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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...

Sunday, September 06, 2020

The Skinny: Isles 4, Philadelphia 0 (Isles win series, 4 games to 3)

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Eastern Conference Round 2 Game 7
Isles 4, Philadelphia 0
Isles win best-of-7 series, 4-3
The Islander Dynasty ended in Edmonton in 1984.  They are heading back there with a chance to recapture Lord Stanley's Cup.

Scott Mayfield and Andy Greene scored first period goals and Thomas Greiss made sixteen saves for his first career playoff shutout as the Islanders eliminated the Philadelphia Flyers with a 4-0 win in game seven of their Round 2 series at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.  

Brock Nelson scored midway through the second period and Anthony Beauvillier scored an early empty-netter for the final margin as the Islanders advanced to the Conference Finals for the first time since 1993.

The Isles finish the Toronto Bubble with a record of 11-5; they now advance to Edmonton to face the Tampa Bay Lightning.  Game 1 is scheduled for 8:00 Eastern Time on Monday.

The Scoring: 
1st Period
Scott Mayfield (1) Devon Toews (7), Jordan Eberle (8) 09:27 NYI 1,PHI 0
Andy Greene (2) Derick Brassard (6), Brock Nelson (7) 13:12 NYI 2,PHI 0

2nd Period
Brock Nelson (7) Josh Bailey (14), Ryan Pulock (7) 11:26 NYI 3,PHI 0

3rd Period
Anthony Beauvillier (8)EN Brock Nelson (8), Josh Bailey (15) 13:42 NYI 4,PHI 0

The Series (Isles win, 4-3)
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: Philadelphia 4 Isles 3 (OT)
Game 6: Philadelphia 5 Isles 4 (OT)
Game 7: Isles 4 Philadelphia 0

The Skinny 
The Isles were shorthanded only 13 times in the series and killed all 13 Flyer power plays… The Isles outscored the Flyers 11-3 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 eleven wins this post-season and lead the NHL with 22 third period goals in this year's playoffs…The Isles allowed only 16 shots, fewest in a post-season game since April 7, 1988 vs. New Jersey (also 16).  It is the fewest shots the Isles have ever allowed in a Game 7…The Isles were penalized only 13 times (33 minutes) – fewest by any team in a 7-game series since 1945…The Isles scored at least three goals in every game of the series and have scored at least two goals in every game in The Bubble…This was the first time that the Isles ever held a 2nd period lead in a Game 7 and it resulted in their first-ever win by more than one goal in a game 7…Andy Greene has two playoff goals for the Isles (15 games); he had only three in 50 playoff games for New Jersey. Greene (37 years, 311 days)  is the third-oldest defenseman in NHL history to score a Game 7 goal, behind Nicklas Lidstrom in 2010 (39 years, 364 days) and Roman Hamrlik in 2012 (38 years, 30 days)…Nick Leddy played his 42nd playoff game as an Islander without being penalized, extending his own club record.

First Times in a Long Time (Playoff Only)
Thomas Greiss is the first Islander since Chico Resch (1975 vs. Pittsburgh) to record a shutout in a game 7.  He is the first NHL goalie to record 16 or fewer saves in a Game 7 shutout since Gilles Gilbert (BOS) blanked Los Angeles on April 25, 1976.
Greiss and Semyon Varlamov are the first pair of Isles goalies to record a shutout in the same year since Resch and Billy Smith in 1979.
Scott Mayfield and Andy Greene are the first Islander defensemen to score in a game 7 since Denis Potvin (2x) and are the first to score in the same period of any playoff game since April 30, 1983 vs. Boston (Ken Morrow and Denis Potvin). 
The two goals in the first period marked the first multi-goal period for the Isles in a game 7 since 1993 vs. Pittsburgh  (third period).
The Isles have won six "road" games for the first time since 1983
The Isles did not allow a power play goal in a series for the first time since 1979 vs. Chicago (4 games); it is a franchise-record eighth straight game without allowing a power play goal.

Seventh Heaven
This was the 9th Game 7 in Isles history (4-5).  This was technically an Islander road game, so eight of the nine have been on the road.  The Isles are 4-4 in road Game 7s and 0-1 at the Coliseum (Lanny Mc Donald).  

The Isles have faced only four opponents in a game 7. They are 2-0 vs. Pittsburgh, 1-1 vs. Washington, 1-2 vs. Philadelphia and 0-2 vs. Toronto:

26-Apr-75 @ Pittsburgh QF 1975 1 0 W
13-May-75 @ Philadelphia SF 1975 1 4 L
29-Apr-78 Vs Toronto QF 1978 1 2 L (OT)
18-Apr-87 @ Washington DSF 1987 3 2 W(4 OT)
02-May-87 @ Philadelphia DF 1987 1 5 L
14-May-93 @ Pittsburgh DF 1993 4 3 W (OT)
30-Apr-02 @ Toronto CQF 2002 2 4 L
27-Apr-15 @ Washington 1st 2015 1 2 L
05-Sep-20 @ (Tor) Philadelphia 2nd 2020 4 0 W

This was the first game seven in a series the Isles led 3-1 and only the second in a series the Isles led 3-2, having gone 10-1 in previous game 6 clinching opportunities.

The Isles improve to 27-21 when facing elimination while the Flyers fall to 9-8 all-time in Game 7s.

This was the third game 7 ever contested in a neutral site; the first two took place on Friday in Edmonton.

A Special Summer
The Isles have won 11 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 -11

Greiss Greiss Baby
Thomas Greiss recorded his first career playoff shutout.  Greiss, who led the Isles past the first round for the first time in 23 years in 2016, is now the winning goaltender to get the Isles to the conference finals for the first time in 27 years.

Pageau, Pageau, JG Pageau
JG Pageau has 19 goals in 51 career Stanley Cup games. Among active players who have played 51 or fewer games, only Jake Guentzel and Nathan MacKinnon has scored more goals:
Jake Guentzel 25 goals in 45 games
Nathan MacKinnon 20 goals in 40 games
JG Pageau 19 goals in 51 games
Bobby Ryan 19 goals in 50 games
Mark Stone 17 goals in 49 games
Mark Schiefele 16 goals in 28 games 
Jamie Benn 16 goals in 48 games

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)

11 Alive
JG Pageau was even and remains +11; Scott Mayfield was +2 and is now +11.

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.

Pageau and Mayfield are two of only seven players in NHL +10 or better (Nathan McKinnon +13, Alec Martinez +12, Cole Makar +12, Victor Hedman +11, Mikko Rantanen +11))

The Great 8
Anthony Beauvillier has eight goals this summer, leaving him tied-third in goals by an Islander in a single post-season in the Post-Cup Era.
Ray Ferraro 13 (1993)
Steve Thomas 9 (1993)
Anthony Beauvillier 8 (2020)
Bryan Trottier 8 (1987)
Anders Lee 7 (2020)
JG Pageau 7 (2020)
Brock Nelson 7 (2020)

Hey, Josh Bailey
Josh Bailey now has fifteen assists this summer, the most assists by an Islander in a single post-season in the Post-Cup Era (and the most since Bob Bourne had 20 in 1983).
Josh Bailey 15 (2020) 
Derek King 11 (1993)
Mathew Barzal 8 (2020)
Jordan Eberle 8 (2020)
Brock Nelson 8 (2020)
Steve Thomas 8 (1993)
Pat LaFontaine 8 (1987)
John Tonelli 8 (1985)

Bailey is the only Isle to have five multi-assist games in a single post-season in the Post-Cup Era and joins Bryan Trottier (2x), Mike Bossy, Denis Potvin and Bob Bourne as the only Isles to ever have at least five multi-assist games in one post-season.  (Bryan Trottier had 7 of them in 1982).

Hey, Josh Bailey II
Bailey now has 17 points this summer, matching Steve Thomas for the second-highest total by an Islander in a single post-season in the Post-Cup Era.
Ray Ferraro 20 (1993)
Steve Thomas 17 (1993)
Josh Bailey 17 (2020) 
Brock Nelson 15 (2020) 
Derek King 14 (1993)
Mathew Barzal 13 (2020)

Thanks for the Help
Devon Toews and Ryan Pulock each have seven assists this summer, the most by an Islander defenseman in a single post-season in the Post-Cup Era.
Devon Toews 7 (2020)
Ryan Pulock 7 (2020)
Roman Hamrlik 6 (2002)
Dennis Vaske 6 (1993)
Vladimir Malakhov 6 (1993)

Brock Best
Brock Nelson now has 14 playoff goals for the Islanders, more than any Isles in the 2000s:
Brock Nelson 14 
John Tavares 11
Josh Bailey 10

Elite Eight Again!
The Isles advanced to 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.

FINAL FOUR!
The Isles have advanced to the conference final for the first time since 1993.  This ends the longest gap between conference final appearances in NHL history.

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).

Familiar Foes
This is the 5th meeting of the Isles and Philadelphia in the playoffs (Isles are 2-3 and have won 15 of 32 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 won series 4-3

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 now won 29 playoff series as a General Manager, passing Bill Torrey for second place on the all-time list. Glen Sather has 41 wins.

Overtime is Our Time
The Isles are 35-20 (.636) all-time in overtime, including 19-11 (.633) at home. Both percentages are 2nd-best (to Tampa Bay) in NHL history. The Isles are 1-3 in overtime this season; they have gone 6-7 in thirteen overtime games since 2015.

Overtime vs. Philadelphia
The Isles are 3-4 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
9/1/20 @(Tor) Scott Laughton L Phil     12:20
9/3/20 Vs(Tor) Ivan Provorov L Phil     35:03

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 
Game 5: Led: 14:25, Tied 38:54, Trailed: 19:01
Game 6: Led: 20:38, Tied: 63:17, Trailed: 11:08
Game 7: Led: 50:33, Tied 9:27, Trailed: 0:00
Series:   Led: 180:45, Tied: 190:22,  Trailed: 98:57 

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 159-129 in 288 all-time playoff games.  They are 89-48 at home (including 2-5 at Barclays and 5-2 in Toronto) and 70-81 on the road. In this year's playoffs, the Isles are 5-2 when they are the home team and 6-3 when they are the road team (6-3 in Toronto and 0-0 in Edmonton).

A Winning Summer
With a record of 11-5 in the playoffs, the Isles are guaranteed to win more games than they lost for the first time in the post-Cup era.  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 136 playoff games (70-67).  His 70 wins are 15th all time.  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 15
Jack Capuano 10
Terry Simpson 9
Peter Laviolette 4
Ted Nolan 1
Steve Stirling 1

Most playoff games coached (Islanders):
Al Arbour 198
Barry Trotz 24
Jack Capuano 24
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 (2-4)
Peter Laviolette 0 (0-1)
Steve Stirling 0 (0-1)

Most game 7 wins/game seven record)
Al Arbour 4 (2-2)
Terry Simpson 2 (1-1)
Barry Trotz 1 (1-0)
Jack Capuano 1 (0-1)
Peter Laviolette 0 (0-1)

Most playoff series wins:
Al Arbour 29
Barry Trotz 4
Jack Capuano 1
Terry Simpson 1

First Things First
The Isles are 7-2 when scoring first and are 4-3 when allowing the first goal in the playoffs.

The Shots
Isles           10-9-7=26
Philadelphia    6-3-7=16

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
Game 5: Isles 32, Philadelphia 32
Game 6: Isles 53, Philadelphia 31
Game 7: Isles 26, Philadelphia 16
Series: Isles 236, Philadelphia 204
Vs. Florida: Isles 122, Florida 103
Vs. Washington: Isles 136, Washington 124
Playoffs: Isles 494, Opponents 431

The Isles are 7-2 when they outshoot their opponents, 2-2 when the shots are even and 2-1 when they are outshot. 

In the Nets
Thomas Greiss made 16 saves and improves to 2-1 in this year's playoffs and 7-7 in his career. 
Carter Hart made 22 saves but falls to 9-5 in the playoffs (all this year).

Power Plays
The Isles were 0-4 on the power play in 8:00 of PP time; Philadelphia was 0-2 on the power play in 4:00 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)
Game 5: Isles 1-4 (7:12, 4 shots), Philadelphia 0-2 (3:27, 2 shots)
Game 6: Isles 1-6 (10:24, 11 shots), Philadelphia 0-4 (6:42, 1 shot)
Game 7: Isles 0-4 (8:00, 3 shots), Philadelphia 0-2 (4:00, 1 shot)
Series: Isles 4-21 (37:06, 33 shots), Philadelphia 0-13 (24:09, 11 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: 10-56 (97:27, 77 shots), Penalty Kill 8-45 (65:57, 52 shots)

Three is a Magic Number
The Isles are 9-3 in the playoffs (9-0 in regulation and 0-3 in overtime) when they score at least three goals and 2-2 when they do not. 

Shutting the Door
The Isles are 11-0 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 3-5 in the playoffs in one-goal games (2-2 in regulation and 1-3 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: Ryan Pulock (23:41);  Philadelphia: Ivan Provorov (24:02)
Mathew Barzal led Isles forwards with 18:11 of ice-time 
Isles record by ice-time leader: Adam Pelech (6-1), Mathew Barzal (2-1), Nick Leddy (1-1), Ryan Pulock (1-1), Scott Mayfield (1-0),  Devon Toews (0-1).

Face-offs
Isles 21, Philadelphia 30 (41%).

JG Pageau won 7 of 11 for the Isles; Nate Thompson won 7 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%) 
Game 5: Isles 28, Philadelphia 34 (45%)
Game 6: Isles 34, Philadelphia 44 (44%)
Game 7: Isles 21, Philadelphia 30 (41%)
Series: Isles 198, Philadelphia 216 (48%)
Vs. Florida:  Isles 106, Florida 127 (45%)
Vs. Washington: Isles 156, Washington 122 (56%)
Playoffs: Isles 460, Opponents 465 (50%)

Hit Count
Isles 37 (Matt Martin and JG Pageau - 7)
Philadelphia 41 (Scott Laughton and Kevin Hayes -6)

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
Game 5: Isles 56, Philadelphia 53
Game 6: Isles 73, Philadelphia 64
Game 7: Isles 37, Philadelphia 41
Series: Isles 310, Philadelphia 290
Vs. Florida:  Isles 128, Florida 124
Series: Isles 194, Washington 177
Playoffs: Isles 632, Opponents 591

Fights
JG Pageau fought Scott Laughton in the 3rd period. Playoff total -2  (Lee -1, Pageau -1)

Blocked Shots
Isles 22 (Ryan Pulock -4)
Philadelphia 17 (Matt Niskanen and Justin Braun -3)

For the Analytics Crowd 
Corsi: All situations: Isles 55, Philadelphia 49 
Corsi: 5-on-5 Isles 43, Philadelphia 37

5-on-5 leaders:
Isles:  Andy Greene and Brock Nelson +9
Philadelphia: Sean Couturier +12

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
Game 5 (All) Isles 60, Philadelphia 79;  (5-on-5) Isles 51, Philadelphia 71
Game 6 (All) Isles 107, Philadelphia 75;  (5-on-5) Isles 86, Philadelphia 64
Game 7 (All) Isles 55, Philadelphia 49;  (5-on-5) Isles 43, Philadelphia 47
Series: (All) Isles 453, Philadelphia 454;  (5-on-5) Isles 382, Philadelphia 412
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 939, Opponent 970; (5-on-5) Isles 746, Opponent 792

Scratches
Leo Komorov, 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
Scott Laughton – Game 5 vs. Philadelphia (9/1/20) – 12:20 of OT
Ivan Provorov – Game 6 vs. Philadelphia (9/3/20) – 35:03 of OT

Islander Playoff Challenges
None

Active Islander Playoff Leaders: (As NYI)
Games:
Casey Cizikas 48
Matt Martin 48
Josh Bailey 46
Nick Leddy 42
Brock Nelson 42

Goals:
Brock Nelson 14
Josh Bailey 10
Anthony Beauvillier 9
Anders Lee 8
Jordan Eberle 7
JG Pageau 7
Mathew Barzal 7
Cal Clutterbuck 5
Matt Martin 5

Assists:
Josh Bailey 24
Mathew Barzal 13
Jordan Eberle 13
Brock Nelson 12
Devon Toews 11
Ryan Pulock 10
Nick Leddy 10


Points:
Josh Bailey 34
Brock Nelson 26
Mathew Barzal 20
Jordan Eberle 20
Nick Leddy 14
Anthony Beauvillier 14

Penalty Minutes:
Matt Martin 48
Cal Clutterbuck 44
Casey Cizikas 42

PP Goals
Mathew Barzal 3
Anders Lee 3
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 4
Anthony Beauvillier 3
Jordan Eberle 2
Josh Bailey 2
Thomas Hickey 1
Mathew Barzal 1
Leo Komarov 1
Andy Greene 1
Scott Mayfield 1

OT Goals 
Josh Bailey 1
Mathew Barzal 1
Thomas Hickey 1

Goaltending
Thomas Greiss  7-7  2.24 GAA, .926 save percentage
Semyon Varlamov 9-4 2.00 GAA, .921 save percentage

Up Next
CONFERENCE FINALS - GAME 1 – MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7th – 8:00pm 
ISLANDERS VS.  TAMPA BAY (AT EDMONTON)  
[NBC, 88.7 WRHU-FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN-Radio; 30-minute pre-game and expanded post-game on MSG+]

The Islanders were in Alberta when the season was suspended in March, but they now head back to Edmonton with a chance to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 36 years.

The Isles will face Tampa Bay in the Conference Final. It will be the third playoff meeting between the teams, with the Lightning earning victories in five games in both 2004 and 2016.

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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