The Skinny: Isles 2, Washington 1 (OT)

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Eastern Conference Round 1 Game 3

Isles 2, Washington 1 (OT)

Isles lead best-of-7 series 3-0

Sometimes 13 is lucky (and good).  Moments after Jakub Vrana (who wears that number for Washington) was stopped on a breakaway, Mathew Barzal converted a pass from Jordan Eberle to give the Isles a 2-1 overtime win over the Washington Capitals and a 3-0 lead in their Round 1 series at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

Anders Lee scored for the third straight game to give the Isles the lead, but a power play goal by Evgeny Kuznetsov tied the game at the 5:50 mark of the second period. It remained that way for 38:38 of playing time, until Barzal scored his first career playoff OT goal.

The Isles, have now won nine straight Round 1 games (dating back to Game 5 vs. Florida), including four in overtime.  

The Isles will try for the sweep at 8:00pm on Tuesday.

The Scoring: 

1st Period

Anders Lee (3) Adam Pelech (2), Ryan Pulock (5) 14:50 WSH 0,NYI 1

2nd Period

Evgeny Kuznetsov (2) John Carlson (4), Alex Ovechkin (1) 05:50 WSH 1,NYI 1 PPG

3rd Period

No Goals

OT

Mathew Barzal (2) Jordan Eberle (2), Derick Brassard (3) 04:28 WSH 1,NYI 2

The Series (Isles lead 3-0)

Game 1: Isles 4 Washington 2

Game 2: Isles 5 Washington 2

Game 3: Isles 2, Washington 1 (OT)

Game 4: Tuesday, August 18th, 8pm

Game 5 (if needed): Thursday, August 20th

Game 6 (if needed): Saturday, August 22nd

Game 7 (if needed): Sunday, August 23rd 

The Skinny

The Isles have a 3-0 lead for the second straight playoff year (last year vs. PIT). Prior to Trotz they had not led a series 3-0 since the 1983 Final… Anders Lee scored for the third straight game after tallying only once in 17 prior playoff games. …Adam Pelech played 20:05 at even-strength, including 14:27 when Alex Ovechkin was on the ice for Washington…The Isles were outshot 40 times in 68 games in the regular season, but have yet to be outshot in this year's playoffs… It is the Isles' 10th playoff win under Barry Trotz, matching Jack Capuano for second on the team's all-time list….Anthony Beauvillier's point streak ended at 6 games...The Isles scored first for the first time in their last six Round 1 games…The win is the first for the "home" team in the 11 regular season and playoff meetings between Isles and Caps since Trotz became the Islander coach.  It was also the first of the 11 games to go to overtime… …The Isles have outscored the Caps 6-0 in the third period and overtime; the Isles have allowed only one third period goal in their six wins this post-season…Evgeny Kuznetsov's goal was his 26th of the postseason, breaking a tie with Dale Hunter for fourth on the Caps' all-time list.

Youth "B" Served

Mathew Barzal is only the second Islander in the last 32 years to score a playoff overtime goal before his 24th birthday; Mat is a few months older than Alan Quine was in 2016, when Quine won game 5 vs. Florida in double-overtime. Barzal is the first player in Stanley Cup history to score exactly 4:28 into overtime.

Leading the way

The line of Anders Lee, Mathew Barzal and Jordan Eberle have had a solid series, and the analytic numbers back it up.  Eberle has a +32 Corsi in the series, while Lee is +30 and Barzal is +26.

First Times in a Long Time (Playoff Only)

• The Isles have allowed fewer than 30 shots in 8 straight games for the first time since an 8-game stretch in April-May 1984. 

• The Isles are the first NHL team to win at least nine straight first round games since Detroit won 13 straight between 1998 and 2001.

Strange but True

The Isles have been to the playoffs five times since 2013; each time the first home game of Round 1 has gone to overtime, with the Isles going 4-1:

• 05/05/13 Vs Chris Kunitz L Pit 00:08:44

• 04/19/15 Vs John Tavares W Wsh 00:00:15

• 04/17/16 Vs Thomas Hickey W Fla 00:12:31 Brooklyn

• 04/10/19 Vs Josh Bailey W Pit 00:04:39

• 08/16/20 Vs Mathew Barzal W Wsh 00:04:28 Toronto

Happy Birthday

Adam Pelech turned 26.  He is the first Islander with a birthday point in the playoffs since Tomas Jonsson (April 12, 1988) and the first ever to do so in a month other than April.

Familiar Foes

This is the 8th meeting of the Isles and Washington in the playoffs (Isles are 5-2 and have won 24 of 40 games)

• 1983 Patrick Division Semi-Finals  Isles won series 3-1

• 1984 Patrick Division Finals  Isles won series 4-1

• 1985 Patrick Division Semi-Finals  Isles won series 3-2

• 1986 Patrick Division Semi-Finals  Caps won series 3-0 (Arbour retired thereafter)

• 1987 Patrick Division Semi-Finals  Isles won series 4-3 (LaFontaine 4 OT)

• 1993 Patrick Division Semi-Finals  Isles won series 4-2

• 2015 Eastern Conference First Round  Caps won series 4-3

• 2020 Eastern Conference First Round  Isles lead series 3-0

Joining Radar

Barry Trotz is only the 2nd coach to lead the Isles to multiple series wins, joining Al Arbour.  Terry Simpson and Jack Capuano are the only other coaches to lead the Isles to a playoff series victory.

Chasing the Architect

Lou Lamoriello has won 27 playoff series as a General Manager, tying Jack Adams and Sam Pollock for third on the all-time list.  Bill Torrey won 28 series, while the all-time leader, Glen Sather, has 41 wins.

Overtime is Our Time

The Isles are 35-17 (.673) all-time in overtime, including 19-10 (.655) at home. The .673 overall percentage is 2nd to Tampa Bay (17-8 .680) while the .655 home percentages is the best in NHL history. The Isles are 1-0 in overtime this season; they have gone 6-4 in ten overtime games since 2015.

Overtime is Our Time vs. Washington

The Isles are 7-3 all-time in playoff overtime games vs. Washington:

• 04/13/84 Vs Anders Kallur W Wsh 07:35 

• 04/10/85 @ Alan Haworth L Wsh 02:28 

• 04/11/85 @ Mike Gartner L Wsh 21:23 

• 04/18/87 @ Pat LaFontaine W Wsh 68:47 

• 04/20/93 @ Brian Mullen W Wsh 34:50

• 04/22/93 Vs Ray Ferraro W Wsh 04:46 

• 04/24/93 Vs Ray Ferraro W Wsh 25:40 

• 04/19/15 Vs John Tavares W Wsh 00:15

• 04/21/15 Vs Nicklas Backstrom  L Wsh 11:09

• 08/16/20 Vs Mathew Barzal W Wsh 04:28

Lead/Tie/Trailed

Game 1: Led: 13:08, Tied: 31:28,  Trailed: 15:24 

Game 2: Led: 34:44, Tied: 3:16, Trailed: 22:00

Game 3: Led 11:00, Tied 53:28, Trailed: 0:00

Series:   Led  58:52, Tied 88:12, Trailed: 37:24

Vs Florida:  Led: 120:01, Tied: 58:56,  Trailed 61:03

Playoffs All-Time

The Isles improve to 154-125 in 279 all-time playoff games.  They are 87-46 at home (including 2-5 at Barclays and 3-0 in Toronto) and 67-79 on the road. In this year's playoffs, the Isles are 3-0 when they are the home team and 3-1 when they are the road team.

Coach Trotz

Barry Trotz is second among active coaches, trailing only Joel Quenneville, in both wins and games. Trotz' NHL record is 845-618-60-151 in 1,674 games and will begin next season just 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  925

3. Ken Hitchcock    849

4. Barry Trotz    845

5. Al Arbour    782

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman   2,141

2. Joel Quenneville 1,705

3. Barry Trotz        1,674

4. Al Arbour 1,607 

Coach Trotz (Playoffs)

Barry Trotz has now coached 128 playoff games (65-63).  His 65 wins are 17th all-time, just one win behind Lindy Ruff and Claude Julien.  Trotz won the Stanley Cup with Washington in 2018; Joel Quenneville (3) and Mike Sullivan (2) are the only active coaches with multiple Stanley Cups.

Trotz is the 2nd coach in Islander playoff history to coach the Isles against a team he formerly coached; Ted Nolan did that in 2007 vs. Buffalo.  Trotz is the first to coach against the Isles and then coach the Isles against that same opponent.

Most playoff wins by Islander coaches:

• Al Arbour 123

• Barry Trotz 10

• Jack Capuano 10

• Terry Simpson 9

• Peter Laviolette 4

• Ted Nolan 1

• Steve Stirling 1

Most playoff games coached (Islanders):

• Al Arbour 209

• Jack Capuano 24

• Terry Simpson 20

• Barry Trotz 15

• Peter Laviolette 12

• 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 2 (2-1)

• Peter Laviolette 0 (0-1)

• Steve Stirling 0 (0-1)

Most playoff series wins:

• Al Arbour 29

• Barry Trotz 2

• Jack Capuano 1

• Terry Simpson 1

First Things First

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

The Shots

Isles            14-10-8-2=34

Washington  6-10-4-3=23

Shots by Game

• Game 1: Isles 27, Washington 26

• Game 2: Isles 32, Washington 25 

• Game 3: Isles 34, Washington 23

• Series: Isles 93, Washington 74

• Vs. Florida: Isles 122, Florida 103

• Playoffs: Isles 215, Opponents 177

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

In the Nets

Semyon Varlamov made 22 saves and improves to 6-1 this summer and 19-14 all-time in the playoffs. Varlamov is now 5-4 in playoff overtime games.

Braden Holtby made 32 saves but falls to 1-4-1 this summer and 49-45-1 all-time in the playoffs.  (The "1" is a shootout loss in the Round Robin) Holtby is now 14-15-1 in playoff OT games.

Power Plays

The Isles were 0-5 on the power play in 10:00 of PP time; Washington was 1-2 on the power play in 2:40 of PP time.

Power Plays by Game

• Game 1: Isles 0-4 (5:17; 3 shots), Washington 2-7 (11:05, 12 shots)

• Game 2: Isles 1-5 (8:18, 5 shots), Washington 0-2 (4:00, 1 shot)

• Game 3: Isles 0-5 (10:00, 6 shots), Washington 1-2 (2:40, 1 shot)

• Series: Isles 1-14 (23:35, 14 shots), Washington 3-11 (17:45, 14 shots)

•

• Vs. Florida: Isles 4-13 (23:55; 15 shots), Florida 4-14 (16:51, 21 shots)

• Playoffs:  Power Play: 5-27 (47:30, 29 shots), Penalty Kill 7-25 (34:36, 35 shots)

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 4-0 in the playoffs when they score at least three goals and 2-1 when they do not.  Last season the Isles scored at least three goals in each of their four wins and two or fewer in each of their four losses.

One Goal Games

The Isles are 2-1 in the playoffs in one-goal games (1-1 in regulation and 1-0 in overtime). The Isles are 0-0  in playoff games where an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Adam Pelech (22:10);  Washington: John Carlson (27:49)

Mathew Barzal led Isles forwards with 22:04 of ice-time 

Isles record by ice-time leader: Scott Mayfield (1-0), Adam Pelech (3-0), Mathew Barzal (1-0), Nick Leddy (1-1)

Face-offs

Isles 30, Washington 26 (54%).

Brock Nelson won 13 of 18 and JG Pageau won 9 of 15 for the Isles; Lars Eller won 9 of 15 for Washington.  

Face-offs by Game

• Game 1: Isles 36, Washington 20 (64%).  

• Game 2: Isles 36, Washington 30 (55%)

• Game 3: Isles 30, Washington 26 (54%)

• Series: Isles 102, Washington 76 (57%)

•

• Vs. Florida  Isles 106, Florida 127 (45%)

• Playoffs: Isles 208, Opponents 203 (51%)

Hit Count

Isles 31 (Matt Martin -6)

Washington 36 (Alex Ovechkin -7)

Hits Game by Game:

• Game 1: Isles 39, Washington 36

• Game 2: Isles 38, Washington 36

• Game 3: Isles 31, Washington 36

• Series: Isles 108, Washington 108

•

• Vs. Florida:  Isles 128, Florida 124

• Playoffs: Isles 236, Opponents 232

Fights

There were no fights. Playoff total -1  (Lee -1)

Blocked Shots

Isles 19 (Nick Leddy and Ryan Pulock -4)

Washington 19 (Nick Jensen and TJ Oshie -3)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 69, Washington 55

Corsi: 5-on-5 Isles 58, Washington 43

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  Jordan Eberle +18

Washington: Martin Fehervary and Jakub Vrana +5

Corsi Game by Game:

• Game 1 (All) Isles 47, Washington 54;  (5-on-5) Isles 37, Washington 26

• Game 2:(All) Isles 59, Washington 55;  (5-on-5) Isles 45, Washington 43

• Game 3:(All) Isles 69, Washington 55;  (5-on-5) Isles 58, Washington 43

• Series: (All) Isles 175, Washington 164; (5-on-5) Isles 140, Washington 112

•

• Vs Florida (All) Isles 226, Florida 224;  (5-on-5) Isles 174, Florida 168

• Playoffs (All)  Isles 401, Opponent 384; (5-on-5) Isles 314, Opponent 280

Scratches

Johnny Boychuk, Tom Kuhnhackl, Noah Dobson, Andrew Ladd, Otto Koivula, Michael Dal Colle, Ross Johnston, Thomas Hickey, Sebastian Aho, Christopher Gibson

Playoff games lost: 3. 

Post-Season Late Heroes (Final Two Minutes of Regulation, or Overtime)

None

Post-Season Late Goals Allowed

None

Playoff Challenges

None

Active Islander Playoff Leaders: (As NYI)

Games:

Casey Cizikas 39

Matt Martin 39

Josh Bailey 37

Goals:

Brock Nelson 10 

Josh Bailey 9 

Jordan Eberle 7

Anthony Beauvillier 5

Cal Clutterbuck 5

Assists:

Josh Bailey 15

Mathew Barzal 9

Nick Leddy 8 

Devon Toews 8

Ryan Pulock 8

Brock Nelson 7

Jordan Eberle 7

Points:

Josh Bailey 24

Brock Nelson 16 

Jordan Eberle 14

Mathew Barzal 13

Nick Leddy 11

Penalty Minutes:

Matt Martin 46

Cal Clutterbuck 42

Casey Cizikas 38

PP Goals

Mathew Barzal 2

Josh Bailey 2 

Brock Nelson 2 

Ryan Pulock 2

Devon Toews 1

Anthony Beauvillier 1

Jordan Eberle 1

Nick Leddy 1

SH Goals

Josh Bailey 1

 

GW Goals

Brock Nelson 3

Anthony Beauvillier 2

Jordan Eberle 2

Josh Bailey 2

Thomas Hickey 1

Mathew Barzal 1

OT Goals 

Josh Bailey 1

Mathew Barzal 1

Thomas Hickey 1

Goaltending

Thomas Greiss  5-6  2.49 GAA, .920 save percentage

Semyon Varlamov 6-1 1.71 GAA, .932 save percentage

Up Next

ROUND 1- GAME 4 – TUESDAY, AUGUST 18th  -  ISLANDERS VS WASHINGTON (AT TORONTO)  8:00PM

[MSG+ (pre-game at 7:30PM), 88.7 WRHU-FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN-1050]

The Isles will look to complete a series sweep on Tuesday.

The Isles are 10-0 when they lead a series 3-0 and have recorded seven four-game sweeps.

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