The Skinny: Montreal 6, Isles 2

"The Skinny"          

By Eric Hornick

Game 65

Montreal 6, Isles 2

Brendan Gallagher scored a goal and added an assist to spur a three goals in 5:13 outburst in the first period and the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Isles 6-2 before a crowd of 12,788 at Barclays Center.

The loss extended the Isles winless streak to four games (0-2-2); it's the first Isles loss in regulation time on Barclays Center ice since January 12, 2019 (12-0-3) and their first in eleven games this season.

 

With the loss, the Isles drop four points behind the third place Penguins and remain five points behind second place Philadelphia. The Isles remain in the top wild card with 78 points (same as Columbus, but in two fewer games). Only nine points separate 2nd place and 7th place in the Metro.

The Scoring:

1st Period

Brendan Gallagher (22) Ben Chiarot (12), Phillip Danault (33) 13:31 MTL 1,NYI 0

Jeff Petry (11) Brendan Gallagher (21), Phillip Danault (34) 15:43 MTL 2,NYI 0

Charles Hudon (1) 18:34 MTL 3,NYI 0

2nd Period

Paul Byron (4) Joel Armia (14) 12:35 MTL 4,NYI 0 SHG

3rd Period

Brock Nelson (24) Josh Bailey (28) 06:14 MTL 4,NYI 1

Jordan Weal (8) Artturi Lehkonen (14) 15:28 MTL 5,NYI 1

Ryan Pulock (8) Brock Nelson (28), Jordan Eberle (23) 16:21 MTL 5,NYI 2 PPG

Joel Armia (16)EN 17:10 MTL 6,NYI 2 SHG

The Skinny        

The Isles are 6-7-3 since the All-Star Break; they have scored 35 goals in the nine games that they earned points but only five goals in their seven regulation losses….Brock Nelson's third period goal ended an Isles scoreless streak at 154:03; after taking a 2-0 lead in St. Louis on Thursday, the Isles allowed 11 consecutive goals for the first time since 2011 before scoring twice in the third period. …Mathew Barzal played at least 20 minutes for the 30th time this season (and 59th time in his career); he has played at least 20 minutes in 11 straight games…The Isles allowed two shorthanded goals for the first time since October 24, 2017 in Minnesota; they had allowed only two SHG's this season entering the game…It's the first time since April 9, 2016 (OTT vs BOS) that an NHL team scored two shorthanded goals but did not have a power play…Charles Hudon scored for the first time in the NHL since November 2018…Nelson, who earned points on both Islander goals is now one point shy of his career high and tied his career high in assists (both from last year)…J-G Pageau finished -5; he is the first Islander to do so since Brendan Witt did so in an overtime loss to Washington on December 16, 2008… New dad Anders Lee had a goal disallowed in the opening seconds of the third period when it was ruled that he kicked the puck in….The Canadiens have outscored their opponents 69-53 in the first period; Thomas Greiss has allowed 30 goals in the first period and only 40 goals in the rest of the game.

The Injuries

Tomas Tatar left the game in the first period and did not return.  Johnny Boychuk suffered an upper body injury on an errant skate blade in the third period and did not return.

Last Season vs. This Season

The Isles are 35-22-8 thru 65 games this season; they were 37-21-7 thru 65 games last season.  Their 78 points in 65 games is the 4th-highest in the Post-Cup era (85 points in 2014-15, 82 points in 2015-16, and 81 points last season).

It's Good to be Home(s)

The Isles are playing 28 of their 41 home games this season at the Coliseum.  The Isles are 13-8-2 on Coliseum ice where they have sold out six straight games (and ten games this season).  The Isles are 7-1-3 at Barclays Center this season and 12-1-3 in their last 16 regular season home games); the remaining Brooklyn games are on March 17th vs. Calgary, and March 22nd vs. Carolina.

Governor Cuomo announced before the February 29th game that all home playoff games this season and all home regular season and playoff games next season will be played at the Coliseum.

On the Road

The Isles are 15-13-3 on the road this season but are only 3-7-2 in the last 12 games.

Lots of Home Cooking 

The Isles are in a stretch in which they play six of eight games at home.  The Isles are 2-2-2 in this stretch.

• 2/21 Vs Red Wings (W 4-1)

• 2/23 Vs Sharks (W 4-1)

• 2/25 Vs Rangers (L 3-4 OT)

• 2/27 @ Blues (L 2-3 OT)

• 2/29 Vs Bruins (L 0-4)

• 3/3 Vs Canadiens (L 2-6)

• 3/5 @ Senators

• 3/7 Vs Hurricanes (Coliseum)

Following these eight games, the Isles will play nine of the next twelve on the road before ending the season with three games at the Coliseum.

Coach Trotz

Barry Trotz is second among active coaches, trailing only Joel Quenneville, in both wins and games. Trotz' NHL record is 845-617-60-149 in 1,671 games, and he is now five wins shy of supplanting Ken Hitchcock as the 3rd-winningest coach in NHL history.

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  923

3. Ken Hitchcock    849

4. Barry Trotz    845

5. Al Arbour    782

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman   2,141

2. Joel Quenneville 1,702

3. Barry Trotz        1,671

4. Al Arbour 1,607

First Things First

The Isles are 23-7-4 when scoring first and are 12-15-4 when allowing the opening goal. They are 1-9-3 in the last 13 games that they have allowed the opening goal.

The Shots

Isles    7-7-8=22

Montreal 12-5-10=27

The Isles are 13-7-5 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even and 22-14-3 when they are outshot.  Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 53-25-9 when outshot; the 53 wins are the most in the NHL.

Home and Road

The Islanders are 35-22-8 overall: 20-9-5 at home (13-8-2 on Long Island and 7-1-3 in Brooklyn) and 15-13-3 on the road.  

Montreal is 31-28-9 overall: 14-16-6 at home and 17-12-3 on the road.  

By Division & Conference

The Isles are 11-7-3 in Division games and 24-15-5 in games versus other divisions.  The Isles are 25-12-4 against the East and 10-10-4 against the West.  

In the Nets

Thomas Greiss made nine saves before being replaced after the first; he is 16-9-3 on the season and 4-6-1 in his career against Montreal. Semyon Varlamov made 12 saves in relief.

Carey Price made 20 saves; he is 27-23-6 on the season and 14-6-4 against the Isles.   

Power Plays

The Isles were 1-4 in 6:110 of power play time as they converted :26 into a 5-on-3.  However, the Isles allowed two shorthanded goals (one into an empty net).  Montreal did not have a  power play; the also did not have a power play in the first meeting.

The Isles are 13-6-3 when they score at least one power play goal and 22-16-5 when they do not.  The Isles are 14-9-2 when they allow at least one power play goal and 21-13-6 when they do not.

The Isles are 7-8-5 when they have more power plays than the opposition, 4-6-0 when the power plays are even, and 24-8-3 when the opposition has more power plays.

First 2 / Last 2     

The Isles have scored 15 goals and allowed 14 goals in the first two minutes of regulation periods.

The Isles have scored 13 goals and allowed 20 goals (excluding ENGs) in the last two minutes of regulation periods. 

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 31-2-4 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 4-20-4 when they do not.  Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 67-4-6 when scoring three or more, with two of the four regulation losses coming against Nashville.

One-Goal Games

The Isles are 16-6-8 in games decided by a single goal including 5-6 in regulation. They are 8-6 in games decided in overtime and are 3-2 in shootouts.  The Isles are 5-3 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.

Tired vs. Rested 

• The Isles are 3-0-0 when both teams played the night before. 

• The Isles are 7-1-0 when they are rested, and their opponents are not. 

• The Isles are 3-1-1 when their opponents are rested, and the Isles are not.

• The Isles are 22-20-7 when both teams are rested. 

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Ryan Pulock (23:20); Montreal: Brett Kulak (23:30)

Jordan Eberle led Isles forwards with 20:40 of ice-time. 

Isles record by ice-time leader: Adam Pelech (9-2-0), Ryan Pulock (13-8-3), Devon Toews (3-6-2), Scott Mayfield (2-1-0), Nick Leddy (5-3-3), Brock Nelson (1-0-0), Mathew Barzal (2-2-0).

Highest Ice-Time by Isles Forwards Under Trotz

• 24:59 -  Mathew Barzal – 2/20/20 vs. DET

• 24:35 -  Mathew Barzal – 2/17/20 vs. ARI

• 24:35 - Brock Nelson – 11/9/19 vs. FLA (Career High)

• 24:27 – Mathew Barzal – 2/25/20 vs. NYR (Career High)

• 24:01 - Jordan Eberle – 2/17/20 vs. ARI

• 23:52 – Mathew Barzal – 12/15/18 vs. DET

• 23:23 - Mathew Barzal – 2/15/20 vs. VGK

• 23:15 - Anders Lee – 2/25/20 vs. NYR (Career High)

Face-offs

Isles 34, Montreal 18 (65%)

Mathew Barzal won 6 of 8 for the Isles; no Canadien who took multiple draws won more than he lost. 

Hit Count

Isles 32 (Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck -6)

Montreal 34 (Two with 5)

 

Fights 

Anders Lee fought Christian Folin in the first period.  Season total:16 – Johnston-6 (vs. FLA, vs PHL, vs TB, vs NYR, vs WAS, vs VGK), Cizikas-3 (vs. OTT, vs SJ, vs. LA), Lee-3 (vs FLA, vs VGK, vs MON), Martin-2 (vs NYR, vs NAS), Mayfield (vs ANA), Pageau (vs NYR).

 

Blocked Shots

Isles 13 (Devon Toews -3)

Montreal 9 (Two with 2)

The Isles lead the NHL with 1,118 blocked shots.

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 44, Montreal 55 

Corsi: 5-on-5 Isles 38, Montreal 50

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  Devon Toews +7

Montreal: Two with +21

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)

All situations: Isles 13, Montreal 9 

5-on-5: Isles 10, Montreal 8

Back-to-Backs

The Isles are 5-3-0 in the front-half and 6-1-1 in the back-half. The next back-to-back will be March 12th in Calgary and March 13th in Edmonton. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 17-2-2 in back-ends.

Night and Day

The Isles are 31-19-6 in night games and 4-3-2 in matinees. The next matinee will be on March 7th vs. Carolina. 

200 Game Club

The Isles have three players who have active consecutive game streaks of at least 200 games, and they are three of just 25 players in the NHL who have played every game since the start of the 2017-18 season.  It's the first time since November 25, 1978 that the Isles have had three players with streaks of at least 200 games.

Ironman Streaks: Anders Lee 265, Brock Nelson 242, Mathew Barzal 229, Ryan Pulock 192, Josh Bailey 150, Anthony Beauvillier 140, and Devon Toews 113.  No other Islander has played every game this season.

Iron Man

Anders Lee has passed Denis Potvin for the fourth-longest consecutive game streak while Brock Nelson and Mathew Barzal have also moved into the top 10:

1. Billy Harris 10/7/1972 -11/30/1979 576 (*)

2. Bobby Nystrom 1/7/1975 - 11/25/1978 301

3. Matt Moulson 10/3/2009 - 4/4/2013 284

4. Anders Lee 1/26/2017 – CURRENT 265

5. Denis Potvin 11/29/1975 - 1/17/1979 262

6. John Tavares 10/16/2010 - 12/23/2013 246

7. Brock Nelson 3/16/2017 – CURRENT 242

8. J.P. Parise 1/7/1975 – 1/7/1978 240 (**)

9. Mathew Barzal 10/6/2017- CURRENT 229

10. Richard Park 10/5/2006 - 2/18/2009 221

 (*) Start of NHL career.

(**) Entire career with Islanders

Iron D

Ryan Pulock has the fourth-longest consecutive game streak of any defenseman in Islander history: 

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. Ryan Pulock 12/29/2017 – CURRENT 192

 (*) Start of NHL career.

(**) Entire career with Islanders

Scratches

(Adam Pelech-INJ), (Casey Cizikas-INJ), Ross Johnston, Noah Dobson, Tom Kuhnhackl, Andrew Ladd, Otto Koivula

Total games lost: 149.

Late Heroes 

The Isles have scored five times 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.

2/1 vs VAN – Brock Nelson scored at 19:34, but the Isles lost in OT.

2/11 vs PHI – Ryan Pulock scored the winning goal at 19:19.

2/26 vs NYR – Brock Nelson scored at 19:42, but the Isles lost in OT

Late Goals Allowed

The Isles have allowed five goals 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. 

1/16 vs. NYR- Chris Kreider scored the winning goal at 19:35.

2/11 vs. PHI – Sean Couturier scored at 18:28, but the Isles won in regulation.

2/27 vs. STL – Vince Dunn scored at 18:16, and the Blues won in OT.

Challenges

Isles: 4 successful, 2 failures (offside-11/19 vs. PIT), (offside-12/9 vs. TBL), (no goalie Interference 12/21 vs, ANA), (offside-1/6 vs. COL), (offside 1/21 vs NYR), (no goalie interference 2/25 vs NYR)

The Isles are 4-0-0 in games that they are successful and 0-0-2 in games that they are unsuccessful.

Opponents: 4 successful, 3 failures (Nelson-kick 10/8 vs. EDM), (Lee- no high stick 11/1 vs. TB), (Cizikas- no goalie interference 11/23 vs. SJ), (Komarov-goalie interference 1/2 vs. NJ),(no offside 1/18 vs WSH), (Lee-goalie interference 2/4 vs. DAL), (offside- 2/9 vs TBL)

The Isles are 1-1-1 in games where opponents' challenges go their way and 1-3-0 in games that go the opponent's way.

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 862…

17. John Tonelli 594 *** 18. Matt Martin 557 *** 19. Ken Morrow 550 *** 20. Duane Sutter 547 *** 21. Brock Nelson 545 *** 22. Lorne Henning 543 ***  23. Claude Lapointe 535 *** 24. Casey Cizikas 534

Goals

1. Mike Bossy 573 *** 2. Bryan Trottier 500 *** 3. Denis Potvin 310 …

12. Billy Harris 184 *** 13. Anders Lee 171 *** 14. Ziggy Palffy 168 *** 15. Patrick Flatley 160 *** 16. Josh Bailey 153 *** 17. Brock Nelson 148

Assists

1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553…

6.  John Tonelli 338 *** 7. Pat Flatley 328 *** 8. Brent Sutter 323 *** 9. Josh Bailey 321 …

20. Ed Westfall 181 *** 21. Kenny Jonsson 175 *** 22. Duane Sutter and Alexei Yashin 171*** 24. Nick Leddy 168

Points

1. Bryan Trottier 1353 *** 2. Mike Bossy 1126 *** 3. Denis Potvin 1052…

11. Derek King 499 *** 12. Patrick Flatley 488 *** 13. Josh Bailey 474…

20. Ziggy Palffy 331 ***  21. Anders Lee 297  ***22. Mariusz Czerkawski 295 *** 23. Brock Nelson 293

Games Played (Goalies)

1. Billy Smith 674 *** 2. Rick DiPietro 318 *** 3. Glenn Resch 282 *** 4. Kelly Hrudey 241 ***

5. Thomas Greiss 192

Wins (Goalie)

1. Billy Smith 304 *** 2. Glenn Resch 157 *** 3. Rick DiPietro 130*** 4. Kelly Hrudey 108***

5.   Thomas Greiss 101

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 …

6. Peter Laviolette 164 *** 7. Ted Nolan 163 *** 8. Butch Goring 154 *** 9. Barry Trotz 147

 

Coaching Wins

1. Al Arbour 740 *** 2. Jack Capuano 227 *** 3. Barry Trotz 82

Season Series Stats

Montreal leads the season series 2 games to 0 (and 4 points to 0). The teams will conclude the season series in Montreal on March 28th.

 

The Isles are 1-5-1 in their last seven games with Montreal and have scored only 13 goals in the seven games. 

On the Farm   

The Sound Tigers dropped a 1-0 decision to Binghamton on Sunday.  Bridgeport is off until Friday when they begin a 3-in-3 weekend that starts and ends in Lehigh Valley, with a trip to Wilkes Barre-Scranton in between. 

THURSDAY, MARCH 5th  -  ISLANDERS AT OTTAWA –7:30 PM

[MSG+ (pre-game at 7:00), 88.7 WRHU-FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN-1050]

J-G Pageau returns to Ottawa as the Isles face the Senators for the final time this season.

The Isles swept a pair of games from Ottawa early in the season; Nick Leddy had two goals, including a penalty shot, in a win in Ottawa on October 25th; Cole Bardreau's only NHL goal, also on a penalty shot, was the winner eleven rights later in Brooklyn as the Isles won their 10th straight game. 

The Isles have won six straight games vs. Ottawa, and have scored at least four games in each of their last seven games against the Sens.  The Isles have won four straight games in Ottawa for the first time in their history.

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