The Skinny: Tampa Bay 4, Isles 1

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Eastern Conference Final Game 4

Tampa Bay 4, Isles 1

Tampa Bay leads best-of-7 series, 3-1

Blake Coleman and Ondrej Palat scored goals 12 second apart, just after Brock Nelson gave the Isles the lead as the Tampa Bay Lightning grabbed a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference Final with a 4-1 win over the Islanders in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final at Rogers Place in Edmonton.  

Josh Bailey earned an assist on Nelson's goal to temporarily give him the NHL lead with 18 assists; however, Nikita Kucherov earned assists on goals from Palat and from Brayden Point to pass Bailey.

Game 5 is scheduled for 8:00 Eastern Time Tuesday on NBCSN.

The Scoring: 

1st Period

No Goals

2nd Period

Brock Nelson (9) Josh Bailey (18) 11:27 TBL 0,NYI 1

Blake Coleman (4) Yanni Gourde (6), Andrei Vasilevskiy (1) 11:42 TBL 1,NYI 1

Ondrej Palat (8) Nikita Kucherov (18), Brayden Point (16) 11:54 TBL 2,NYI 1

3rd Period

Brayden Point (9) Ondrej Palat (5), Nikita Kucherov (19) 03:33 TBL 3,NYI 1

Pat Maroon (1)EN Yanni Gourde (7), Cedric Paquette (2) 17:36 TBL 4,NYI 1

The Series (Tampa Bay leads, 3-1)

Game 1: Tampa Bay 8, Isles 2

Game 2: Tampa Bay 2, Isles 1

Game 3: Isles 5, Tampa Bay 3

Game 4: Tampa Bay 4, Isles 1

Game 5: Tuesday, 8pm (NBCSN)

Game 6: (if needed) Thursday, 8pm (NBCSN)

Game 7: (if needed) Saturday, 7:30pm (NBC)

The Skinny 

The Isles have been outscored 8-3 by Tampa Bay in the third period; the Isles still lead the NHL with 25 third period goals. …Nick Leddy played his 46th playoff game as an Islander without being penalized, extending his own club record … Matt Martin had six hits; he leads the playoffs with 96 hits (9 more than Ryan Reaves and 10 more than Jamie Oleksiak).  Only eight NHLers have recorded 100 hits in a post-season…Nikita Kucherov recorded his 25th multi-point game, breaking Martin St. Louis' club record; Kucherov and Brayden Point are now tied for the scoring lead in this year's playoffs (25) with Nathan McKinnon... Nine of Kucherov's points (2-7-9) have come in this series…Josh Bailey joined Ray Ferraro as the only Islanders outside of the Dynasty era to record 20 points in a playoff year.. Pat Maroon's empty-net goal was the first against the Isles this summer; the Isles have scored an NHL-leading seven empty-net goals.

The Injury

Brayden Point did not play in the final 9 minutes after a collision with Adam Pelech. Point also left game 2 and  missed game 3 with an injury

That Was Fast

Brock Nelson had the game's first goal, but the Isles' lead lasted only 15 seconds.  Twelve seconds later the Isles were behind. 

• The three goals by both team in 27 seconds tied the 3rd-fastest three goals in Stanley Cup history:

o 21 seconds- Chicago vs. Edmonton in 1985

o 23 seconds – Toronto vs. Atlanta in 1978

o 27 seconds – Phoenix vs. Detroit in 1998

o 27 seconds -  Isles vs Tampa Bay in 2020.

• Tampa's two in 12 seconds are the fastest two for the Lightning in a playoff game, breaking a record of fifteen seconds that was sent 18 days ago vs. Boston.

• They were the 2nd-fastest two goals allowed by the Isles; Montreal scored two in nine seconds on 5/24/1993.

A Special Summer

The Isles have won 12 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 -12

This was the 20th game the Isles have played this summer; they will tie the club record of 21 with game 5 on Tuesday:

• 1980 – 21

• 1984 – 21

• 2020 – 20

• 1983 – 20

• 1982 – 19

• 1981 – 19

• 1993 - 18 

• 1975 – 17 

Matt Joins the Club

Matt Martin is only the 7th Islander in the last 27 years to score 5 goals in a playoff year.

• Anthony Beauvillier 9 (2020) 

• Brock Nelson 9 (2020)

• Jean-Gabriel Pageau 8 (2020)

• Anders Lee 7 (2020)

• John Tavares 6 (2016)

• Mathew Barzal 5 (2020)

• Matt Martin 5 (2020)

The Isles are the first team in this year's playoffs to have six players with at least five goals.

Pageau, Pageau, JG Pageau

JG Pageau has 20 goals in 55 career Stanley Cup games. Among active players who have played 55 or fewer games, only Jake Guentzel has scored more goals:

• Jake Guentzel 25 goals in 45 games

• JG Pageau 20 goals in 55 games

• Nathan MacKinnon 20 goals in 40 games

• David Pastrnak 20 goals in 52 games

• Bobby Ryan 19 goals in 50 games

• Mark Stone 17 goals in 52 games

• Jamie Benn 17 goals in 51 games

Pageau's 8 playoff goals this summer are tied-4th highest in a player's first playoff with the Isles:

• Ray Ferraro 13 (1993)

• Steve Thomas 9 (1993)

• Patrick Flatley 9 (1984)

• JG Pageau 8 (2020)

• JP Parise 8 (1975)

All eight of JG's goals have come at even-strength, tying him for 5th in even-strength goals in a single post-season:

• Mike Bossy 11 (1982)

• Mike Bossy 11 (1983)

• Bob Nystrom 9 (1980)

• Clark Gillies 9  (1984)

• Jean-Gabriel Pageau  8 (2020) 

• Ray Ferraro 8 (1993

• Steve Thomas 8 (1993)

• Patrick Flatley 8 (1984)

• Mike Bossy 8 (1981)

Lucky 13

Scott Mayfield was EVEN and remains +13.

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.

Mayfield is one of only six players in NHL +13 or better (Victor Hedman +16, Nikita Kucherov +14, Nathan McKinnon +13, Ondrej Palat +13, Brayden Point +13)

Now's the Time, Nine and Nine

Anthony Beauvillier and Brock Nelson each have nine goals this summer, leaving him tied-second in goals by an Islander in a single post-season in the Post-Cup Era.

• Ray Ferraro 13 (1993)

• Brock Nelson 9 (2020)

• Anthony Beauvillier 9 (2020) 

• Steve Thomas 9 (1993)

• JG Pageau 8 (2020)

• Bryan Trottier 8 (1987)

• Anders Lee 7 (2020)

Hey, Josh Bailey

Josh Bailey now has eighteen 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 18 (2020) 

• Derek King 11 (1993)

• Mathew Barzal 10 (2020)

• Jordan Eberle 9 (2020)

• Brock Nelson 9 (2020)

• Ryan Pulock 8 (2020)

• Devon Toews 8 (2020)

• Steve Thomas 8 (1993)

• Pat LaFontaine 8 (1987)

• John Tonelli 8 (1985)

Islander Royalty

Bailey has six multi-assist games this year, joining this list of Islander Royalty:

• Bryan Trottier 7 (1982)

• Denis Potvin 6 (1981)

• Josh Bailey 6 (2020)

Bailey also is the first non-Dynasty Islander with 17 assists in a playoff year:

• Bryan Trottier 23(1982)

• Bob Bourne 20 (1983)

• Josh Bailey 18 (2020)

• Mike Bossy 18 (1981)

• Bryan Trottier 18 (1981)

Hey, Josh Bailey II

Bailey now has 20 points this summer, tying Ray Ferraro for the highest total by an Islander in a single post-season in the Post-Cup Era.

• Ray Ferraro 20 (1993)

• Josh Bailey 20 (2020) 

• Brock Nelson 18 (2020) 

• Steve Thomas 17 (1993)

• Mathew Barzal 15 (2020)

• Derek King 14 (1993)

Thanks for the Help

Ryan Pulock and Devon Toews each have eight assists this summer, the most by an Islander defenseman in a single post-season in the Post-Cup Era.

• Ryan Pulock 8 (2020) 

• Devon Toews 8 (2020)

• Roman Hamrlik 6 (2002)

• Dennis Vaske 6 (1993)

• Vladimir Malakhov 6 (1993)

Brock Best

Brock Nelson now has 15 playoff goals for the Islanders, more than any Isles in the 2000s:

• Brock Nelson 16

• John Tavares 11

• Josh Bailey 10

• Anthony Beauvillier 10

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).

Facing Tampa

This is the 3rd meeting of the Isles and Tampa Bay in the playoffs; the Lightning have won the two previous series (2004 Conference Quarter-Final and 2016 Round 2), each in five games.  

Barry and Al

2019 NHL Coach of the Year 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

2020 Jim Gregory Award winner Lou Lamoriello has 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. Tampa Bay

The Isles are 0-3 all-time in playoff overtime games vs. Tampa Bay:

• 04/16/04 @ Martin St. Louis L TB 00:04:07

• 05/03/16 Vs Brian Boyle L TB 00:02:48 (Brooklyn)

• 05/06/16 Vs Jason Garrison L TB 00:01:34 (Brooklyn)

Lead/Tie/Trailed

Game 1: Led: 0:00, Tied: 4:53, Trailed: 55:07 

Game 2: Led: 17:01, Tied:42:50, Trailed: 0:09

Game 3: Led 27:12, Tied: 32:48, Trailed: 0:00

Game 4: Led 0:15, Tied 31:39, Trailed: 28:06

Series:    Led: 44:28, Tied:112:10, Trailed: 83:22

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

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

Vs. Philadelphia:   Led: 180:45, Tied: 190:22,  Trailed: 98:57 

Playoffs All-Time

The Isles fall to 160-132 in 292 all-time playoff games.  They are 90-49 at home (including 2-5 at Barclays, 5-2 in Toronto and 1-1 in Edmonton) and 70-83 on the road. In this year's playoffs, the Isles are 6-2 when they are the home team (5-2 in Toronto and 1-0 in Edmonton) and 6-5 when they are the road team (6-3 in Toronto and 0-2 in Edmonton).

A Winning Summer

With a record of 12-8 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 also 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 141 playoff games (71-70).  His 141 games are 13th (2 behind Peter Laviolette) while his 71 wins are 15th all time (4 behind Laviolette).  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 16

• 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 28

• 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 8-4 when scoring first and are 4-4 when allowing the first goal in the playoffs.

The Shots

Isles          5-12-10=27

Tampa Bay   11-14-11=36

Shots by Game

• Game 1: Isles 25, Tampa Bay 34

• Game 2: Isles 28, Tampa Bay 21

• Game 3: Isles 36, Tampa Bay 37

• Game 4: Isles 27, Tampa Bay 36

• Series:  Isles 116, Tampa Bay 128

•

• Vs. Florida: Isles 122, Florida 103

• Vs. Washington: Isles 136, Washington 124

• Vs. Philadelphia: Isles 236, Philadelphia 204

• Playoffs: Isles 610, Opponents 559

The Isles are 7-3 when they outshoot their opponents, 2-2 when the shots are even and 3-3 when they are outshot. 

In the Nets

Semyon Varlamov made 32 saves but falls to 10-6 in this year's playoffs and 23-19 in his career. 

Andrei Vasilevskiy made 26 saves to improve to 13-4 in this year's playoffs and 28-19 in his career.

Power Plays

The Isles were 0-3 on the power play in 5:43 of PP time; Tampa Bay was also  0-3 on the power play in 5:43 of PP time.

Power Plays by Game

• Game 1: Isles 1-5 (9:44, 10 shots), Tampa Bay 3-6 (7:07,12 shots)

• Game 2: Isles 0-4 (10:22, 13 shots), Tampa Bay 0-3 (6:00, 4 shots)

• Game 3: Isles 0-2 (4:00, 2 shots), Tampa Bay 1-1 (0:39, 1 shot)

• Game 4: Isles 0-3 (5:43,4 shots), Tampa Bay 0-3 (5:43, 8 shots)

• Series: Isles 1-14 (29:49, 29 shots), Tampa Bay 4-13 (19:29, 25 shots)

•  

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

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

• Vs. Philadelphia: Isles 4-21 (37:06, 33 shots), Philadelphia 0-13 (24:09, 11 shots)

• Playoffs:  Power Play: 11-73 (127:16, 106 shots), Penalty Kill 12-59 (85:26, 77 shots)

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 10-3 in the playoffs (10-0 in regulation and 0-3 in overtime) when they score at least three goals and 2-5 when they do not. 

Shutting the Door

The Isles are 11-1 when allowing two or fewer goals in this year's playoffs.  

One Goal Games

The Isles are 3-6 in the playoffs in one-goal games (2-3 in regulation and 1-3 in overtime). The Isles are 1-0 in playoff games where an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Adam Pelech (23:14);  Tampa Bay: Victor Hedman (29:11)

Mathew Barzal led Isles forwards with 22:40 of ice-time 

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

Face-offs

Isles 21, Tampa Bay 34 (38%)  

Derick Brassard won 3 of 5 for the Isles; Tyler Johnson won 6 of 8 for Tampa Bay.  

Face-offs by Game

• Game 1: Isles 28, Tampa Bay 26 (52%)

• Game 2: Isles 30, Tampa Bay 24 (56%)

• Game 3: Isles 27, Tampa Bay 38 (42%)  

• Game 4: Isles 21, Tampa Bay 34 (38%)  

• Series: Isles 106, Tampa Bay 122 (46%)

•

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

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

• Vs. Tampa Bay: Isles 198, Philadelphia 216 (48%)

• Playoffs: Isles 564, Opponents 587 (49%)

Hit Count

Isles 48 (Adam Pelech and Matt Martin -6)

Tampa Bay 48 (Cedric Paquette -7)

Hits Game by Game:

• Game 1: Isles 44, Tampa Bay 34

• Game 2: Isles 53, Tampa Bay 44

• Game 3: Isles 44, Tampa Bay 62

• Game 4: Isles 48, Tampa Bay 48

• Series: Isles 189, Tampa Bay 188

•

• Vs. Florida:  Isles 128, Florida 124

• Vs. Washington: Isles 194, Washington 177

• Vs. Philadelphia: Isles 310, Philadelphia 290

• Playoffs: Isles 821, Opponents 779

Fights

There were no fights. Playoff total -4  (Lee -1, Pageau -1, Martin 2)

Blocked Shots

Isles 17 (Andy Greene -3)

Tampa Bay 17 (Ryan McDonagh-4)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 58, Tampa Bay 61 

Corsi: 5-on-5 Isles 47, Tampa Bay 42

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  Anders Lee +10

Tampa Bay: Ondrej Palat +8

Corsi Game by Game:

• Game 1 (All) Isles 43, Tampa Bay 47;  (5-on-5) Isles 24, Tampa Bay 28

• Game 2 (All) Isles 59, Tampa Bay 49;  (5-on-5) Isles 33, Tampa Bay 38

• Game 3 (All) Isles 58, Tampa Bay 77;  (5-on-5) Isles 48, Tampa Bay 69

• Game 4 (All) Isles 58, Tampa Bay 61;  (5-on-5) Isles 47, Tampa Bay 42

• Series: (All) Isles 218, Tampa Bay 234;  (5-on-5) Isles 152, Tampa Bay 177

• 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

• Series: (All) Isles 453, Philadelphia 454;  (5-on-5) Isles 382, Philadelphia 412

• Playoffs (All)  Isles 1157, Opponent 1204; (5-on-5) Isles 898, Opponent 969

Scratches

(Casey Cizikas -left bubble, Tom Kuhnhackl -left bubble), Andrew Ladd, Michael Dal Colle, Johnny Boychuk, Noah Dobson, Otto Koivula, Thomas Hickey, Sebastian Aho, Christopher Gibson

Playoff games lost: 8. 

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

• Nikita Kucherov – Game 2 vs Tampa Bay (9/9/20) – 19:51 of 3rd

Playoff Challenges

None

Active Islander Playoff Leaders: (As NYI)

Games:

Matt Martin 52

Josh Bailey 50

Casey Cizikas 50

Nick Leddy 46

Brock Nelson 46

Consecutive Games

Matt Martin 52

Nick Leddy 46

Brock Nelson 41

Goals:

Brock Nelson 16

Josh Bailey 10

Anthony Beauvillier 10

Anders Lee 8

Jordan Eberle 8

JG Pageau 8

Mathew Barzal 7

Matt Martin 6

Cal Clutterbuck 6

Nick Leddy 5

Assists:

Josh Bailey 27

Mathew Barzal 15

Jordan Eberle 14

Brock Nelson 13

Devon Toews 12

Nick Leddy 11

Ryan Pulock 11

Points:

Josh Bailey 37

Brock Nelson 27

Jordan Eberle 22

Mathew Barzal 22

Nick Leddy 16

Anthony Beauvillier 16

Anders Lee 14

Penalty Minutes:

Matt Martin 66

Cal Clutterbuck 56

Casey Cizikas 42

PP Goals

Mathew Barzal 3

Anders Lee 3

Josh Bailey 2

Anthony Beauvillier 2

Jordan Eberle 2

Brock Nelson 2 

Ryan Pulock 2

Devon Toews 1

Nick Leddy 1

SH Goals

Josh Bailey 1

 

GW Goals

Brock Nelson 5

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  7-8  2.41 GAA, .921 save percentage

Semyon Varlamov 10-6 2.26 GAA, .914 save percentage

Up Next

CONFERENCE FINALS - GAME 5 – TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15th – 8:00pm 

ISLANDERS VS. TAMPA BAY (AT EDMONTON)  

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

The Islanders will look to stave off elimination as they play game 5 in Edmonton.

The Isles are 27-21 all-time when facing elimination, including 1-0 this year (Game 7 vs. Philadelphia).

The Lightning are 8-0 all-time when leading a series 3-1; the Isles are 2-12 all-time when dropping two of the first 3 inf a best-of-7.  The two Islander series wins when trailing 1-3 were in 1975 vs. Pittsburgh and 1987 vs. Washington (0-7 since beating the Caps, including 0-2 vs. Tampa Bay).  

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