The Skinny: Isles 4, Philadelphia 0

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Eastern Conference Round 2 Game 1

Isles 4, Philadelphia 0

Isles lead best-of-7 series 1-0

Andy Greene's first playoff goal in over 10 years became the earliest game-winning goal of the post-Cup era as Semyon Varlamov made 29 saves for his 2nd career playoff shutout and the Islanders blanked the Philadelphia Flyers 4-0 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.  

Jean-Gabriel Pageau doubled the Islander advantage 2:54 into the third and Anders Lee scored for the 4th time in the last six games to make it 3-0.  Devon Toews cemented matters from 185 feet with the earliest empty-net goal in Islander history (regular season or playoffs, not including Billy Smith's goal) .

The Isles lead the series 1-0; game 2 will be on Wednesday afternoon.

The Scoring: 

1st Period

Andy Greene (1) Brock Nelson (5) 06:06 NYI 1,PHI 0 

2nd Period

No Goals

3rd Period

Jean-Gabriel Pageau (5) Leo Komarov (2), Adam Pelech (3) 02:54 NYI 2,PHI 0

Anders Lee (4) Mathew Barzal (5), Jordan Eberle (3) 08:50 NYI 3,PHI 0

Devon Toews (1)EN 12:21 NYI 4,PHI 0 

The Series (Isles lead 1-0)

Game 1: Isles 4 Philadelphia 0

Game 2: Wednesday 3pm

Game 3: Thursday 7pm

Game 4: Saturday Noon

Game 5: (if needed) Monday, August 31st

Game 6: (if needed) Wednesday, September 2nd

Game 7: (if needed) Thursday September 3rd 

The Skinny

Andy Greene's goal was the 900th playoff goal in Isles history…The Isles outscored the Flyers 3-0 in the third period after outscoring the Caps 8-1 in the third period and overtime; the Isles have allowed only one third period goal in their eight wins this post-season… Nick Leddy played his 36th playoff game as an Islander without being penalized, extending his own club record...The Isles held the Flyers to 29 shots; the 10 games this year sets a new club record, while the 11 games over two years extends the club record…Semyon Varlamov now has the second-longest shutout streak (136:20) in Isles history, passing Robin Lehner's 123:29 streak from last season. He has tied Billy Smith's club record for shutouts in a playoff year (2)… Nine Islanders had points and 15 players (all but the Cizikas line) were on-ice for an Islander goal…The Flyers scored only 11 goals in six games vs. Montreal and none tonight; the losing team has scored 0 or 1 goals in eight of Philadelphia's ten games this summer…It's the first time the Isles have ever shutout the Flyers in a playoff game…JG Pageau has 17 goals in 44 career playoff games, including five goals in ten playoff games with the Isles…Andy Greene joins Alex McKendry as the only players in Islander history to score a playoff goal but not a regular season goal; McKendry scored twice in 1980.

First Times in a Long Time (Playoff Only)

• The Isles recorded consecutive team shutouts for the first time since April 18-20, 1979 (Billy Smith and Chico Resch)

• The Isles have recorded two shutouts in a playoff year for the first time since 1983 (Billy Smith vs. NYR and EDM)

• Andy Greene (37 years, 299 days) is the oldest Isle to score a playoff goal since Ed Westfall (38 years, 215 days).

• Andy Greene's goal is his first playoff goal in 10 years, 130 days – it is the sixth-longest gap between goals in Stanley Cup history.  (Both goals were game-winners)

• Greene’s goal is the earliest game-winner in a playoff game since Greg Gilbert scored 5:48 into game 2 vs. Edmonton on May 12, 1984 (the  final winning goal of the Dynasty era).

• The Isles are 5-1 when they are the road team. It is the first time since 1987 that they have won five road games in a playoff year.

• The Isles' win snapped an 8-game losing streak in Round 2 games (Games 2-5 vs. Tampa Bay in 2016, games 1-4 vs. Carolina in 2019).  With one win in Round 2, the Isles match the 2016 team for being the closest the Isles have been to the Stanley Cup since 1993.

• The Isles have scored eight consecutive goals since Alex Ovechkin scored for Washington to win Game 4.  It is the first time that the Isles have scored eight consecutive playoff goals since April 1983, when they had a streak of ten straight goals.  The 10 goals is the franchise record, set in 1979, and matched in 1980, 1981 and 1983.

Longest Playoff Shutout Streaks by a Goalie:

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

• Semyon Varlamov 136:20 (CURRENT)

• 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).

Top of the Heap

Semyon Varlamov leads all goalies this summer in wins (8), goals against average (1.50) and save percentage (.9414, just ahead of Joonas Korpisalo's .9406)

Great 8 to Elite 8

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.

Familiar Foes

This is the 5th meeting of the Isles and Philadelphia in the playoffs (Isles are 1-3 and have won 12 of 26 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 First Round  Isles lead series 1-0

2020 is the third straight playoff meeting between the teams that followed an Isles' victory over Washington; the winner of each previous 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 35-17 (.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. Philadelphia

The Isles are 3-1 all-time in playoff overtime games vs. Philadelphia:

• 05/01/75 @ Bob Clarke         L Phl 2:56 

• 05/07/75 Vs Jude Drouin W Phl 1:53 

• 05/13/80 @ Denis Potvin W Phl 4:07 

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

Lead/Tie/Trailed

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

Series:   Led  53:54, Tied: 6:06,  Trailed: 0:00 

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 156-126 in 282 all-time playoff games.  They are 87-47 at home (including 2-5 at Barclays and 3-1 in Toronto) and 69-79 on the road. In this year's playoffs, the Isles are 3-1 when they are the home team and 5-1 when they are the road team.

A Winning Summer

With a record of 8-2 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's the most games the Isles have won in the playoffs since 1993, when they won 9.

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 131 playoff games (67-64).  His 67 wins are one behind 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 12

• 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

• Terry Simpson 20

• Barry Trotz 18

• 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 3

• Jack Capuano 1

• Terry Simpson 1

First Things First

The Isles are 5-1 when scoring first and are 3-1 when allowing the first goal in the playoffs.

The Shots

Isles             15-7-7=29

Philadelphia  4-15-10=29

Shots by Game

• Game 1: Isles 29, Philadelphia 29

• Series: Isles 29, Philadelphia 29

•

• Vs. Florida: Isles 122, Florida 103

• Vs. Washington: Isles 136, Washington 124

• Playoffs: Isles 287, Opponents 256

The Isles are 5-0 when they outshoot their opponents, 2-1 when the shots are even and 1-1 when they are outshot. 

In the Nets

Semyon Varlamov made 29 saves to improve to 8-2 this summer and 21-15 all-time in the playoffs.  

Carter Hart made 25 saves but falls to 6-3 in the playoffs (all this year).

Power Plays

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

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

•

• 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: 6-36 (60:21, 44 shots), Penalty Kill 8-33 (43:48, 42 shots)

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 6-0 in the playoffs 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.

One Goal Games

The Isles are 2-2 in the playoffs in one-goal games (1-2 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 (21:42);  Philadelphia: Ivan Provorov (22:18)

Brock Nelson led Isles forwards with 17:43 of ice-time 

Isles record by ice-time leader: Scott Mayfield (1-0), Adam Pelech (4-0), Mathew Barzal (2-0), Nick Leddy (1-1), Devon Toews (0-1)

Face-offs

Isles 28, Philadelphia 30 (48%).

Brock Nelson won 12 of 18 for the Isles; Kevin Hayes won 7 of 12 for Philadelphia.  

Face-offs by Game

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

• Series: Isles 28, Philadelphia 30 (48%).

•

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

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

• Playoffs: Isles 290, Opponents 279 (51%)

Hit Count

Isles 34 (Ross Johnston -10)

Philadelphia 29 (Two with 4)

Hits Game by Game:

• Game 1: Isles 34, Philadelphia 29

• Series: Isles 34, Philadelphia 29

•

• Vs. Florida:  Isles 128, Florida 124

• Series: Isles 194, Washington 177

• Playoffs: Isles 356, Opponents 330

Fights

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

Blocked Shots

Isles 22 (Andy Greene -4)

Philadelphia 10 (Philippe Myers -3)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 51, Philadelphia 67

Corsi: 5-on-5 Isles 47, Philadelphia 63

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  Josh Bailey +6

Philadelphia: Three with +12

Corsi Game by Game:

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

• Series: (All) Isles 51, Philadelphia 67;  (5-on-5) Isles 47, Philadelphia 63

•

• 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 537, Opponent 585; (5-on-5) Isles 411, Opponent 443

Scratches

Michael DalColle, Derek Brassard, 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)

None

Post-Season Late Goals Allowed

None

Playoff Challenges

None

Active Islander Playoff Leaders: (As NYI)

Games:

Casey Cizikas 42

Matt Martin 42

Josh Bailey 40

Goals:

Brock Nelson 10 

Josh Bailey 10 

Jordan Eberle 7

Anthony Beauvillier 7

Mathew Barzal 5

Cal Clutterbuck 5

JG Pageau 5

Anders Lee 5

Assists:

Josh Bailey 17

Mathew Barzal 10

Brock Nelson 9

Nick Leddy 9

Devon Toews 8

Ryan Pulock 8

Jordan Eberle 8

Points:

Josh Bailey 27

Brock Nelson 19

Jordan Eberle 15

Mathew Barzal 15

Nick Leddy 13

Penalty Minutes:

Matt Martin 46

Cal Clutterbuck 42

Casey Cizikas 38

PP Goals

Mathew Barzal 2

Josh Bailey 2 

Anthony Beauvillier 2

Brock Nelson 2 

Ryan Pulock 2

Devon Toews 1

Jordan Eberle 1

Nick Leddy 1

SH Goals

Josh Bailey 1

 

GW Goals

Brock Nelson 3

Anthony Beauvillier 3

Jordan Eberle 2

Josh Bailey 2

Thomas Hickey 1

Mathew Barzal 1

Andy Greene 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 8-2 1.50 GAA, .941 save percentage

Up Next

ROUND 2- GAME 2 – WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26th – 3:00PM 

ISLANDERS VS PHILADELPHIA (AT TORONTO)  

[NBCSN, 88.7 WRHU-FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN-1050; 30-minute pre-game and expanded post-game on MSG+]

The Isles will look to take a 2-0 lead in the series as they face the Flyers in the front-end of a back-to-back. The Isles are 17-5 all-time when they win Game 1, while the Flyers are 15-24 when they drop game 1.

Game 3 of the series will be played on Thursday night.

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