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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...

Saturday, December 14, 2019

The Skinny; Isles 3, Buffalo 2 (OT)

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Game 31
Isles 3, Buffalo 2 (OT)
Anthony Beauvillier scored his first career overtime goal as the Isles overcame a late Jack Eichel goal to earn a 3-2 overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres before a crowd of 13,795 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Beauvillier and Brock Nelson each had two points and went +3 as the Isles extended their home point streak to 13 games (12-0-1) with their sixth straight home win and third straight overall.  The Isles have also won eight straight Coliseum games; it's the first time that Happened at the Coliseum since a nine-game win streak in 1989-90.

Semyon Varlamov made 33 saves to secure the Isles' 22nd  victory in the season's 31st  game (22-7-2). It's the first time in franchise history that they have won 22 of their first 31 games.  The 46 points remains one point off the pace set by the 1978-79 squad (20-4-7).

The Scoring: 
1st Period 
Michael Dal Colle (2) Anthony Beauvillier 05:11 BUF 0,NYI 1

2nd Period
Victor Olofsson (14) Rasmus Dahlin, Jack Eichel 06:11 BUF 1,NYI 1 PPG

3rd Period
Jordan Eberle (3) Brock Nelson, Anthony Beauvillier 04:50 BUF 1,NYI 2
Jack Eichel (23) Rasmus Ristolainen, Marcus Johansson 18:14 BUF 2,NYI 2 PPG

OT
Anthony Beauvillier (10) Brock Nelson 03:04 BUF 2,NYI 3 

The Skinny     
Anthony Beauvillier recorded his 5th career 3+ point game and his first since November 15, 2018 vs. the Rangers; Beauvillier now has 21 points on the season, a mark he didn't reach last season until February 23rd…It's only the 7th time in club history that the Isles have earned a point in at least 13 home games (and the first time since a club record-tying 23-game streak in 1982)…The Isles are 6-4-1 in their last 11 games as they go 15 games over NHL-.500 for the first time this season … The Isles improve to 11-1-0 against the Atlantic Division this season (after winning 12 games vs. the Atlantic last season)…. Nick Leddy missed his third straight game, allowing Noah Dobson (16:08, +1) to get into his 10th NHL game; by appearing in his 10th game, this ensures that this season will be the first of Dobson's Entry-Level Contract….Jordan Eberle now has four points in the last three games (1-3-4) and is 3-4-7 in the last seven games...Jack Eichel now has a 16-game point streak, tying Tim Connolly for the third-longest streak ever by an American-born player, behind only two separate streaks from Patrick Kane.  He also how has the longest point streak by any NHL player this season and is two games shy of Gilbert Perreault's Sabre record…Mathew Barzal played 23:45 (including 10:34 in the second period); it is the second-highest total of his career (23:53 vs. DET on December 15, 2018)…Before being injured, Michael Dal Colle gave the Isles the lead with his first goal since October 19th; two of his five career goals have come against Buffalo…The Isles are 6-2 in games decided by a overtime goal this season, matching their final overtime record last year…Victor Olofsson has eight power play goals; no other rookie has more than eight goals total.

The Injury
Michael Dal Colle suffered an upper body injury in a collision with Conor Sheary and did not return.

The Face-offs
The Isles won 73.3% of the draws; it's the largest percentage that the Isles have won in a game since face-offs were officially tracked in 1997-98.  The previous record of 72.5% was sent on March 2, 2008 vs. Florida in the "Core of the Four" game; the Isles lost that game 1-0.

It was the 2nd-most dominant performance in the circle this season; Florida won 75.9% of the draws vs. the Rangers on November 19th.

It's Good to be Home(s)
The Isles are 9-2-0 on Coliseum ice, where they have won eight straight games for the first time since a 9-game win streak in 1989-90 season.  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); their next Brooklyn game is on January 11, 2020 vs. Boston.

Coach Trotz
Barry Trotz is second among active coaches, trailing only Joel Quenneville, in both wins and games. Trotz' NHL record is 832-602-60-143 in 1,637 games.

Most Coaching Wins
1. Scotty Bowman  1,244
2. Joel Quenneville  905
3. Ken Hitchcock    849
4. Barry Trotz    832
5. Al Arbour    782

Most Games Coached
1. Scotty Bowman   2,141
2. Joel Quenneville 1,667
3. Barry Trotz        1,637
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 31 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 is the longest streak in Isles history:
31 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). 
   
+89
The Isles' all-time record improves to 1643-1554-498.   It is the first time that they are 89 games over NHL-.500 since November 12,1998 when a Tommy Salo 4-0 shutout over Montreal moved their record to 936-847-291.

First Things First
The Isles are 13-2-1 when scoring first and are 9-5-1 when allowing the opening goal.

The Shots
Isles     9-7-8-2=26
Buffalo 10-10-13-2=35

The Isles are 6-1-1 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even and 16-5-1 when they are outshot.

Home and Road
The Islanders are 22-7-2 overall; 13-2-1 at home (8-2-0 on Long Island and 4-0-1 in Brooklyn) and 9-5-1 on the road.  
Buffalo is 16-11-7 overall; 10-3-3 at home and 6-8-4 on the road.  

By Division & Conference
The Isles are 6-2-1 in Division games and 16-5-1 in games versus other divisions.  The Isles are 17-3-1 against the East and 5-4-1 against the West.  

In the Nets
Semyon Varlamov made 33 saves and improves to 11-3-2 this season and 9-2-1 against Buffalo.

Linus Ullmark made 23 saves; he is 10-6-3 on the season and 3-1-1 in his career against the Isles. 

Power Plays
The Isles were 0-3 on the power play in 6:00 of power play time; Buffalo was 2-3 on the power play in 5:21 of PP time.

The Isles are 10-1-0 when they score at least one power play goal and 12-6-2 when they do not.  The Isles are 8-4-0 when they allow at least one power play goal and 14-3-2 when they do not.

The Isles are 4-2-1 when they have more power plays than the opposition, 3-1-0 when the power plays are even, and 15-4-1 when the opposition has more power plays.

Three is a Magic Number
The Isles are 19-0-1 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 3-7-1 when they do not.  Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 57-2-3 when scoring three or more.

One Goal Games
The Isles are 11-1-2 in games decided by a single goal including 3-1 in regulation. They are 6-2 in games decided in overtime and are 2-0 in shootouts.  The Isles are 3-1 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 1-1-0 when their opponents are rested, and the Isles are not.
The Isles are 14-6-2 when both teams are rested. 

Ice-time Leaders
Isles: Mathew Barzal (SEASON-HIGH 23:41); Buffalo: Victor Olofsson (24:25)
Mathew Barzal led Isles forwards with 23:41 of ice-time.

Isles record by ice-time leader: Adam Pelech (7-1-0), Ryan Pulock (9-1-2), Devon Toews (3-2-0), Scott Mayfield (1-1-0), Nick Leddy (0-2-0), Brock Nelson (1-0-0), Mathew Barzal (1-0-0).

Face-offs
Isles 33, Buffalo 12 (FRANCHISE RECORD 73.3%).  
Casey Cizikas won 11 of 14 and Derick Brassard won all 5 he took for the Isles; no Sabre won more than he lost.

Hit Count
Isles 29 (Four with 4)
Buffalo 17 (Rasmus Dahlin -6)
   
Fights
There were no fights.  Season total: 7 – Johnston-3 (vs. FLA, vs PHL, vs TB), Cizikas-2 (vs. OTT, vs SJ), Mayfield (vs ANA), Lee (vs FLA).
Blocked Shots
Isles 19 (Six with 2)
Buffalo 7 (Two with 2)

For the Analytics Crowd 
Corsi: All situations: Isles 39, Buffalo 65
Corsi: 5-on-5 Isles 30, Buffalo 44

5-on-5 leaders:
Isles:  Anthony Beauvillier +5
Buffalo: Rasmus Dahlin +11

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)
All situations: Isles 10, Buffalo 4
5-on-5 Isles 8, Buffalo 1

Back-to-Backs
The Isles are 3-1-0 in the front-half and 3-1-0 in the back-half. The next back-to-back will be January 6th vs Colorado and January 7th  in New Jersey. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 14-2-1 in back-ends.

Night and Day
The Isles are 19-7-2 in night games and 3-0-0 in matinees. The next matinee will be on December 21st vs. Anaheim.

Ironmen
Anders Lee 231, Brock Nelson 207, Mathew Barzal 195, Ryan Pulock 158, Josh Bailey 116, Anthony Beauvillier 106, and Devon Toews 79. 

Iron D
Ryan Pulock is only the 5th defenseman in Islander history to play at least 158 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. Ryan Pulock 12/29/2017 – CURRENT 158
 (*) Start of NHL career.
(**) Entire career with Islanders

Scratches
(Tom Kuhnhackl-LTIR), (Nick Leddy -INJ), Leo Komarov.
Total games lost: 80.

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. PIT – Patric Hornqvist scored at 19:30, but the Isles won in OT.
12/14 vs. BUF -Jack Eichel scored at 18:14, but the Isles won in OT. 

Challenges
Isles: 2 successful, 0 failures (offside-11/19 vs PIT), (offside-12/9 vs TBL)
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 828…
22. Tomas Jonsson 522 *** 23.*** Pat LaFontaine 530 *** 24. Kyle Okposo 529 *** 25. Matt Martin 524 *** 26. Dave Lewis 514 *** 27. Casey Cizikas 512 *** 28. Brock Nelson 511

Goals
1. Mike Bossy 573 *** 2. Bryan Trottier 500 *** 3. Denis Potvin 310 …
13. Ziggy Palffy 168 *** 14. Anders Lee 161 *** 15. Patrick Flatley 160 *** 16. Josh Bailey 148 *** 17. Pierre Turgeon 147 ***18. Mariusz Czerkawski 145 *** 19. Kyle Okposo 139 *** 20. Brock Nelson 135

Assists
1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553…
9. Stefan Persson 317 *** 10. Josh Bailey 307 …
25. Jeff Norton 166 *** 26. Ziggy Palffy 163 *** 27. Nick Leddy 160

Points
1. Bryan Trottier 1353 *** 2. Mike Bossy 1126 *** 3. Denis Potvin 1052…
12. Patrick Flatley 488 *** 13. Josh Bailey 455…
24. Ed Westfall 286 *** 25. Anders Lee 275 *** 26. Brock Nelson 266

Games Played (Goalies)
1. Billy Smith 674 *** 2. Rick DiPietro 318 *** 3. Glenn Resch 282 *** 4. Kelly Hrudey 241 ***
5. Tommy Salo 187 *** 6. Thomas Greiss 178

Wins (Goalie)
1. Billy Smith 304 *** 2. Glenn Resch 157 *** 3. Rick DiPietro 130*** 4. Kelly Hrudey 108***
5.   Thomas Greiss 96

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 113
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 70

Season Series Stats
The Isles lead the season series 2 games to 0 (and 4 points to 1).   The teams will meet again at the Coliseum on March 26th to complete the season series.

The Isles have won five straight home games from Buffalo and are 7-2-0 in their last nine games overall vs. the Sabres.  

On the Farm   
Bridgeport is 10-15-3-1 on the season after splitting a pair of games this weekend. Kieffer Bellows scored in both games and has scored six goals in the last eight games.  It's his best goal scoring stretch of his pro career.

The Sound Tigers will host Syracuse on Wednesday.

Up Next
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17th   —  NASHVILLE AT ISLANDERS AT NASSAU COLISEUM – 7:00 PM
[MSG+-- Islanders pre-game at 6:30pm), 88.7 WRHU-FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN 1050] 
Under Barry Trotz, the Isles have earned at least one point against every team except Nashville and Calgary.

They will try to check one of those boxes when they welcome the Predators to the Coliseum for the first time since February 19, 2015.  

Trotz is 70-34-9 behind the Islander bench; the first two of his regulation losses were to Nashville in October 2018.  Viktor Arvidsson had the winning goal in both games.

The Isles are 2-4-1 in the last seven games against Nashville but are 6-4-1 in the last 11 against the Preds.  The Isles will catch Nashville on the second night of back-to-backs; the Preds face the Rangers in Manhattan on Monday.

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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