 of PP time (including 0:53 of 5-on-3); Pittsburgh was 0-3 on the power play in 5:16 of PP time.

Power Plays by Game

• Game 1: Isles 1-2 (2:25; 5 shots), Pittsburgh 1-3 (5:11, 2 shots)

• Game 2: Isles 1-6 (9:59, 8 shots), Pittsburgh 0-2 (3:05, 3 shots)

• Game 3: Isles 0-2 (2:23, 5 shots), Pittsburgh 0-4 (5:16, 4 shots)

• Series: Isles 2-8 (14:47, 18 shots), Pittsburgh 1-5 (13:32, 9 shots)

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 3-0 in the playoffs when they score at least three goals.  In the regular season the Isles went 38-2-2 when they scored at least three goals (including shootout winners) and 10-25-5 when they did not.  The 10 wins when being held to two goals or fewer are a franchise record.

One Goal Games

The Isles are 1-0 in the playoffs in one-goal games; they were 19-6-7 in games decided by a single goal in regulation. 

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Ryan Pulock (22:17);  Pittsburgh: Kris Letang (24:53)

Cal Clutterbuck led Isles forwards with 19:10 of ice-time 

Isles record by ice-time leader: Adam Pelech (1-0), Ryan Pulock (2-0) 

Face-offs

Isles 26, Pittsburgh 29 (47%).

Casey Cizikas won 13 of 22 for the Isles; Sidney Crosby won 12 of 19 for Pittsburgh.

Face-offs by period: 1st period 10/20; 2nd period 4/13; 3rd period 12/22.

Face-offs by strength: Even strength: 25/50, Power play 0/2, Penalty kill 1/3.

Face-offs by Game

• Game 1: Isles 35, Pittsburgh 29 (55%).  

• Game 2: Isles 33, Pittsburgh 24 (58%).

• Game 3: Isles 26, Pittsburgh 29 (47%)

• Series: Isles 94, Pittsburgh 82 (53%)

Hit Count

Isles 47 (Matt Martin -10)

Pittsburgh 58 (Bryan Rust-7)

Hits Game by Game:

• Game 1: Isles 42, Pittsburgh 43

• Game 2: Isles 41, Pittsburgh 36 

• Game 3: Isles 47, Pittsburgh 58

• Series: Isles 130, Pittsburgh 137

Fights

There were no fights. Playoff total -0.  The Isles were involved in 16 fights in the regular season.

Blocked Shots

The Isles blocked 23 shots (Nick Leddy-4).  

For the Corsi Crowd 

All situations: Isles 61, Pittsburgh 58

5-on-5 Isles 48, Pittsburgh 45

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Devon Toews +13 

Pittsburgh: Three with +7

Corsi Game by Game:

• Game 1 (All) Isles 62, Pittsburgh 83;  (5-on-5) Isles 49, Pittsburgh 70

• Game 2 (All) Isles 59, Pittsburgh 62; (5-on-5) Isles 39, Pittsburgh 47 

• Game 3 (All) Isles 61, Pittsburgh 58; (5-on-5) Isles 48, Pittsburgh 45

• Series (All) Isles 182, Pittsburgh 203; (5-on-5) Isles 136, Pittsburgh 162

Scratches

(Andrew Ladd -INJ), (Tanner Fritz- INJ),Thomas Hickey, Luca Sbisa, Dennis Seidenberg, Ross Johnston, Michael Dal Colle

Playoff games lost: 6.  The Isles lost 153 man-games in the regular season

Post-Season Late Heroes

The Isles have scored once in overtime:

4/10 – PIT Penguins-Josh Bailey scored the winning goal (4:39 of OT) 

Post-Season 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:

4/10 – PIT Penguins – Justin Schultz tied the game (18:31), but the Isles won in overtime. 

Playoff Offside Challenges

4/10 – PIT Penguins – Isles goal overturned after successful Penguin challenge. 

On the Farm  

The playoff-bound Sound Tigers clinched home-ice with a 5-2 win over Wilkes Barre-Scranton in their season finale. Mitch Vande Sompel scored twice while Sebastian Aho added three assists.

Bridgeport will begin the best-of-5 first round series on Friday against Hershey.

Playoff Schedule:

    1           Friday, Apr. 19          at Bridgeport 

    2           Saturday, Apr. 20      at Bridgeport

    3           Tuesday, Apr. 23      at Hershey

    4*         Thursday, Apr. 25      at Hershey

    5*         Saturday, Apr. 27      at Bridgeport

The Sound Tigers went 12-1-1-1 in their final 15 games at home.

Overall, Bridgeport finished the season 15-6-1-1 in their last 23 games and 19-7-2-1 in their last 29 games. Their final record is 43-24-6-3; the 97 points is their most ever in a 76-game schedule and their highest total since Jack Capuano led them to a 106-point campaign in 2008-09 (80 games).  

Leaders: Goals: Steve Bernier 24; Assists: Chris Bourque 39; Points: Chris Bourque 54; +/-: Jeff Kubiak/Otto Koivula +14. Goalies: Christopher Gibson 22-11-5 (2.84 GAA); Jeremy Smith 21-13-4 (2.92 GAA)

Up Next

ISLANDERS VS PENGUINS

GAME 4: TUESDAY, APRIL 16th – AT PITTSBURGH 7:30PM

[MSG/MSG+/MSGGo, NBCSN, 88.7 WRHU-FM, 103.9 FM WRCN and Radio.com]

The Isles will look to complete a 3-0 series sweep for the first time since the 1983 Stanley Cup Final when they visit Pittsburgh for game 4.

The Isles have led nine best-of-seven series 3-0 and have won them all.  In NHL history, teams that lead 3-0 are 186-4; the 1975 Islanders are one of the "4", erasing a 3-0 lead against Pittsburgh.

The Isles are 6-8 all-time in playoff games in Pittsburgh and have won three of the last five dating back to game 7 of the 1993 Patrick Division Finals. 

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

The Skinny: Isles 3, Pittsburgh 1; Isles lead series 2-0.

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Eastern Conference First Round Game 2

Isles 3, Pittsburgh 1 

Jordan Eberle and Josh Bailey scored goals 3:44 apart in the third period as the Isles broke a 1-1 tie and earned a 3-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins before a sellout crowd of 13,917 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.   

Bailey's goal came on the Isles' 6th power play of the game (most in a playoff game since 2003). 

It's the first time since the 1983 Stanley Cup Final that the Isles lead a series 2-0; games 3 and 4 are scheduled for Pittsburgh on Sunday afternoon and Tuesday evening.

The Scoring: 

1st Period

No Goals

2nd Period

Erik Gudbranson (1) Evgeni Malkin 10:36 PIT 1,NYI 0

Anthony Beauvillier (1) Mathew Barzal, Jordan Eberle 13:25 PIT 1,NYI 1

3rd Period

Jordan Eberle (2) Mathew Barzal, Johnny Boychuk 07:54 PIT 1,NYI 2

Josh Bailey (2) Anders Lee, Devon Toews 11:38 PIT 1,NYI 3 PPG

The Series (Isles lead 1-0)

Game 1: Isles 4, Pittsburgh 3 (OT)

Game 2: Isles 3, Pittsburgh 1

Game 3: Sunday in Pittsburgh (12:00)

Game 4: Tuesday in Pittsburgh (7:30)

Game 5 (if needed): Thursday April 18 on Long Island

Game 6 (if needed): Saturday April 20 in Pittsburgh

Game 7 (if needed): Monday April 22 on Long Island

The Skinny   

Jordan Eberle is 2-2-4 in the series after tallying only two points in 13 playoff games for Edmonton; Eberle has been on the ice for six of the Isles' seven goals in the series… Evgeni Malkin now has 13 points in eight career playoff games against the Isles…Every Isles played at least 10:43…Valtteri Filppula appeared in his 28th career playoff game against Pittsburgh (most of any active player).  Only Dominic Moore (31 games) has played more playoff games against the Pens.  Filppula is 25-58-83 in 160 playoff games. He has played 61 more playoff games than Johnny Boychuk, who is 2nd in career games among current Isles with 99….The Isles had failed on their last six attempts to take a 2-0 lead when the Isles win games 1 and 2 of a best-of-seven series, they have gone on to win the series 11 out of 12 times (losing only to Toronto in 1978)…The Isles won a home game on April 12th for the first time in their history, having 0-1-1 in the regular season and 0-5 in the playoffs in their previous seven games…It's the first since 2013 that the Penguins have lost the first two games of the season…The Isles have scored power play goals in four consecutive home playoff games (dating back to 2016); they scored power play goals in consecutive regular season games only once after the All-Star Break (2/8-2/9).

Vs. Pittsburgh

This is the fifth all-time playoff meeting between the teams:

• 1975- Quarter-Finals.  Isles won series 4 games to 3.

• 1982- Preliminary Series. Isles won series 3 games to 2.

• 1993- Division Final.  Isles won series 4 games to 3.

• 2013- Conference Quarter-Finals.  Pittsburgh won series 4 games to 2.

• 2019- Conference First Round.  Isles lead series 2 games to 0.

An overtime goal has ended the last three series: John Tonelli (1982), David Volek (1993) and Brooks Orpik (2013) scored the series-ending goals.

This is only the second time that the Isles have had home-ice in a series vs. Pittsburgh (1982).

Overtime is Our Time

The Isles are 34-16 (.680) all-time in overtime, including 18-9 (.667) at home.  The .680 overall percentage and .667 home percentages are both the best in NHL history. The Isles are 1-0 in overtime this season; eight of the 20 playoff games the Isles have played since 2014 have gone to overtime with the Isles holding a 5-3 record.  

Pittsburgh is 30-31 in overtime, including 12-12 on the road.

There have been six overtime games between the teams; each team has won three.  John Tonelli (1982) and David Volek (1993) have the other winners for the Isles while Rick Kehoe (1982), Chris Kunitz (2013) and Brooks Orpik (2013) have winners for Pittsburgh. Each of the six games was decided in the first nine minutes of overtime.

Lead/Tie/Trail

In game 1, the Isles led for 27:43 and the game was tied for 36:56.  

In game 2, the Isles led for 12:06, the game was tied for 45:05 and Pittsburgh led for 2:49.  

Totals:   Isles 39:49, Tied 82:01, Pittsburgh 2:49

Other than the final 8:22 of game two, the score has been tied or within one goal for the entire series.

Playoffs All-time

The Isles improve to 146-120 in 266 all-time playoff games.  They are 84-44 at home (including 2-3 at Barclays) and 62-76 on the road.  

What a Season!

The Isles finished 2nd in the Metro Division, 4th in the Eastern Conference and 5th in the NHL. The Isles have not finished that high since the conference was created. They last finished that high in a conference in 87-88, when they were 3rd in the Wales Conference.  It's the first time since 1985-86 that the Isles have finished in the top five overall.

Two Isles Goalies with at least 23 Wins in a Regular Season

• 1978-79: Chico Resch (26) & Billy Smith (25)

• 2018-19: Robin Lehner (25) & Thomas Greiss (23)

Best Goals Against Average by An Islander in a Regular Season

1. Chico Resch 1975-76 2.08

2. Robin Lehner 2018-19 2.13

3. Thomas Greiss 2018-19 2.28

4. Chico Resch 1975-76 2.28

5. Jaroslav Halak 2015-16 2.30

Best Save Percentage by an Islander in a Regular Season 

1. Robin Lehner 2018-19 .930

2. Chico Resch 1975-76 .928

3. Thomas Greiss 2018-19 .927

4. Thomas Greiss 2015-16 .925

The Best (Fourth) Line in Hockey

In the regular season, the Isles were 35-16-6 when Casey Cizikas, Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck all play and are 13-11-1 when one or more miss a game.  They are 2-0 when all three play in the playoffs.

In this series, the trio has combined for 13 shots on goal and 30 hits.

It's Good to be Home

The Isles went 12-7-2 on Coliseum ice; they averaged 97.1% of capacity on Long Island (including 14 sellouts).  They are 2-0 in playoff games at the Coliseum (2 sellouts).

Most Points (Post-Cup Era)

• 103: 2018-19 

• 101: 2014-15

Most Road Points (Post Cup Era)

• 51: 2018-19

• 49: 2014-15

Fewest Goals Allowed (Includes SO)

• 190 1975-76 (no overtime games; 80-game schedule)

• 193 1976-77 (no overtime games; 80-game schedule)

• 196 2018-19 (189 in regulation, two in overtime, and five in shootouts)

The Isles allowed 190 goals in the 80-game 1975-76 season (2.38/game). The Isles have allowed 2.30 goals in regulation and 2.39 goals including OT/SO this season.

Worst to First

The Isles allowed the most goals in the NHL last season and the fewest goals in the NHL this season.  Only once before in NHL history had a team allowed the most goals in one season and the fewest in the next; the Ottawa Senators did so in 1917-18 and 1918-19.  

Coach Trotz

In regular season play, Barry Trotz is 2nd among active coaches in games and third in wins. Trotz' NHL record is 810-595-60-141 in 1,606 games. 

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  890

3. Ken Hitchcock    849

4. Barry Trotz    810

5. Al Arbour    782

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman   2,141

2. Joel Quenneville 1,636

3. Al Arbour   1,607

4. Barry Trotz   1,606

5. Ken Hitchcock   1,598

Trotz will catch Al Arbour in games coached on Opening Night next season.  

Coach Trotz (Playoffs)

Barry Trotz has now coached 115 playoff games (57-58).  He is tied-18th all-time in games with Claude Julien (115) and will pass Billy Reay (117) and Jacques Lemaire (117) this month.  His 57 wins are tied with Billy Reay for 19th all time.  Trotz won the Stanley Cup last season; Joel Quenneville (3) and Mike Sullivan (2) are the only active coaches with multiple Stanley Cups.

Most playoff wins by Islander coaches:

• Al Arbour 123

• Jack Capuano 10

• Terry Simpson 9

• Peter Laviolette 4

• Barry Trotz 2

• Ted Nolan 1

• Steve Stirling 1

Most playoff games coached (Islanders):

• Al Arbour 209

• Jack Capuano 24

• Terry Simpson 20

• Peter Laviolette 12

• Steve Stirling 5

• Ted Nolan 5

• Barry Trotz 2

Most overtime wins/overtime record:

• Al Arbour 26 (26-9)

• Jack Capuano 4 (4-5)

• Terry Simpson 3 (3-0)

• Barry Trotz 1 (1-0)

• Peter Laviolette 0 (0-1)

• Steve Stirling 0 (0-1)

Most playoff series wins:

• Al Arbour 29

• Jack Capuano 1

• Terry Simpson 1

What a Difference a Year Makes

This Season: 48-27-7 (103 points), with 228 goals scored and 195 goals allowed (includes SO winners)

Last Season: 35-37-10 (80 points), with 264 goals scored and 296 goals allowed (includes SO winners)

The Isles allowed 101 fewer goals, a decrease of 34.1% as compared to last season.

First Things First

The Isles are 1-0 when scoring first and are 1-0 when allowing the first goal in the playoffs in the playoffs.

The Shots

Isles        11-12-11=34

Pittsburgh 7-11-15=33

Shots by Game

• Game 1: Isles 33, Pittsburgh 44

• Game 2: Isles 34, Pittsburgh 33

• Series: Isles 67, Pittsburgh 77

The Isles are 1-0 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-0 when the shots are even and 1-0 when they are outshot. [The Isles won a franchise-record 31 games when outshot this season.]

In the Nets

Robin Lehner made 32 saves to improve to 2-0 in the playoffs and in his career against Pittsburgh.   

Matt Murray made 31 saves but falls to 0-2 in the playoffs and in his career against the Isles. 

Power Plays

The Isles were 1-6 on the power play in 9:59 of PP time; Pittsburgh was 0-2 on the power play in 3:05 of PP time.

Power Plays by Game

• Game 1: Isles 1-2 (2:25; 5 shots), Pittsburgh 1-3 (5:11, 2 shots)

• Game 2: Isles 1-6 (9:59, 8 shots), Pittsburgh 0-2 (3:05, 3 shots)

• Series: Isles 2-8 (12:24, 13 shots), Pittsburgh 1-5 (8:16, 5 shots)

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 2-0 in the playoffs when they score at least three goals.  In the regular season the Isles went 38-2-2 when they scored at least three goals (including shootout winners) and 10-25-5 when they did not.  The 10 wins when being held to two goals or fewer are a franchise record.

One Goal Games

The Isles are 1-0 in the playoffs in one-goal games; they were 19-6-7 in games decided by a single goal in regulation. 

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Ryan Pulock (22:51); Pittsburgh: Kris Letang (29:01)

Brock Nelson led Isles forwards with 20:29 of ice-time 

Isles record by ice-time leader: Adam Pelech (1-0), Ryan Pulock (1-0) 

Face-offs

Isles 33, Pittsburgh 24 (58%).

Casey Cizikas won 9 of 15 for the Isles; Matt Cullen won 8 of 14 for Pittsburgh.

Face-offs by period: 1st period 19/25; 2nd period 4/14; 3rd period 10/18.

Face-offs by strength: Even strength: 25/44, Power play 6/10, Penalty kill 2/3.

Face-offs by Game

• Game 1: Isles 35, Pittsburgh 29 (55%).  

• Game 2: Isles 33, Pittsburgh 24 (58%).

• Series: Isles 68, Pittsburgh 53 (56%)

Hit Count

Isles 41 (Cal Clutterbuck-8)

Pittsburgh 36 (Brian Dumoulin -6)

Hits Game by Game:

• Game 1: Isles 42, Pittsburgh 43

• Game 2: Isles 41, Pittsburgh 36

• Series: Isles 83, Pittsburgh 79

Fights

There were no fights. Playoff total -0.  The Isles were involved in 16 fights in the regular season.

Blocked Shots

The Isles blocked 15 shots (Nick Leddy-3).  

For the Corsi Crowd 

All situations: Isles 59, Pittsburgh 62

5-on-5 Isles 39, Pittsburgh 47

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Ryan Pulock +6 

Pittsburgh: Patric Hornqvist +18

Corsi Game by Game:

• Game 1 (All) Isles 62, Pittsburgh 83;  (5-on-5) Isles 49, Pittsburgh 70

• Game 2 (All) Isles 59, Pittsburgh 62; (5-on-5) Isles 39, Pittsburgh 47

• Series (All) Isles 121, Pittsburgh 145; (5-on-5) Isles 88, Pittsburgh 117

Scratches

(Andrew Ladd -INJ), (Tanner Fritz- INJ),Thomas Hickey, Luca Sbisa, Dennis Seidenberg, Ross Johnston, Michael Dal Colle

Playoff games lost: 4.  The Isles lost 153 man-games in the regular season

Post-Season Late Heroes

The Isles have scored once in overtime:

4/10 – PIT Penguins-Josh Bailey scored the winning goal (4:39 of OT) 

Post-Season 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:

4/10 – PIT Penguins – Justin Schultz tied the game (18:31), but the Isles won in overtime. 

Playoff Offside Challenges

4/10 – PIT Penguins – Isles goal overturned after successful Penguin challenge. 

On the Farm  

The playoff-bound Sound Tigers lost 7-2 to Springfield in the penultimate game of the regular season. Bridgeport will close out the regular season in Wilkes Barre-Scranton on Saturday. The Sound Tigers now know that their first-round playoff opponent will be the Hershey Bears. Bridgeport's magic number to clinch home-ice remains 1.

The Sound Tigers went 12-1-1-1 in their final 15 games at home.

Overall, Bridgeport is 14-6-1-1 in their last 22 games, 18-7-2-1 in their last 28 games and 42-24-6-3 on the season.  

Leaders:  Goals: Steve Bernier 23; Assists: Chris Bourque 39; Points: Chris Bourque 54; +/-: Three with +13.  Goalies: Jeremy Smith 21-13-4 (2.92 GAA); Christopher Gibson 21-11-5 (2.86 GAA)

Up Next

ISLANDERS VS PENGUINS

GAME 3: SUNDAY, APRIL 14th – AT PITTSBURGH 12:00PM

[NBC-Channel 4, 88.7 WRHU-FM, 103.9 FM WRCN and Radio.Com]

[MSG Network will provide extensive post-game coverage immediately after the game.]

The Isles will look to take a 3-0 lead in a series for the first time since the 1983 Stanley Cup Final when they host the Penguins in game 2.

The Isles have led nine best-of-seven series 3-0 and have won them all.

The Isles are 5-8 all-time in playoff games in Pittsburgh; the Penguins won two out of three between the teams in Pittsburgh in the 2013 playoffs.

Kenny Albert, AJ Mleczko and Pierre Maguire will have the call on NBC, ending a streak of 180 consecutive Islander games (178 regular season and 2 playoffs) called by Brendan Burke.

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