The Skinny: Isles 3, Philadelphia 2

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Eastern Conference Round 2 Game 4

Isles 3, Philadelphia 2  

Isles lead best-of-7 series, 3-1

Thomas Greiss made 36 saves for his first playoff victory since 2016 and the Isles got a pair of goals from Brock Nelson and a go-ahead goal from Jean-Gabriel Pageau as they grabbed a 3-1 lead in their second round series with a 3-2 victory at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.  

The win is the Isles' 10th in the bubble, passing the 1993 team for most playoff wins in the Post-Cup era.  The Isles are now 9 wins away from the Stanley Cup as they continue to move closer to the Cup than they have been in any year since 1993.

The Isles need one more win to advance to Edmonton and the Conference Finals; game 5 will be on Tuesday at 7pm.  

The Scoring: 

1st Period

No Goals

2nd Period

Brock Nelson (4) Josh Bailey (10) 06:52 PHI 0,NYI 1

Sean Couturier (2) Justin Braun (2), Robert Hagg (2) 15:19 PHI 1,NYI 1

3rd Period

Jean-Gabriel Pageau (7) Scott Mayfield (3), Devon Toews (5) 07:18 PHI 1,NYI 2

Brock Nelson (5) Josh Bailey (11), Anthony Beauvillier (4) 11:12 PHI 1,NYI 3

Ivan Provorov (2) Kevin Hayes (7), Travis Sanheim (5) 18:55 PHI 2,NYI 3

The Series (Isles lead 3-1)

Game 1: Isles 4 Philadelphia 0

Game 2: Philadelphia 4 Isles 3 (OT)

Game 3: Isles 3 Philadelphia 1

Game 4: Isles 3 Philadelphia 2

Game 5: Tuesday 7pm

Game 6: (if needed) Thursday September 3rd 

Game 7: (if needed) Saturday, September 5th

Tuesday's will be the first Isles game to ever be played in September (except pre-season).

The Skinny

The Isles have outscored the Flyers 8-1 in the third period after outscoring the Caps 7-1 in the third period; the Isles have allowed only two third period goals in their ten wins this post-season and lead the NHL with 19 third period goals in this year's playoffs… Nick Leddy played his 39th playoff game as an Islander without being penalized, extending his own club record...The Isles allowed 38 shots; it is the most they have allowed in any game this summer …The Isles have been shorthanded only five times in the first four games of this series; that's two fewer than any other series through four games (records date to 1978). The previous record was 7, set in 2015 vs. Washington.  This was the second time in the post-season the Isles have played back-to-back (games 2 and 3 vs. Florida) and the second time the Flyers had done so (games 4 and 5 vs. Montreal).  The Isles are 17-2-2 in regular season play under Barry Trotz in back-ends, which is by far the best record in the NHL over the last two seasons in that situation…The Flyers are 0-4 this year when allowing the first goal and are 0-10 in their last three playoff years (2016, 2018, 2020) when allowing the first goal…Brock Nelson recorded his second career multi-goal playoff game (game 1 vs. Washington in 2015) and the Isles' 4th two-goal game of this year's playoffs, joining Jordan Eberle and Anthony Beauvillier (twice)…Devon Toews, who earned an assist in each of the four games vs. Florida, recorded his first assist since then on the JG Pageau goal…Josh Bailey, who recorded his 4th multi-point games, is now tied-4th in the NHL with his 11 assists.

First Times in a Long Time (Playoff Only)

• Thomas Greiss started his first game since May 8, 2016 and recorded his first win since April 27, 2016 (both against Tampa Bay).  It is the longest an Isles goalie has gone between playoff games and win, surpassing records set by Glenn Healy between 1990 and 1993.

• The Isles have had two goalies earn playoff wins in the same post-season for the first time since 1985 (Billy Smith 3, Kelly Hrudey 1).

• The Isles have won 10 games in a playoff year for the first time since 1984.

A Special Summer

The Isles have won 10 games this summer. It is their most wins in a single post-season since the Dynasty Era:

• 1980 -15

• 1981 -15

• 1982 -15

• 1983 -15

• 1984 -12

• 2020 -10

Pageau, Pageau, JG Pageau

JG Pageau has 19 goals in 48 career Stanley Cup games. Among active players who have played 48 or fewer games, only Jake Guentzel has scored more goals:

• Jake Guentzel 25 goals in 45 games

• JG Pageau 19 goals in 48 games

• Nathan MacKinnon 18 goals in 37 games

• *Mark Stone 17 goals in 45 games

• Mark Schiefele 16 goals in 28 games

* Not including Vegas-Vancouver on Sunday night

Pageau's 7 playoff goals this summer are the 5th highest in a player's first playoff with the Isles:

• Ray Ferraro 13 (1993)

• Steve Thomas 9 (1993)

• Patrick Flatley 9 (1984)

• JP Parise 8 (1975)

• JG Pageau 7 (2020)

Plus, Plus, Plus

The Isles now have three players +10 or better:

• JG Pageau +13 (Leads NHL)(*)

• Nick Leddy +11

• Josh Bailey +10

No Isle has finished a playoff year higher than +6 (Benoit Hogue in 1993) in the Post-Cup era. Denis Potvin (team-leading +20) was one of five Isles +16 or better in 1983.

They are three of only five players in NHL +10 or better (Alec Martinez +11(*), Cole Makar +10)

* Not including Vegas-Vancouver on Sunday night

Beau + Pageau = Goals

Anthony Beauvillier and JG Pageau each has seven goals this summer, leaving them fourth in goals by an Islander in a single post-season in the Post-Cup Era.

• Ray Ferraro 13 (1993)

• Steve Thomas 9 (1993)

• Bryan Trottier 8 (1987)

• Anthony Beauvillier 7 (2020)

• JG Pageau 7 (2020)

Hey, Josh Bailey

Josh Bailey now has eleven assists this summer, matching Derek King for most assists by an Islander in a single post-season in the Post-Cup Era.

• Josh Bailey 11 (2020)

• Derek King 11 (1993)

• Steve Thomas 8 (1993)

• Pat LaFontaine 8 (1987)

• John Tonelli 8 (1985)

Bailey also joins Steve Thomas (1993) as the only Isle to have three multi-assist games in a single post-season in the Post-Cup Era.

Thanks for the Help

Ryan Pulock now has six assists this summer, matching the most by an Islander defenseman in a single post-season in the Post-Cup Era.

• Ryan Pulock 6 (2020)

• Roman Hamrlik 6 (2002)

• Dennis Vaske 6 (1993)

• Vladimir Malakhov 6 (1993)

Brock Best

Brock Nelson now has 12 playoff goals for the Islanders, more than any Isles in the 2000s:

• Brock Nelson 12

• John Tavares 11

• Josh Bailey 10

Elite Eight Again!

The Isles are in Round 2 for the second straight season and third time in the last five years.  In those five years, no Eastern Conference team has advanced to Round 2 more than the Isles.  Tampa Bay, Boston, Pittsburgh, and Washington have also appeared in the Elite 8 three times.

Longest Playoff Shutout Streaks by a Goalie:

• Semyon Varlamov 138:17 (8/20-8/26/2020)

• Billy Smith  136:59 (4/11-4/16/1980)

• Robin Lehner 123:29 (4/16-4/26/2019)

The Isles' team shutout record in post-season play is 182:50, set in April 1979 (all vs. Chicago).

Joining Smitty

Semyon Varlamov has won 9 of his 11 decisions this summer. Billy Smith (10-1 in 1980 and 9-2 in 1981) is the only other goalie in Isles history to start a playoff year that way.

Familiar Foes

This is the 5th meeting of the Isles and Philadelphia in the playoffs (Isles are 1-3 and have won 14 of 29 games):

• 1975 Semi-Finals  Flyers won series 4-3

• 1980 STANLEY CUP FINAL  Isles won series, and Stanley Cup  4-2

• 1985 Patrick Division Finals  Flyers won series 4-1

• 1987 Patrick Division Finals  Flyers won series 4-3

• 2020 Eastern Conference Second Round  Isles lead series 3-1

2020 is the third straight playoff meeting between the teams that followed the Isles eliminating Washington; the winner of each previous Islander-Flyer series between the teams has at least reached the Stanley Cup Final.

Barry and Al

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.

Lou and Bill

Lou Lamoriello has won 28 playoff series as a General Manager, tying Bill Torrey for second place on the all-time list. Glen Sather has 41 wins.

Overtime is Our Time

The Isles are 35-18 (.660) all-time in overtime, including 19-10 (.655) at home. The .660 overall percentage is 2nd to Tampa Bay (18-8 .692) while the .655 home percentages is the best in NHL history. The Isles are 1-1 in overtime this season; they have gone 6-5 in eleven overtime games since 2015.

Overtime is Our Time vs. Philadelphia

The Isles are 3-2 all-time in playoff overtime games vs. Philadelphia:

• 05/01/75 @ Bob Clarke L Phil 2:56 

• 05/07/75 Vs Jude Drouin W Phil 1:53 

• 05/13/80 @ Denis Potvin W Phil 4:07 

• 05/24/80 Vs Bobby Nystrom W Phil 7:11

• 08/26/20 @(Tor) Philippe Myers  L            Phil       2:41

Lead/Tie/Trailed

Game 1: Led: 53:54, Tied: 6:06,  Trailed: 0:00 

Game 2: Led:  0:00. Tied 6:47, Trailed: 55:54

Game 3: Led: 20:06, Tied 27:00, Trailed 12:54

Game 4: Led: 21:09, Tied 38:51, Trailed: 0:00 

Series:   Led: 95:09, Tied: 78:44,  Trailed: 68:48 

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

Vs. Washington  Led  130:12, Tied 120:32, Trailed: 53:44

Playoffs All-Time

The Isles improve to 158-127 in 285 all-time playoff games.  They are 89-47 at home (including 2-5 at Barclays and 5-1 in Toronto) and 69-80 on the road. In this year's playoffs, the Isles are 5-1 when they are the home team and 5-2 when they are the road team.

A Winning Summer

With a record of 10-3 in the playoffs, the Isles are guaranteed a winning record for this year's playoffs.  It is the first time in the post-Cup era that the Isles have won more games than they lost.  It is the most games the Isles have won in the playoffs since 1984, when they won 12.

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 134 playoff games (69-65).  His 69 wins breaks a tie with Claude Julien for 15th place.  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.

Most playoff wins by Islander coaches:

• Al Arbour 119

• Barry Trotz 14

• Jack Capuano 10

• Terry Simpson 9

• Peter Laviolette 4

• Ted Nolan 1

• Steve Stirling 1

Most playoff games coached (Islanders):

• Al Arbour 198

• Jack Capuano 24

• Barry Trotz 21

• Terry Simpson 20

• 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 (2-2)

• Peter Laviolette 0 (0-1)

• Steve Stirling 0 (0-1)

Most playoff series wins:

• Al Arbour 29

• Barry Trotz 3

• Jack Capuano 1

• Terry Simpson 1

First Things First

The Isles are 6-1 when scoring first and are 4-2 when allowing the first goal in the playoffs.

The Shots

Isles         18-3-12=33

Philadelphia  7-17-14=38

Shots by Game

• Game 1: Isles 29, Philadelphia 29

• Game 2: Isles 34, Philadelphia 31

• Game 3: Isles 29, Philadelphia 27

• Game 4: Isles 33, Philadelphia 38

• Series: Isles 125, Philadelphia 125

•

• Vs. Florida: Isles 122, Florida 103

• Vs. Washington: Isles 136, Washington 124

• Playoffs: Isles 383, Opponents 352

The Isles are 6-1 when they outshoot their opponents, 2-1 when the shots are even and 2-1 when they are outshot. 

In the Nets

Thomas Greiss made 36 saves to improve to 1-0 in this year's playoffs and 6-7 in his playoff career.

Brian Elliott made 30 saves but falls to 1-1 this year and 17-26 in his playoff career.

Power Plays

The Isles were 0-1 on the power play in 2:00 of PP time; Philadelphia was also 0-1 on the power play in 2:00 of PP time.

Power Plays by Game

• Game 1: Isles 0-1 (2:00, 0 shots), Philadelphia 0-1 (2:00, 1 shot)

• Game 2: Isles 1-3 (4:17, 5 shots), Philadelphia 0-2 (4:00, 2 shots)

• Game 3: Isles 1-2 (3:13, 1 shot), Philadelphia 0-1 (2:00, 4 shots)

• Game 4: Isles 0-1 (2:00, 9 shots), Philadelphia 0-1 (2:00, 0 shots)

•

• Series: Isles 2-7 (11:30, 15 shots), Philadelphia 0-5 (10:00, 7 shots)

•

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

• Series: Isles 2-22 (34:26, 29 shots), Washington 4-18 (24:57, 20 shots)

• Playoffs:  Power Play: 8-42 (71:51, 59 shots), Penalty Kill 8-37 (51:48, 48 shots)

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 8-1 in the playoffs (7-0 in regulation and 0-1 in overtime) when they score at least three goals and 2-2 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.

Shutting the Door

The Isles are 10-0 when allowing two or fewer goals in this year's playoffs.  (The Isles won 25 straight, and 39 out of 40 games in the Dynasty era allowing two or fewer goals in a playoff game)

One Goal Games

The Isles are 3-3 in the playoffs in one-goal games (2-2 in regulation and 1-1 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 (23:02);  Philadelphia: Ivan Provorov (23:55)

Josh Bailey led Isles forwards with 18:00 of ice-time 

Isles record by ice-time leader: Scott Mayfield (1-0), Adam Pelech (6-0), Mathew Barzal (2-1), Nick Leddy (1-1), Devon Toews (0-1)

Face-offs

Isles 31, Philadelphia 25 (55%).

Mathew Barzal won 7 of 8 for the Isles; Nate Thompson won 5 of 9 for Philadelphia.  

Face-offs by Game

• Game 1: Isles 28, Philadelphia 30 (48%)

• Game 2: Isles 31, Philadelphia 27 (53%)

• Game 3: Isles 25, Philadelphia 26 (49%)

• Game 4: Isles 31, Philadelphia 25 (55%)

• Series: Isles 115, Philadelphia 108 (50%)

•

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

• Vs. Washington: Isles 156, Washington 122 (56%)

• Playoffs: Isles 377, Opponents 357 (51%)

Hit Count

Isles 35 (Leo Komarov -6)

Philadelphia 39 (Three with 5)

Hits Game by Game:

• Game 1: Isles 34, Philadelphia 29

• Game 2: Isles 39, Philadelphia 31

• Game 3: Isles 36, Philadelphia 33 

• Game 4: Isles 35, Philadelphia 39

• Series: Isles 144, Philadelphia 132

•

• Vs. Florida:  Isles 128, Florida 124

• Series: Isles 194, Washington 177

• Playoffs: Isles 466, Opponents 433

Fights

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

Blocked Shots

Isles 19 (Ryan Pulock -4)

Philadelphia 7 (Two with 2)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 52, Philadelphia 68 (including 31-8 Philly in the 2nd period)

Corsi: 5-on-5 Isles 38, Philadelphia 63

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  Mathew Barzal and Jordan Eberle +5

Philadelphia: Jakub Voracek +20

Corsi Game by Game:

• Game 1 (All) Isles 51, Philadelphia 67;  (5-on-5) Isles 47, Philadelphia 63

• Game 2 (All) Isles 71, Philadelphia 53;  (5-on-5) Isles 63, Philadelphia 48

• Game 3 (All) Isles 57, Philadelphia 63;  (5-on-5) Isles 54, Philadelphia 56

• Game 4 (All) Isles 52, Philadelphia 68;  (5-on-5) Isles 38, Philadelphia 63

• Series: (All) Isles 231, Philadelphia 251;  (5-on-5) Isles 202, Philadelphia 230

•

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

• Vs Washington: (All) Isles 260, Washington 294; (5-on-5) Isles 190, Washington 212

• Playoffs (All)  Isles 717, Opponent 769; (5-on-5) Isles 566, Opponent 610

Scratches

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

Playoff games lost: 5. 

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

• Mathew Barzal – Game 3 vs. Washington (8/18/20) – 4:28 of OT

Post-Season Late Goals Allowed

• Philippe Myers – Game 2 vs. Philadelphia (8/26/20) – 2:41 of OT

Playoff Challenges

None

Active Islander Playoff Leaders: (As NYI)

Games:

Casey Cizikas 45

Matt Martin 45

Josh Bailey 43

Goals:

Brock Nelson 12 

Josh Bailey 10 

Anthony Beauvillier 8

Anders Lee 7

Jordan Eberle 7

JG Pageau 7

Mathew Barzal 5

Cal Clutterbuck 5

Assists:

Josh Bailey 20

Mathew Barzal 12

Nick Leddy 10

Jordan Eberle 10

Brock Nelson 9

Ryan Pulock 9

Devon Toews 8

Points:

Josh Bailey 28

Brock Nelson 19

Mathew Barzal 17

Jordan Eberle 17

Nick Leddy 14

Penalty Minutes:

Matt Martin 46

Cal Clutterbuck 44

Casey Cizikas 40

PP Goals

Mathew Barzal 2

Josh Bailey 2 

Anthony Beauvillier 2

Brock Nelson 2 

Ryan Pulock 2

Anders Lee 2

Devon Toews 1

Jordan Eberle 1

Nick Leddy 1

SH Goals

Josh Bailey 1

 

GW Goals

Brock Nelson 4

Anthony Beauvillier 3

Jordan Eberle 2

Josh Bailey 2

Thomas Hickey 1

Mathew Barzal 1

Andy Greene 1

Leo Komarov 1

OT Goals 

Josh Bailey 1

Mathew Barzal 1

Thomas Hickey 1

Goaltending

Thomas Greiss  6-7  2.39 GAA, .923 save percentage

Semyon Varlamov 9-2 1.69 GAA, .935 save percentage

Up Next

ROUND 2- GAME 5 – TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1st – 7:00PM 

ISLANDERS VS.  PHILADELPHIA (AT TORONTO)  

[NBCSN, 88.7 WRHU-FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN-Radio; 30-minute pre-game and expanded post-game on MSG+]

The Isles have been in the Toronto bubble for over five weeks. They look to eliminate the Flyers and head to Edmonton for the Conference Finals with a win on Tuesday. The Isles are 10-0 all-time when they lead a series 3-1, while the Flyers are 1-17 when they trail 3-1 (with their win coming after trailing Boston 3-0 in 2010).

Anthony Beauvillier had the game-winning goal in the clinchers against both Florida and Washington, joining Mike Bossy (1981 and 1983) as the only Isle to do so twice in one year. Martin Gelinas (2004) and Ken Linseman (1984) and the only NHLers to ever do it in three series in one year.

This will be the first (non-preseason) September game in Islander 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