The Skinny: Isles 7, Boston 2

"The Skinny"         

By Eric Hornick

Game 19

Isles 7, Boston 2

Anthony Beauvillier stole a puck for the go-ahead goal 5:41 into the third period and that opened the floodgates.  Four different teammates scored in a 5:48 span as the Isles scored five goals in a period for the first time in over three years as they defeated the Boston Bruins 7-2 at the Nassau Coliseum.

Semyon Varlamov made 34 saves for his 9th win of the season and earned his first assist as an Isle while leading the team to a home win over Boston for the third time in 39 days.

The Scoring:

1st Period

Nick Ritchie (7) Jakub Zboril (3), Charlie Coyle (3) 01:02 BOS 1,NYI 0

Adam Pelech (1) 03:16 BOS 1,NYI 1

Mathew Barzal (7) Nick Leddy (10), Semyon Varlamov (1) 12:39 BOS 1,NYI 2

2nd Period

Craig Smith (4) Jake DeBrusk (3), Urho Vaakanainen (2) 11:36 BOS 2,NYI 2

3rd Period

Anthony Beauvillier (1) 05:41 BOS 2,NYI 3

Jordan Eberle (8) Mathew Barzal (10), Anders Lee (4) 10:45 BOS 2,NYI 4

Jean-Gabriel Pageau (8) Adam Pelech (4) 12:24 BOS 2,NYI 5 SHG

Anders Lee (9) Noah Dobson (7), Nick Leddy (11) 14:44 BOS 2,NYI 6

Oliver Wahlstrom (2) Ryan Pulock (8), Casey Cizikas (3) 16:33 BOS 2,NYI 7

The Skinny        

The Isles have points in ten of their last 12 games (7-2-3); they are 6-0-2 against everyone but Pittsburgh in that stretch… The Isles improve to 7-2-1 in February… Austin Czarnik was replaced in the lineup by Leo Komarov …Anders Lee regained the club lead in goals (9) after Jordan Eberle and Jean-Gabriel Pageau had tied him for the team lead moments earlier…JG Pageau has four goals, including two shorties, in three games vs. Boston this season.  With 97-99-196 career totals, he is closing in on 100-100-200… Nick Leddy's two assists gives him the team lead with 11…Casey Cizikas was credited with his 100th career assist on Adam Pelech's goal, had it taken away in a scoring change, and then assisted on Wahlstrom's goal to reach 100 again…Pelech's goal was his first since November 7, 2019 while Anthony Beauvillier's goal was his first in 20 regular season games (February 17, 2020 vs. Arizona)….The Bruins are 0-3-0 at the Coliseum and 6-0-2 in their other road games… The Isles' five goals in the third period was more than they had scored in any game this season…The Isles held David Pastrnak off the board; he has 0 points in two games against the Isles and 14 points in his other eight games this season…The Isles have outscored the Bruins 8-0 in the third period this season, and are +12 (22-10) in the third period overall…Jaroslav Halak, making his first start against the Isles since leaving the team in 2017, saw his goals against rise from 1.66 at the start of the game to 1.79 at the start of the third period to 2.42 at game's end…Since the start of the 2014-15 season, JG Pageau has scored 15 shorthanded goals, which is tied with Brad Marchand for the NHL lead in that period.

First Times in a Long Time

• The Isles scored five goals in a period for the first time under Barry Trotz, for the first time since February 9, 2018 (3rd pd in Brooklyn vs. Detroit), for the first time against Boston since January 5, 1989 (at the old Boston Garden), and for the first time in a Coliseum 3rd period since January 28, 1986 vs. Toronto.

• The Isles scored 7 goals in a game for the first time since scoring eight goals vs. Detroit on January 14, 2020 and for the first time against Boston since scoring eight goals on January 3, 2003. 

• Jaroslav Halak faced the Islanders for the first time since January 25, 2014 while he was a member of the St. Louis Blues.  (It is the second-longest gap between goalie appearances against the Isles; Mike Mc Kenna went over nine years between starts against the Isles.)

The Injury

Cal Clutterbuck left the game after the first period. He did not return.

Home Sweet Home

The Isles have earned points in their first seven home games (6-0-1).  The 13 points are the most in the first seven games since 1982-83, when they opened 7-0-0.  The Isles, who are the only team in the NHL without a regulation loss at home, can match the best eight-game start in franchise history with a win on Saturday.

Most Points at Home Through 7 Games

• 14 1982-83 (7-0-0)

• 13 2020-21 (6-0-1)

• 13 1978-79 (6-0-1)

Longest Home Point Streak to Open a Season

• 23 1978-79 (19-0-4)

• 10 2017-18 (8-0-2)

• 8 1976-77 (6-0-2)

• 7 2020-21 (6-0-1)

• 7 1982-83 (7-0-0)

Lots of Home Cooking

The Isles are in a stretch where they are playing nine out of 10 at home.  The Isles are 2-0-0 in this stretch:

• W BUF 3-2

• W BOS 7-2

19 in 33

Today marked the beginning of a 33-day stretch in which the Isles will play 19 games. It is the first time in franchise history that the Isles will play 19 games in 33 days.  The Isles are 1-0-0 in this stretch.

Home and Road

The Isles are 10-6-3 overall; they are 6-0-1 at home and 4-6-2 on the road.

Boston is 11-4-2 overall; they are 5-1-0 at home and 6-3-2 on the road.

Coach Trotz

Barry Trotz is second among active coaches, trailing only Joel Quenneville, in both wins and games. Trotz' NHL record is 855-624-60-154 in 1,693 games. 

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  937

3. Barry Trotz    855

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman   2,141

2. Joel Quenneville 1,723

3. Barry Trotz        1,693

Sweet Lou

Lou Lamoriello is the third-winningest general manager in NHL history:

1. David Poile 1,423

2. Glen Sather 1,319

3. Lou Lamoriello 1,304

It All Starts at the Top

Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz have 2,159 wins between them.  They start each game with more than any other pair in NHL history (David Poile and Peter Laviolette had 2,036 after their last game together).   Bill Torrey and Al Arbour had a then-record 1,462 at the end of the 1991-92 season, which was their last season together.  

First Things First

The Isles are 7-1-1 when scoring first and are 3-5-2 when allowing the opening goal. 

The Shots

Isles    10-9-18=37

Boston  15-13-8=36

The Isles are 8-2-2 when they outshoot their opponents, 1-0-0 when the shots are even and 2-3-1 when they are outshot.  Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 56-28-11 when outshot. 

In the Nets

Semyon Varlamov made 34 saves to improve to 9-4-2 on the season and 9-5-3 in his career against Boston.

Jaroslav Halak made 30 saves but falls to 4-2-1 on the season and 7-2-1 in his career against the Isles. 

Special Teams

The Isles were 0-2 on the power play (4:00); Boston was 0-2 on the power play (4:00) and allowed a shorthanded goal to JG Pageau.

The Isles are 6-2-2 when they score at least one power play goal and 4-4-1 when they do not.  The Isles are 2-5-1 when they allow at least one power play goal and 8-1-2 when they do not.

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 8-1-2 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 2-5-1 when they do not.  Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 75-6-9 when scoring three or more.

One-Goal Games

The Isles are 3-2-3 in games decided by a single goal including 3-2 in regulation. They are 0-2 in games decided in overtime and are 0-1 in shootouts.  The Isles are 0-0 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.

Back-to-Backs

The Isles are 1-0-1 in the front-half and 1-0-1 in the back-half. The next back-to-back is scheduled for February 27th/28th, both home games with Pittsburgh.

Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 18-2-3 in back-ends.

Series

The schedule as currently comprised has the Isles playing the same opponent in consecutive games seventeen times this season (including three-game stretches vs. the Sabres and Devils in early March, vs the Flyers in late March and vs. the Caps in late April).  The Isles are 3-2-1 in the first game and 1-4-1 in the second game:

NYR (W/L); NJ (W/L); WAS (L/L); PHI (Lot/Lot), BUF(W/W), PIT (L/L)

Tired vs. Rested 

• The Isles are 1-0-1 when both teams played the night before. 

• The Isles are 1-0-0 when they are rested, and their opponents are not. 

• The Isles are 0-0-0 when their opponents are rested, and the Isles are not.

• The Isles are 8-6-2 when both teams are rested. 

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Nick Leddy (22:09); Boston: John Moore (20:42)

Josh Bailey led Isles forwards with 19:57 of ice-time. 

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Nick Leddy (4-1-0), Ryan Pulock (5-3-2), Scott Mayfield (0-1-0), Mathew Barzal (0-1-1), Adam Pelech (1-0-0).

Face-offs

Isles 23, Boston 26 (47%)

Brock Nelson won 8 of 13 for the Isles; Patrice Bergeron won 11 of 18 for Boston .

The Isles are 7-4-1 when they win more face-offs than the opposition, 0-1-1 when they are tied, and 3-1-1 when they win fewer.

Hit Count

Isles 26 (Leo Komarov and Casey Cizikas -4)

Boston 24 (Anders Bjork -7)

Fights 

There were no fights.  Season total: 1 (Cizikas – 1)

 

Blocked Shots

Isles 8 (Scott Mayfield - 2)

Boston 16 (Three with 2)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 59, Boston 55

Corsi: 5-on-5 Isles 48, Boston 49

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  Anders Lee +6

Boston: Two with +6 

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)

All situations: Isles 16, Boston 14

5-on-5: Isles 13, Boston 13

Scratches

Ross Johnston, Sebastian Aho, Cory Schneider, (Michael Dal Colle – INJ)

Games Lost: 17

250-Game Club

The Isles have three players who have active consecutive game streaks of at least 250 games, and they are three of just 16 players in the NHL whose streak began no later than the start of the 2017-18 season.   

Ironman Streaks: Anders Lee 287, Brock Nelson 264, Mathew Barzal 251, Ryan Pulock 214, Josh Bailey 172.  All five players have appeared in every game since Barry Trotz became the Isles' coach.

Iron Man

Anders Lee has passed Matt Moulson for the third-longest consecutive game streak in club history while Brock Nelson has tied Denis Potvin for 5th place.  Mathew Barzal has also moved into the top seven; it is the first time in club history that three different Isles have had concurrent streaks of at least 240 games:

1. Billy Harris 10/7/1972 -11/30/1979 576 (*)

2. Bobby Nystrom 1/7/1975 - 11/25/1978 301

3. Anders Lee 1/26/2017 – CURRENT 287

4. Matt Moulson 10/3/2009 - 4/4/2013 284

5. Brock Nelson 3/16/2017 – CURRENT 264

6. Denis Potvin 11/29/1975 - 1/17/1979 262

7. Mathew Barzal 10/6/2017- CURRENT 251

8. John Tavares 10/16/2010 - 12/23/2013 246

9. J.P. Parise 1/7/1975 – 1/7/1978 240 (**)

10. Richard Park 10/5/2006 - 2/18/2009 221

 (*) Start of NHL career.

(**) Entire career with Islanders

Iron D

Ryan Pulock has become the third Islander defensemen to play in 210 consecutive games: 

1. Denis Potvin 11/29/1975-1/17/1979 262

2. Bryan McCabe 10/7/1995-2/4/1998 220 (*) (**)

3. Ryan Pulock 12/29/2017 – CURRENT 214

 (*) Start of NHL career.

(**) Entire career with Islanders

Challenges

Isles: 1 successful, 0 failures 

The Isles are 1-0-0 in games that they are successful and 0-0-0 in games that they are unsuccessful.(offsides 2/16 @BUF)

Opponents: 1 successful, 0 failure (goalie interference 1/14 @ NYR)

The Isles are 0-0-0 in games where opponents' challenges go their way and 1-0-0 in games that go the opponents' way.

Last Minute Heroes:

The Isles have scored 1 goal and allowed 2 goals in the final three minutes of the third period that were either the winning goal or forced overtime:

For: 1 [Anders Lee, 2/6/21 vs PIT (17:14) -winning goal]

Vs:  2 [Justin Schultz, 1/26/21 @ WSH (19:33)-winning goal; Evgeni Malkin, 2/11/21 vs PIT (19:42) – tying goal/PIT won in OT]

All-time Islander Leader Boards:

Games Played (skaters)

1. Bryan Trottier 1,123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1,060 *** 3. Bob Nystrom 900 *** 4. Josh Bailey 884…

17. John Tonelli 594 *** 18. Matt Martin 579 *** 19. Brock Nelson 567 *** 20. Casey Cizikas 553 …

28. Dave Lewis 514. *** 29. Anders Lee 512 *** 30. Richard Pilon and Mick Vukota 509*** 32. Cal Clutterbuck 497

Goals

1. Mike Bossy 573 *** 2. Bryan Trottier 500 *** 3. Denis Potvin 310 …

12. Billy Harris 184 *** 13. Anders Lee 181 *** 14. Ziggy Palffy 168 *** 15. Patrick Flatley 160 *** 16. Josh Bailey and Brock Nelson 155

Assists

1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553…

6.  John Tonelli 338 *** 7. Josh Bailey 330 …

20. Ed Westfall 181 *** 21. Nick Leddy 179

Points

1. Bryan Trottier 1,353 *** 2. Mike Bossy 1,126 *** 3. Denis Potvin 1,052…

11. Derek King 499 *** 12. Patrick Flatley 488 *** 13. Josh Bailey 485…

20. Ziggy Palffy 331 ***  21. Anders Lee 314  *** 22.  Brock Nelson 303

Games Coached 

1. Al Arbour 1,500 *** 2. Jack Capuano 483 *** 3. Mike Milbury 192 *** 4. Terry Simpson 187 *** 5. Scott Gordon 181 *** 6. Barry Trotz 169

 

Coaching Wins

1. Al Arbour 740 *** 2. Jack Capuano 227 *** 3. Barry Trotz 93

On the Farm

Bridgeport is 2-4-0-0 on the season (1-1-0-0 vs. Hartford and 1-3-0-0 vs. Providence) following a come-from-behind 3-2 win over Providence on Thursday. Simon Holmstrom and Arnaud Durandeau scored third period goals for the Sound Tigers to turn the game around; Tanner Fritz also scored shorthanded for Bridgeport.  Bridgeport is off until next Thursday when they again play Providence in Marlborough, Massachusetts.

Season Series Stats

The Isles lead the season series 3 games to 0 (and 6 points to 0). The teams will meet again at the Coliseum on March 9th before the final four match-ups are played in Boston.

The Isles have defeated Boston three times in a season for the first time since 2006-07 (3-0-1); the club record is 4 wins against Boston in a regular season (2005-06).  It is the first time the Isles have ever defeated the Bruins three times at home in a season (the Bruins had not played three times at the Coliseum since 1973-74).   Overall, the Isles are 4-1-1 in their last six games with Boston.

The three home wins in the last 39 games over Boston match the Islander home wins against Boston between December 2009 and December 2020.

It is the first time since 2013 that the Isles have won three straight games from Boston and the first time that they have won three straight home games from Boston since a six-game streak between 2005 and 2007.

UP NEXT

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27th  – PITTSBURGH AT ISLANDERS 7:00pm

[MSG+ (pre-game at 6:30], WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN 1050]

The Isles conclude the homestand with a pair of games against the Pittsburgh Penguins.  It is the 5th and 6th meetings of the teams this month.  The Isles went 1-0-1 in a pair of Coliseum games early in the month and the Penguins swept a pair of games in Pittsburgh last weekend.

The teams will also play at 5:00pm on Sunday, in what could be the Penguins' last-ever visit to the Coliseum.

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