"The Skinny"
By Eric Hornick
Game 24
Isles 2, Columbus 0
Anders Lee and Mathew Barzal had the goals, but the star of the game never expected to play. Semyon Varlamov stopped thirty shots over the final 45:54 as the Isles defeated Columbus 2-0 before a crowd of 13,433 at Barclays Center. Varlamov replaced starter Thomas Greiss, who was not feeling well.
It's the third combined shutout in Islander history, and the first since the famed goalie fight game (April 4, 1998 vs. the Rangers); the only other combined shutout came on November 1, 1977 when Goren Hogosta made his only Islander appearance in the final nine minutes of a 9-0 win over Atlanta.
The win, which was the Isles' fourth straight on home ice, ends a three-game winless streak and extends their home-ice point streak to 11 straight games (10-0-1), which matches the longest streak in the post-Cup era (also 11 from January 19 – February 19, 2017). It's the 7th time in team history that the Isles have had points in at least 11 consecutive home games.
The Scoring:
1st Period
Anders Lee (6) Josh Bailey, Mathew Barzal 01:18 CBJ 0,NYI 1
2nd Period
Mathew Barzal (10) Adam Pelech 16:01 CBJ 0,NYI 2
3rd Period
No Goals
The Skinny
The Isles led for only 5:26 in the last six games (1:04 vs Los Angeles and 4:22 vs. Pittsburgh), but led for all but 78 seconds tonight… The Isles did not have a power play for the second time this season; both times are vs. Columbus…This was the final Brooklyn game until January 11 vs. Boston; the Isles are 4-0-1 this season…The Isles have point in seven straight division games (6-0-1) and 14 straight conference games (13-0-1)…Barry Trotz wins his 65th game as an Islander coach, breaking a tie with Scott Gordon for 6th place on the all-time Isles list…Semyon Varlamov was also involved in a combined shutout of March 30, 2018 (Colorado vs. Chicago); Varlamov left the game with 6:30 to play and Jonathan Bernier completed the 5-0 win… Thomas Greiss is the first goalie in Islander history to be credited with a win in a game that he started but did not complete the first period; it's only the 7th time in the last 40 years that an NHL starter played less than 15 minutes but was the winning netminder….Anders Lee's goal ended an 11-game drought while Mathew Barzal's 50th career goal gives him ten on the season after having only five goals at Christmas last season…Barzal now leads the team in both goals (10) and points (22) and is tied with Brock Nelson for the assist lead (12)…The 39 saves needed to complete tonight shutouts were more than the other two combined shutouts, combined (21 in 1998, 17 in 1977)…It was the second shutout of the season for the Isles, who blanked Buffalo 1-0 on November 2nd…Oliver Bjorkstrand's six-game point streak came to an end…The Jackets had scored the first goal in 10 straight before tonight, tying the club record. They are 0-8-3 when allowing the first goal…The Isles end November with a 9-2-2 record after going 8-3-0 in October; they have had a winning record in every month under Barry Trotz…This was only the second game in the NHL this season in which the winning goal was scored the first two minutes (Toronto vs Detroit on November 27th)… It is the earliest winning goal for the Isles since Matt Moulson scored on New Jersey's Martin Brodeur at 1:07 of the first period on 1-18-2010.
The Injury
Zach Werenski left the game with an upper body injury at the 3:37 mark of the first period and did not return.
It's Good to be Home(s)
The Isles are 7-2-0 on Coliseum ice, where they have won six straight games. The Isles will play 28 of their 41 home games this season at the Coliseum. The Isles are 4-0-1 at Barclays Center this season and have not lost in Brooklyn (regular season) since January 12th (9-0-1).
Coach Trotz
Barry Trotz is second among active coaches, trailing only Joel Quenneville, in both wins and games. Trotz' NHL record is 827-600-60-143 in 1,630 games.
Most Coaching Wins
1. Scotty Bowman 1,244
2. Joel Quenneville 903
3. Ken Hitchcock 849
4. Barry Trotz 827
5. Al Arbour 782
Most Games Coached
1. Scotty Bowman 2,141
2. Joel Quenneville 1,661
3. Barry Trotz 1,630
4. Al Arbour 1,607
The Rotation
The Islanders are first team since the Sharks in 2006-07 to alternate starting goalies for each of the first 24 games of the season. (The Sharks used Vesa Toskala in the odd games and Evgeni Nabokov in the even games before Nabokov started games 36 and 37 around the Christmas break)
This matches the longest streak in Isles history:
• 24 games (Varlamov/Greiss) in 2019-20; CURRENT
• 24 games (Hrudey/Smith) in 1985-86; Smith played games 24 and 25.
• 23 games (Smith/Melanson) in 1982-83; Smith played games 23 and 24.
The NHL record of 76 was set by the Rangers in 1990-91 (John Vanbiesbrouck/Mike Richter).
First Things First
The Isles are 8-2-1 when scoring first and are 9-3-1 when allowing the opening goal.
The Shots
Isles 13-8-6=27
Columbus 12-10-17=39
The Isles are 6-1-1 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even and 11-3-1 when they are outshot.
Home and Road
The Islanders are 17-5-2 overall; 11-2-1 at home (7-2-0 on Long Island and 4-0-1 in Brooklyn) and 6-3-1 on the road.
Columbus is 11-11-4 overall; 8-6-1 at home and 3-5-3 on the road.
By Division & Conference
The Isles are 6-2-1 in Division games and 11-3-1 in games versus other divisions. The Isles are 13-2-1 against the East and 4-3-1 against the West.
In the Nets
Thomas Greiss made 9 saves over the first 14:54 and is credited with the win. He is an NHL-leading 10-2-0 this season and 10-7-3 against Columbus.
Semyon Varlamov made 30 saves in relief to preserve the shutout.
Elvis Merzilikins made 25 saves but falls to 0-3-3 on the season and 0-1-0 in his career against the Isles.
Power Plays
The Isles were 0-0 on the power play in 0:00 of power play time; Columbus was 0-1 on the power play in 2:00 of PP time.
The Isles are 6-1-0 when they score at least one power play goal and 11-4-2 when they do not. The Isles are 6-3-0 when they allow at least one power play goal and 11-2-2 when they do not.
The Isles are 2-1-1 when they have more power plays than the opposition, 2-1-0 when the power plays are even, and 13-3-1 when the opposition has more power plays.
Three is (Usually) a Magic Number
The Isles are 14-0-1 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 3-5-1 when they do not. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 52-2-3 when scoring three or more.
One Goal Games
The Isles are 9-1-2 in games decided by a single goal including 3-1 in regulation. They are 4-2 in games decided in overtime and are 2-0 in shootouts. The Isles are 2-0 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.
Tired vs. Rested
• The Isles are 2-0-0 when both teams played the night before.
• The Isles are 5-0-0 when they are rested, and their opponents are not.
• The Isles are 1-0-0 when their opponents are rested, and the Isles are not.
• The Isles are 9-5-2 when both teams are rested.
Ice-time Leaders
Isles: Ryan Pulock (21:54); Columbus: Seth Jones (27:11)
Mathew Barzal led Isles forwards with 18:16 of ice-time.
Isles record by ice-time leader: Adam Pelech (7-1-0), Ryan Pulock (7-1-2), Nick Leddy (0-1-0), Devon Toews (1-1-0), Scott Mayfield (1-1-0), Brock Nelson (1-0-0).
Face-offs
Isles 19, Columbus 25 (43%).
Brock Nelson won 7 of 11 for the Isles; Boone Jenner won 11 of 19 for Columbus.
Hit Count
Isles 37 (Casey Cizikas-8).
Columbus 17 (Seth Jones -4)
Fights
There were no fights. Season total: 6 – Johnston-3 (vs. FLA, vs PHL, vs TB), Cizikas-2 (vs. OTT, vs SJ), Mayfield (vs ANA).
Blocked Shots
Isles 14 (Anthony Beauvillier -3)
Columbus 8 (Seth Jones -2)
For the Corsi Crowd
All situations: Isles 44, Columbus 67
5-on-5 Isles 44, Columbus 63
5-on-5 leaders:
Isles: Anders Lee +1
Columbus: Vladislav Gavrikov +12
Back-to-Backs
The Isles are 2-1-0 in the front-half and 3-0-0 in the back-half. The next back-to-back will be December 2nd in Detroit and December 3rd in Montreal. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 14-1-1 in back-ends.
Night and Day
The Isles are 15-5-2 in night games and 2-0-0 in matinees. The next matinee will be on December 14th vs. Buffalo.
Ironmen
Anders Lee 224, Brock Nelson 201, Mathew Barzal 188, Ryan Pulock 151 and Josh Bailey 109.
Iron D
Ryan Pulock is only the 6th defenseman in Islander history to play at least 151 consecutive regular season games:
1. Denis Potvin 11/29/1975-1/17/1979 262
2. Bryan McCabe 10/7/1995-2/4/1998 220 (*) (**)
3. Gerry Hart 3/1/1975-11/22/1977 198
4. Andrew MacDonald 12/19/2011- 3/2/2014 164 (**)
5. Nick Leddy 10/23/2016 – 3/26/2018 153
6. Ryan Pulock 12/29/2017 – CURRENT 151
(*) Start of NHL career.
(**) Entire career with Islanders
Scratches
(Tom Kuhnhackl-INJ), Noah Dobson, Michael Dal Colle, Ross Johnston.
Total games lost: 70.
Late Heroes
The Isles have scored twice in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or take the lead:
10/14 vs. STL – Mathew Barzal scored at 19:33 and the Isles won in OT.
11/19 @ PIT – Ryan Pulock scored at 18:38 and the Isles won in OT.
Late Goals Allowed
The Isles have allowed one goal in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or win a game:
11/21 vs. STL – Patric Hornqvist scored at 19:30, but the Isles won in OT.
Challenges
Isles: 1 successful, 0 failures (offside-11/19 vs PIT)
Opponents: 1 successful, 2 failures (Nelson-kick 10/8 vs EDM), (Lee- no high stick 11/1 vs. TB), Cizikas- no goalie interference 11/23 vs SJ)
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. Josh Bailey 821…
23.*** Pat LaFontaine 530 *** 24. Kyle Okposo 529 *** 25. Matt Martin 517 *** 26. Dave Lewis 514 *** 27. Rich Pilon and Mick Vukota 509 *** 29. Casey Cizikas 505 *** 30. Brock Nelson 504
Goals
1. Mike Bossy 573 *** 2. Bryan Trottier 500 *** 3. Denis Potvin 310 …
14. Patrick Flatley 160 *** 15. Anders Lee 158 *** 16. Pierre Turgeon and Josh Bailey 147
18. Mariusz Czerkawski 145 *** 19. Kyle Okposo 139 *** 20. Brock Nelson 132
Assists
1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553…
9. Stefan Persson 317 *** 10. Bob Bourne 304 *** 11. Josh Bailey 301 …
25. Jeff Norton 166 *** 26. Ziggy Palffy 163 *** 27. Nick Leddy 158
Points
1. Bryan Trottier 1353 *** 2. Mike Bossy 1126 *** 3. Denis Potvin 1052…
12. Patrick Flatley 488 *** 13. Josh Bailey 448…
24. Ed Westfall 286 *** 25. Anders Lee 269 *** 26. Brock Nelson 261
Games Played (Goalies)
1. Billy Smith 674 *** 2. Rick DiPietro 318 *** 3. Glenn Resch 282 …
6. Jaroslav Halak 177 *** 7. Glenn Healy 176 *** 8. Thomas Greiss 175
Wins (Goalie)
1. Billy Smith 304 *** 2. Glenn Resch 157 *** 3. Rick DiPietro 130*** 4. Kelly Hrudey 108***
5. Thomas Greiss 95
Shutouts (Goalie)
1. Glenn Resch 25 ***2. Billy Smith 22 *** 3. Rick DiPietro 16 *** 4. Tommy Salo 14***
5. Jaroslav Halak 12 *** 6. Thomas Greiss 10
Games Coached
1. Al Arbour 1,500 *** 2. Jack Capuano 483 *** 3. Mike Milbury 192 …
9. Steve Stirling 124 *** 10. Doug Weight 122 *** 11. Barry Trotz 106
Coaching Wins
1. Al Arbour 740 *** 2. Jack Capuano 227 *** 3. Terry Simpson 81 *** 4. Peter Laviolette 77 ***
5. Ted Nolan 74 *** 6. Barry Trotz 65
Season Series Stats
The Isles lead the season series 2 games to 0 (and 4 points to 0). The teams will next meet at the Coliseum on December 23rd.
The Isles have won five of the last six games against Columbus, including consecutive home shutouts (in different buildings).
On the Farm
The Sound Tigers split a pair of games over the weekend, defeating Springfield 4-1 on Friday and dropping a 5-2 decision to Wilkes Barre-Scranton on Saturday.
Bridgeport is 8-12-3-1 on the season and are off until Friday, when they visit Utica.
Up Next
MONDAY, DECEMBER 2nd — ISLANDERS AT DETROIT – 7:30 PM
[MSG+2 (Islanders pre-game at 7:00pm), 88.7 WRHU-FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN 1050]
The Isles begin another stretch of playing five out of six on the road; and it's also the front-end of a back-to-back as they visit the Red Wings in Detroit.
It will be the 1st meeting of the teams this season; the Isles have won four of the last five meetings, but all five games have been decided by a single goal.
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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