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The Skinny: Los Angeles 3, Isles 1

"The Skinny"  By Eric Hornick Game 30 Los Angeles 3, Isles 1 Adrian Kempe and Kevin Fiala scored to give Los Angeles a 2-0 lead an...

Wednesday, May 01, 2019

The Skinny: Carolina 5, Isles 2. Carolina leads 3 games to 0.

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Eastern Conference Second Round Game 3
Carolina 5, Isles 2 
Carolina leads series 3-0
Justin Williams scored the winning goal mid-way through the third period and the Hurricanes added two last-minute empty net goals as Carolina defeated the Isles 5-2 before a sellout crowd of 19,066 at PNC Arena.

Curtis McElhinney, who became the oldest goalie in Stanley Cup history to make his first post-season start, earned the win. 
 
The Isles lost three straight games only once in the regular season (November 5-10, 0-2-1) but have dropped the first three games of the series. 

The Isles will attempt to prolong the series, and their season, when they play Game 4 in Raleigh on Friday night.

The Scoring: 
1st Period
Teuvo Teravainen (4) Jaccob Slavin, Dougie Hamilton 06:41 NYI 0,CAR 1
Devon Toews (1) Josh Bailey, Jordan Eberle 08:20 NYI 1,CAR 1 PPG

2nd Period
Justin Faulk (1) Warren Foegele, Jordan Staal 11:58 NYI 1,CAR 2
Josh Bailey (4) Tom Kuhnhackl 14:13 NYI 2,CAR 2

3rd Period
Justin Williams (2) Sebastian Aho 10:15 NYI 2,CAR 3
Teuvo Teravainen (5)EN Brett Pesce, Jaccob Slavin 19:02 NYI 2,CAR 4
Sebastian Aho (3)EN Lucas Wallmark 19:55 NYI 2,CAR 5 

The Series (Carolina leads 3-0)
Game 1: Carolina 1, Isles 0
Game 2: Carolina 2, Isles 1
Game 3: Carolina 5, Isles 2
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 three games of a best-of-7 series for the 7th time in their history and for the first time since the 1994 Conference Quarter-Finals vs. the Rangers... The Isles have allowed the first goal in five of their last six games…It's the second time that the Isles have been held to three goals or fewer in the first three games of a series (1994 vs. Rangers)… The Isles have not allowed a power play goal in six straight playoff games, establishing a new club record…Curtis McElhinney is the oldest goalie in NHL history at the time of his first playoff start… Justin Williams recorded his 99th career playoff point…The Canes have won five straight games since trailing the Caps three games to two…Josh Bailey's goal gives the Isles two players with four goals in this year's playoffs, tying Jordan Eberle for the club lead.  It's the first time since 1993 that Islander teammates have had at least four playoff goals (5 players in 1993)…Eberle recorded his 4th assist to become only the 2nd Islander in 26 years (Tavares 11-5-16 in 2016) with at least four goals and four assists in a single playoff year…Jaccob Slavin's two assists gives him 12, which leads the entire NHL in the playoffs; he is one point shy on Frantisek Kaberle's club record (13 in 2006). Slavin is also tied for the NHL playoff lead in points (0-12-12)…Only three players in Stanley Cup history have finished a playoff year with more points than Slavin and 0 goals: Mark Howe (0-15-15 in 1989), NIklas Kronwall (0-15-15 in 2008), and Larry Robinson (0-13-13 in 1986)

For the History Books
Devon Toews is the first Islander rookie to score a power play goal since Alan Quine's 2-OT winner vs. Florida.  Ryan Pulock scored in that same series, making Toews the first rookie d-men to score for the Isles since then.

Pulock was on-ice for both empty net goals as he finished -4.  He is the first Islander to go -4 in a playoff game since Uwe Krupp and Darius Kasparaitis both did so (4-17-94 vs. Rangers).

The Isles allowed two empty-net goals in a playoff game for the first time in their history.

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 25 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.
In game 3, the game was tied for 46:21 and Carolina led for 13:39
Series Total: The Isles have led for 27:00, the game was tied for 124:30, and Carolina led for 32:34.

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, the final :38 of game four (all vs. Pittsburgh) and the final 58 seconds of game three (vs. Carolina), 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 148-123 in 271 all-time playoff games.  They are 84-46 at home (including 2-5 at Barclays) and 64-77 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 4-3 when all three play in the playoffs.

In game 3, the trio combined for 1 shot on goal and 9 hits.  The trio has combined for 21 shots on goal and 84 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 120 playoff games (59-61), tying Lindy Ruff for 14th all-time in games coached.  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 7
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 1-1 when scoring first and are 3-2 when allowing the first goal in the playoffs.

The Shots
Isles        10-12-8=30
Carolina  11-14-13=38

Shots by Game
Game 1: Isles 31, Carolina 32
Game 2: Isles 27, Carolina 18
Game 3: Isles 30, Carolina 38
Series: Isles 88, Carolina 88
Vs Pittsburgh: Isles 129, Pittsburgh 136
Playoff Totals: Isles 217, Opponents 224

The Isles are 1-1 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-0 when the shots are even and 3-2 when they are outshot. [The Isles won a franchise-record 31 games when outshot this season.]

In the Nets
Robin Lehner made 33 saves but falls to 4-3 in the playoffs and 0-3 in his career against Carolina.   
Curtis McElhinney made 28 saves and improves to 2-0 in the playoffs and 2-0 in his career against the Isles. 

Power Plays
The Isles were 1-3 on the power play in 5:17 of PP time; Carolina was 0-2 on the power play in 4:00 of PP 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)
Game 3: Isles 1-3 (5:17; 5 shots), Carolina 0-3 (4:00, 3 shots)
Series: Isles 2-9 (15:48; 14 shots), Carolina 0-10 (14:18, 12 shots)
Vs Pittsburgh: Isles 2-13 (20:47, 25 shots), Pittsburgh 1-12 (19:32, 11 shots)
Playoff Totals: Isles 4-22 (36:35, 39 shots), Opponents 1-22 (33:50, 23 shots)

Three is a Magic Number
The Isles are 4-0 in the playoffs when they score at least three goals and 0-3 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 1-1 in playoff games where an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.

Ice-time Leaders
Isles: Ryan Pulock (23:57);  Carolina: Jaccob Slavin (26:12)
Mathew Barzal led Isles forwards with 19:29 of ice-time 
Isles record by ice-time leader: Adam Pelech (1-0), Ryan Pulock (3-3) 

Face-offs
Isles 24, Carolina 34 (41%).

Valtteri Filppula won 6 of 9 for the Isles; Greg McKegg won 7 of 9 for Carolina.
Face-offs by period: 1st period 10/20; 2nd period 8/20; 3rd period 6/18.
Face-offs by strength: Even strength: 20/53, Power play 2/3, Penalty kill 2/2

Face-offs by Game
Game 1: Isles 36, Carolina 23 (59%).  
Game 2: Isles 30, Carolina 22 (58%)
Game 3: Isles 24, Carolina 34 (41%)
Series: Isles 90, Carolina 89 (50%).
Vs Pittsburgh: Isles 120, Pittsburgh 112 (52%)
Playoff Total: Isles 210, Opponents 201 (51%)

Hit Count
Isles 28 (Three with 4)
Carolina 25 (Patrick Brown -5)

Hits Game by Game:
Game 1: Isles 44, Carolina 33
Game 2: Isles 44, Carolina 38
Game 3: Isles 28, Carolina 25
Series: Isles 116, Carolina 96 
Vs Pittsburgh: Isles 180, Pittsburgh 171
Playoff Total: Isles 296, Opponents 267

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 & Scott Mayfield -3).  

For the Corsi Crowd 
All situations: Isles 56, Carolina 76
5-on-5 Isles 42, Carolina 69

5-on-5 leaders:
Isles: Thomas Hickey +2
Carolina: Justin Faulk +17 

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 
Game 3 (All) Isles 56, Carolina 76;  (5-on-5) Isles 42, Carolina 69
Series (All) Isles 169, Carolina 187;  (5-on-5) Isles 131, Carolina 157

Scratches
(Andrew Ladd -INJ), (Tanner Fritz- INJ), (Johnny Boychuk-INJ), Luca Sbisa, Dennis Seidenberg, Ross Johnston, Michael Dal Colle
Playoff games lost: 17.  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  
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).  The Sound Tigers were eliminated in the playoffs by Hershey in 5 games.
 
Up Next
ROUND 2 VS CAROLINA

GAME 4: FRIDAY, MAY 3rd – AT CAROLINA 7:00PM
[NBCSN, 88.7 WRHU-FM, 103.9 FM WRCN and Radio.com.  Expanded post-game coverage on MSG/MSG+]

The Isles will look to stave off elimination as they face the Hurricanes in game 4 of the series on Wednesday in Raleigh.  All-time, the Isles are 26-20 when facing elimination, including 10-15 on the road.

The Isles have rebounded from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series once, in 1975 vs. Pittsburgh. They have lost the last five best-of-7 playoff series that they have lost the first three games.

The Isles have been swept in a best-of-seven series only once in their history, in 1994 by the Rangers. The last team to sweep a first round series and then be swept in the second round was the 1993 Buffalo Sabres.

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

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