The Skinny: Boston 5, Isles 2

"The Skinny"  

By Eric Hornick

Second Round Game 1

Boston 5, Isles 2

Boston leads best-of-7 series, 1-0

David Pastrnak scored three times for his 2nd career playoff hat trick and Charlie McAvoy had the game winning goal in the third period as the Bruins captured Game 1 of their Second Round series with the Islanders with a 5-2 victory before a capacity crowd of 17,400 at TD Garden.

Anthony Beauvillier and Adam Pelech scored for the Islanders and that was enough for a 2-2 tie through 40 minutes.  However, the Bruins' Perfection Line combined for 19 shots on goals (nearly matching the Islanders' team total of 22) as the B's earned the win before the first full-capacity crowd of the year in Boston.

Game 2 of this series will be in Boston on Monday night.

The Scoring: 

1st Period

Anthony Beauvillier (4) Noah Dobson (3), Jordan Eberle (3) 11:48 NYI 1,BOS 0 PPG

David Pastrnak (3) David Krejci (3), Patrice Bergeron (3) 19:36 NYI 1,BOS 1 PPG

2nd Period

David Pastrnak (4) Patrice Bergeron (2), Brad Marchand (1) 11:08 NYI 1,BOS 2

Adam Pelech (1) Jordan Eberle (2), Leo Komarov (2) 12:34 NYI 2,BOS 2

3rd Period

Charlie McAvoy (1) David Krejci (5) 06:20 NYI 2,BOS 3

David Pastrnak (5) 15:50 NYI 2,BOS 4

Taylor Hall (3)EN David Krejci (2), Mike Reilly (3) 18:35 NYI 2,BOS 5 PPG

The Series (Boston leads series, 1-0)

Game 1: Boston 5, Isles 2

Game 2: Monday at Boston 7:30pm

Game 3: Thursday at Isles 7:30pm

Game 4: Saturday at Isles 7:15pm

Game 5: Monday June 7th at Boston (if needed)

Game 6: Wednesday June 9th at Isles (if needed) 

Game 7: Friday June 11th at Boston (if needed)

The Skinny 

The Isles are 5-3 in game 1's under Barry Trotz… The Isles were credited with 49 hits, giving them 321 hits through seven games … Ilya Sorokin suffered his first defeat (4-1) after becoming the first NHL rookie to win four straight since J-S Giguere won his first six games on the way to the Conn Smythe Trophy…Sorokin is the 6th goalie since expansion to make at least 188 saves in his first five playoff games … Barry Trotz coached his 150th playoff game, breaking a tie with Pat Burns for 11th place… The Isles have played 37 playoff games under Barry Trotz; only Boston (43), Dallas (40) and St. Louis (39) have played more…Anthony Beauvillier extended his goal streak to three games and his point streak to five games…After killing the Penguins' five power plays in games 1-2, the Isles have now allowed five goals in their last nine times short; Boston converted on both of their opportunities tonight.

The Injury

Craig Smith left the game during the second period with an upper body injury and did not return.

First Time in a Long Time

David Pastrnak's hat trick was the first against the Isles in a playoff game since Al Iafrate scored three times for Washington on April 26, 1993; Ray Ferraro scored four times in that same game for the most recent Islander hat trick.

Most Wins to Start Playoff Career 

• 6 JS Giguere (Anaheim 2003)

• 5 Mike Vernon (Calgary 1986)

• 5 Pete Peeters (Philadelphia 1980)

• 5 Gary Inness (Pittsburgh 1975)

• 5 Rogie Vachon (Montreal 1967)

• 5 Normie Smith (Detroit 1936)

• 5 Tiny Thompson (Boston 1929)

• 4 Ilya Sorokin (Isles 2021)

• 4 Tony Esposito (Chicago 1970)

• 4 Les Binkley (Pittsburgh 1970)

Brock Best

Brock Nelson has 19 playoff goals for the Islanders, more than any Isles in the 2000s:

• Brock Nelson 19

• Anthony Beauvillier 14

• Josh Bailey 13

• Jordan Eberle 11

• John Tavares 11

Nelson's 19 goals are good for 11th in Islander history and are three goals shy of Duane Sutter's 10th place total (22).  The ten players ahead of Nelson won a combined 38 Stanley Cup rings for the Isles.  Nelson has scored more playoffs goals for the Isles than any other US-born player.

First Time in a Long Time!

This is the third all-time playoff meeting between the teams:

• 1980- Quarter-Finals. Isles won series 4 games to 1.

• 1983- Conference Finals. Isles won series 4 games to 2.

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.  Trotz has won a playoff series in seven consecutive years (four with Washington and three with the Isles).  Arbour did that from 1979-1985 (all with Isles) – no one had done it since, until Trotz came along.

Lou and Bill

Lou Lamoriello's win vs. Pittsburgh was his 30th playoff series win as a General Manager, which is second all-time to Glen Sather (41).  Bill Torrey is third with 28 playoff series wins. 

Lead/Tie/Trailed

Game 1: Led: 7:48, Tied: 37:06, Trailed: 15:06 

Series:   Led: 7:48, Tied: 37:06, Trailed: 15:06 

Vs. Pittsburgh Led: 66:48, Tied: 158:11, Trailed: 177:22

Total: Led: 73:36, Tied: 195:17, Trailed: 192:28

Playoffs All-Time

The Isles fall to 165-136 in 301 all-time playoff games.  They are 92-51 at home (84-42 at the Coliseum, 2-5 at Barclays, 5-2 in Toronto and 1-2 in Edmonton) and 73-85 on the road. In this year's playoffs, the Isles are 2-1 at home and 2-2 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 877-635-60-158 in 1,730 games. 

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  962

3. Barry Trotz    877

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman   2,141

2. Joel Quenneville 1,761

3. Barry Trotz        1,730

Coach Trotz (Playoffs)

Barry Trotz has now coached 150 playoff games (76-74).  His 150 games allows him to pass Pat Burns for 11th place on the all-time list while his 76 wins are tied-14th all-time with Peter 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 21

• 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 37

• 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)

• Barry Trotz 5 (5-5)

• Jack Capuano 4 (4-5)

• Terry Simpson 3 (3-0)

• 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 0 (0-1)

• Peter Laviolette 0 (0-1)

Most playoff series wins:

• Al Arbour 29

• Barry Trotz 5

• Jack Capuano 1

• Terry Simpson 1

First Things First

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

The Shots

Isles      8-4-10=22    

Boston  18-12-10=40

Shots by Game

• Game 1: Isles 22, Boston 40

• Series: Isles 22, Boston 40

• Vs: Pittsburgh:  Isles 187, Pittsburgh 231

• Total Isles 209, Opponents 271

The Isles are 0-1 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-0 when the shots are even and 4-2 when they are outshot. 

In the Nets

Ilya Sorokin made 35 saves but falls to 4-1 in the 2021 playoffs and in his playoff career.  

 

Tuukka Rask made 20 saves and improves to 5-1 in this year's playoffs and 56-43 in his career.  

Power Plays

The Isles were 1-3 on the power play in 4:46 of PP time; Boston was 2-2 on the power play in 2:01 of PP time. Boston's second power play goal was scored into an empty net.

Power Plays by Game

• Game 1: Isles 1-3 (4:46, 4 shots), Boston 2-2 (2:01, 5 shots)

• Series: Isles 1-3 (4:46, 4 shots), Boston 2-2 (2:01, 5 shots)

• Vs. Pittsburgh: Isles 3-16 (27:00, 15 shots), Pittsburgh 3-12 (18:54, 19 shots)

• Total: Isles 4-19 (31:46, 19 shots), Opponents 5-14 (20:55, 24 shots)

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 4-1 in the playoffs (2-1 in regulation and 2-0 in overtime) when they score at least three goals and 0-2 when they do not. 

Shutting the Door

The Isles are 2-1 when allowing two or fewer goals in this year's playoffs.  

One Goal Games

The Isles are 2-2 in the playoffs in one-goal games (0-2 in regulation and 2-0 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.

Fastest Goals to Start 2nd Overtime (Islander history)

• 20:51  5/24/2021 @ Pittsburgh (Josh Bailey)

• 20:59  4/9/1990 vs. Rangers (Brent Sutter)

Most Overtime Wins in a Series

• 3 vs. Washington (1993)

• 3 vs. Florida (2016)

• 2 vs. Toronto (1978)

• 2 vs. Rangers (1979)

• 2 vs. Boston (1980)

• 2 vs. Philadelphia (1980)

• 2 vs. New Jersey (1988)

• 2 vs. Pittsburgh (2021)

Overtime is Our Time

The Isles are 38-21 (.644) all-time in overtime, including 19-9 (.678) on the road. Both percentages are 2nd-best (to Tampa Bay) in NHL history. The Isles are 2-0 in overtime this season; they have gone 9-8 in sixteen overtime games since 2015. 

The Isles are 9-4 in multiple-overtime games; all but the Easter Epic ended in the second overtime. Pittsburgh is 4-7 in multiple-overtime games.

Overtime vs. Boston

The Isles are 2-1 all-time in playoff overtime games vs. Boston; all three games were played in a six-day span in 1980 with the road team winning all three games. 

04/16/80 @ Clark Gillies W Bos   1:02 

04/17/80 @ Bob Bourne W Bos   1:24 

04/21/80 Vs Terry O'Reilly L Bos 17:13

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Nick Leddy (23:53);  Boston:  Mike Reilly (28:47)

Kyle Palmieri led Isles forwards with 17:58 of ice-time 

Isles record by ice-time leader: Adam Pelech (2-0), Nick Leddy (1-2), Ryan Pulock (1-1)

Face-offs

Isles 27, Boston 29 (48%)  

JG Pageau won 13 of 20 for the Isles; Patrice Bergeron won 13 of 18 for Boston. 

Face-offs by Game

• Game 1: Isles 27, Boston 29 (48%)

• Series: Isles 27, Boston 29 (48%)

• Vs. Pittsburgh: Isles 181, Pittsburgh 164 (52%)

• Total: Isles 208, Opponents 193 (48%)

Hit Count

Isles 49 (Cal Clutterbuck -7)

Pittsburgh 42 (Chris Wagner & Curtis Lazar-6)

Hits Game by Game:

• Game 1: Isles 49, Boston 42 

• Series: Isles 49, Boston 42

• Vs: Pittsburgh: Isles 274, Pittsburgh 224

• Total: Isles 323, Opponent 266

Blocked Shots

Isles 9 (Scott Mayfield -2)

Boston 7 (Two with 2)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 38, Boston 65  

Corsi: 5-on-5 Isles 30, Boston 58

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  No Isle was a +

Boston: Patrice Bergeron +17

High Danger Chances:

All situations: Isles 4, Boston 13

5-on-5: Isles 2, Boston 12

Corsi Game by Game:

• Game 1 (All) Isles 38, Boston 65;  (5-on-5) Isles 30, Boston 58

• Series: (All) Isles 38, Boston 65;  (5-on-5) Isles 30, Boston 58

• Vs. Pittsburgh: (All)  Isles 303, Pittsburgh 411;  (5-on-5) Isles 257, Pittsburgh 367

• Total(All) Isles 341, Opponents 476;  (5-on-5) Isles 287, Opponents 425

High-Danger Game by Game:

• Game 1 (All) Isles 4, Boston 13;  (5-on-5) Isles 2, Boston 12

• Series: (All) Isles 4, Boston 13;  (5-on-5) Isles 2, Boston 12

• Vs. Pittsburgh:(All)  Isles 66, Pittsburgh 72; (5-on-5) Isles 52, Pittsburgh 55

• Total (All) Isles 70, Opponents 85;  (5-on-5) Isles 54, Boston 67

Scratches

(Anders Lee), (Oliver Wahlstrom), Cory Schneider, Sebastian Aho, Braydon Coburn, Kieffer Bellows, Ross Johnston, Michael Dal Colle

Playoff games lost: 10

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

• Kyle Palmieri (16:30 of OT on 5/16 vs. Pittsburgh – Game 1)

• Josh Bailey (20:51 of OT on 5/24 vs. Pittsburgh – Game 5)

Post-Season Late Goals Allowed

• None

Playoff Challenges

• None

Active Islander Playoff Leaders: (As NYI)

Games:

Matt Martin 61

Josh Bailey 59

Casey Cizikas 57

Nick Leddy 55

Brock Nelson 55

Consecutive Games

Matt Martin 61

Nick Leddy 55

Brock Nelson 50

Goals:

Brock Nelson 19

Anthony Beauvillier 14

Josh Bailey 13

Jordan Eberle 11

JG Pageau 9

Cal Clutterbuck 8

Anders Lee 8

Mathew Barzal 7

Matt Martin 6

Nick Leddy 5

Ryan Pulock 5

Assists:

Josh Bailey 30

Mathew Barzal 20

Jordan Eberle 17

Brock Nelson 16

Nick Leddy 14

Ryan Pulock 12

Points:

Josh Bailey 43

Brock Nelson 35

Jordan Eberle 28

Mathew Barzal 27

Anthony Beauvillier 23

Nick Leddy 19

J-G Pageau 18

Anders Lee 16

Penalty Minutes:

Matt Martin 70

Cal Clutterbuck 64

Casey Cizikas 42

PP Goals

Anthony Beauvillier 4

Mathew Barzal 3

Anders Lee 3

Jordan Eberle 3

Ryan Pulock 3

Josh Bailey 2

Brock Nelson 2 

Oliver Wahlstrom 1

Nick Leddy 1

SH Goals

Josh Bailey 1

 

GW Goals

Brock Nelson 5

Anthony Beauvillier 3

Jordan Eberle 3

Josh Bailey 3

Ryan Pulock 2

Thomas Hickey 1

Mathew Barzal 1

Leo Komarov 1

Andy Greene 1

Scott Mayfield 1

Kyle Palmieri 1

OT Goals 

Josh Bailey 2

Mathew Barzal 1

Thomas Hickey 1

Jordan Eberle 1

Kyle Palmieri 1

Goaltending

Semyon Varlamov 11-9  2.27 GAA, .919 save percentage

Ilya Sorokin 4-1 2.32 GAA, .934 save percentage

UP NEXT

MONDAY, MAY 31st  – ISLANDERS AT BOSTON – 7:30pm

[NBCSN, WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN Radio; Post-Game coverage on MSG+]

The Isles will look to earn a split of the two games in Boston as they play game 2 of the series.

The Isles are 7-16 in 23 previous series that they have dropped Game 1; the Bruins are 38-18 when they lead 1-0.

Tuukka Rask, the Bruins' all-time leader in playoff games by a goaltender, has played all six Bruin playoff games this spring; his next appearance will be the 100th of his career. He will be the 19th goalie in NHL history to do so.

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

The Skinny: Isles 5, Pittsburgh 3. Isles WIN series 4 games to 2.

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

First Round Game 6

Isles 5, Pittsburgh 3

Isles win best-of-7 series, 4-2

Brock Nelson and Ryan Pulock scored 13 seconds apart in the second period and Nelson added another goal to cap a 3 goal in 2:59 outburst as the Isles eliminated the Pittsburgh Penguins with a 5-3 victory in game 6 of their first round series before a socially-distant crowd of 9,000 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Ilya Sorokin made 34 saves for his 4th win in as many career playoff starts as the Isles clinched a series on Coliseum ice for the first time since 1993.  (The Skinny was a feature on Islander telecasts back then!)

The Isles will face the Boston Bruins in the second round with the Bruins hosting games 1 and 2. 

The Scoring: 

1st Period

Jeff Carter (4) Kasperi Kapanen (2), Jason Zucker (1) 01:27 PIT 1,NYI 0

Anthony Beauvillier (3) Brock Nelson (3), Josh Bailey (3) 05:16 PIT 1,NYI 1

Jake Guentzel (1) Kris Letang (4), Evgeni Malkin (4) 11:12 PIT 2,NYI 1 PPG

Kyle Palmieri (3) Jean-Gabriel Pageau (5) 12:25 PIT 2,NYI 2

2nd Period

Jason Zucker (2) Cody Ceci (1), Evgeni Malkin (3) 01:53 PIT 3,NYI 2

Brock Nelson (2) Josh Bailey (1), Anthony Beauvillier (3) 08:35 PIT 3,NYI 3

Ryan Pulock (2) Jean-Gabriel Pageau (6), Travis Zajac (1) 08:48 PIT 3,NYI 4

Brock Nelson (3) Anthony Beauvillier (4) 11:34 PIT 3,NYI 5

3rd Period

No Goals

The Series (Isles win series, 4-2)

Game 1: Isles 4, Pittsburgh 3 (OT)

Game 2: Pittsburgh 2, Isles 1

Game 3: Pittsburgh 5, Isles 4

Game 4: Isles 4, Pittsburgh 1

Game 5: Isles 3, Pittsburgh 2 (2OT)

Game 6: Isles 5, Pittsburgh 3 

The Skinny 

The Isles are 1-2 in game 6's under Barry Trotz… The Isles were credited with 30 hits, giving them 272 hits in the series …The Isles scored 21 goals in this series on Tristan Jarry, who is 8-1-0 with a 2.12 GAA against the Isles in regular season play… Sorokin is the first goalie in Islander history (rookie or veteran) to win his first four NHL playoff games; he joins Robin Lehner in winning his first four playoff games for the Isles and is the first NHL rookie to win four straight since J-S Giguere won his first six games on the way to the Conn Smythe Trophy…Sorokin is the 7th goalie since expansion to make at least 150 saves in his first four playoff games and the only one of the seven to win all four games… Travis Zajac replaced the injured Oliver Wahlstrom and earned an assist in his Islander playoff debut...This was the 300th playoff game in Islander history and the first time in club history that the Isles had played later into the spring than May 24th.  The Isles improve to 12-1 all-time in series that they lead 3-2 (and are 11-2 in those series in Game 6's)…The Isles are 8-2 in playoff games against Pittsburgh under Barry Trotz, including 4-1 at Nassau Coliseum. Trotz coached his 149th playoff game, breaking a tie with Peter Laviolette for 12th place and tying Pat Burns for 11th…Trotz has now won a playoff series in seven straight seasons (4 with Washington and three with the Islanders)…The Islanders join Boston and Colorado as the only teams to have advanced to the Second Round in each of the last three seasons. The Isles have won 36 of 58 series (.621); only Edmonton (.660) and Tampa Bay (.655) have a better record…The Isles have played 36 playoff games under Barry Trotz; only Boston (42), Dallas (40) and St. Louis (39) have played more.

First Time in a Long Time

• Ilya Sorokin is the first Islander rookie to win four games in a series since Chico Resch in 1975 vs. Pittsburgh.

• This is the first time in Islander history that the team has overcome three separate deficits to win an elimination game.

• The goals by Brock Nelson and Ryan Pulock :13 apart tied the club record set in 1984 (Tomas Jonsson and Greg Gilbert).

• The three goals in 2:59 were the fastest three goals for the Isles in a playoff game since they scored three in 2:26 vs. New Jersey in 1988.

• Ryan Pulock is the first Islander defenseman since Denis Potvin (1981) to have two game-winning goals in a playoff year, and is the first to ever have two in a single series.

• Pulock and Adam Pelech each went +4; it is the first time since April 28, 1984 vs. Montreal (Ken Morrow and Paul Boutilier) that two Islanders were +4 or better in the same game.

• Pelech is the second defenseman in Isles history with multiple +4 or better games (9-11-2020 vs. Tampa Bay); Denis Potvin did it four times.

Most Wins to Start Playoff Career 

• 6 JS Giguere (Anaheim 2003)

• 5 Mike Vernon (Calgary 1986)

• 5 Pete Peeters (Philadelphia 1980)

• 5 Gary Inness (Pittsburgh 1975)

• 5 Rogie Vachon (Montreal 1967)

• 5 Normie Smith (Detroit 1936)

• 5 Tiny Thompson (Boston 1929)

• 4 Ilya Sorokin (Isles 2021 CURRENT)

• 4 Tony Esposito (Chicago 1970)

• 4 Les Binkley (Pittsburgh 1970)

Brock Best

Brock Nelson has 19 playoff goals for the Islanders, more than any Isles in the 2000s:

• Brock Nelson 19

• Josh Bailey 13

• Anthony Beauvillier 13

• Jordan Eberle 11

• John Tavares 11

Nelson's 19 goals are good for 11th in Islander history and are three goals shy of Duane Sutter's 10th place total (22).  The ten players ahead of Nelson won a combined 38 Stanley Cup rings for the Isles. Nelson has scored more playoffs goals for the Isles than any other US-born player.

A Familiar Playoff Foe

This was the sixth all-time playoff meeting between the teams:

• 1975- Quarter-Finals. Isles won series 4 games to 3.

• 1982- Preliminary Series. Isles won series 3 games to 2.

• 1993- Division Final. Isles won series 4 games to 3.

• 2013- Conference Quarter-Finals. Pittsburgh won series 4 games to 2.

• 2019- First Round. Isles won series 4 games to 0. 

• 2021- First Round. Isles won series 4 games to 2.

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's win vs. Pittsburgh is his 30th playoff series win as a General Manager, which is second all-time to Glen Sather (41).  Bill Torrey is third with 28 playoff series wins. 

Lead/Tie/Trailed

Game 1: Led: 3:43, Tied: 53:01, Trailed: 19:46 

Game 2: Led  0:00, Tied:   3:22, Trailed: 56:38

Game 3: Led  0:00, Tied:   7:44, Trailed: 52:16

Game 4: Led  31:53, Tied: 28:07, Trailed: 0:00

Game 5: Led  0:00, Tied:   48:53, Trailed: 31:58

Game 6: Led  31:12, Tied: 17:04, Trailed: 11:44

Series:    Led: 66:48, Tied: 158:11, Trailed: 177:22

Playoffs All-Time

The Isles improve to 165-135 in 300 all-time playoff games.  They are 92-51 at home (84-42 at the Coliseum, 2-5 at Barclays, 5-2 in Toronto and 1-2 in Edmonton) and 73-84 on the road. In this year's playoffs, the Isles are 2-1 at home and 2-1 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 877-635-60-158 in 1,730 games. 

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  962

3. Barry Trotz    877

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman   2,141

2. Joel Quenneville 1,761

3. Barry Trotz        1,730

Coach Trotz (Playoffs)

Barry Trotz has now coached 149 playoff games (76-73).  His 149 games allows him to pass Peter Laviolette and tie Pat Burns for 11th while his 76 wins are tied-14th all-time with 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; both were eliminated from the playoffs tonight.

Most playoff wins by Islander coaches:

• Al Arbour 119

• Barry Trotz 21

• 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 36

• 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)

• Barry Trotz 5 (5-5)

• Jack Capuano 4 (4-5)

• Terry Simpson 3 (3-0)

• 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 5

• Jack Capuano 1

• Terry Simpson 1

First Things First

The Isles are 2-0 when scoring first and are 2-2 when allowing the first goal in the playoffs.

The Shots

Isles       10-9-5=24    

Pittsburgh 9-16-12=37

Shots by Game

• Game 1: Isles 41, Pittsburgh 42

• Game 2: Isles 38, Pittsburgh 45

• Game 3: Isles 30, Pittsburgh 27

• Game 4: Isles 26, Pittsburgh 30

• Game 5: Isles 28, Pittsburgh 50

• Game 6: Isles 24, Pittsburgh 37

• Series:  Isles 187, Pittsburgh 231

The Isles are 0-1 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-0 when the shots are even and 4-1 when they are outshot. 

In the Nets

Ilya Sorokin made 34 saves to improve to 4-0 in the 2021 playoffs and in his playoff career.  

 

Tristan Jarry made 19 saves but falls to 2-4 in this year's playoffs and 2-5 in his career.  

Power Plays

The Isles were 0-2 on the power play in 4:00 of PP time; Pittsburgh was 1-2 on the power play in 3:14 of PP time.

Power Plays by Game

• Game 1: Isles 0-2 (4:00, 2 shots), Pittsburgh 0-3 (6:00, 3 shots)

• Game 2: Isles 0-1 (1:28, 1 shot), Pittsburgh 0-2 (4:00, 1 shot)

• Game 3: Isles 1-4 (6:19, 4 shots), Pittsburgh 1-2 (2:37, 3 shots)

• Game 4: Isles 2-5 (7:13, 4 shots), Pittsburgh 0-1 (0:30, 0 shots)

• Game 5: Isles 0-2 (4:00, 1 shot), Pittsburgh 1-2 (2:33, 5 shots)

• Game 6: Isles 0-2 (4:00, 3 shots), Pittsburgh 1-2 (3:14, 2 shots)

• Series: Isles 3-16 (27:00, 15 shots), Pittsburgh 3-12 (18:54, 19 shots)

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 4-1 in the playoffs (2-1 in regulation and 2-0 in overtime) when they score at least three goals and 0-1 when they do not. 

Shutting the Door

The Isles are 2-1 when allowing two or fewer goals in this year's playoffs.  

One Goal Games

The Isles are 2-2 in the playoffs in one-goal games (0-2 in regulation and 2-0 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.

Fastest Goals to Start 2nd Overtime (Islander history)

• 20:51  5/24/2021 @ Pittsburgh (Josh Bailey)

• 20:59  4/9/1990 vs. Rangers (Brent Sutter)

Most Overtime Wins in a Series

• 3 vs. Washington (1993)

• 3 vs. Florida (2016)

• 2 vs. Toronto (1978)

• 2 vs. Rangers (1979)

• 2 vs. Boston (1980)

• 2 vs. Philadelphia (1980)

• 2 vs. New Jersey (1988)

• 2 vs. Pittsburgh (2021)

Overtime is Our Time

The Isles are 38-21 (.644) all-time in overtime, including 19-9 (.678) on the road. Both percentages are 2nd-best (to Tampa Bay) in NHL history. The Isles are 2-0 in overtime this season; they have gone 9-8 in sixteen overtime games since 2015. 

The Isles are 9-4 in multiple-overtime games; all but the Easter Epic ended in the second overtime. Pittsburgh is 4-7 in multiple-overtime games.

Overtime vs. Pittsburgh

The Isles are 5-3 all-time in playoff overtime games vs. Pittsburgh. The 1982, 1993 and 2013 series all ended on overtime goals.

• 04/10/82 @ Rick Kehoe L Pit 4:14 

• 04/13/82 Vs John Tonelli W Pit 6:19  

• 05/14/93 @ David Volek W Pit 5:16 

• 05/05/13 Vs Chris Kunitz L Pit 8:44

• 05/11/13 Vs Brooks Orpik L Pit 7:49

• 04/10/19 Vs Josh Bailey W Pit 4:39

• 05/16/21 @ Kyle Palmieri W Pit 16:30

• 05/24/21 @ Josh Bailey W Pit 20:51

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Nick Leddy (24:55);  Pittsburgh Kris Letang (28:47)

Josh Bailey led Isles forwards with 20:54 of ice-time 

Isles record by ice-time leader: Adam Pelech (2-0), Nick Leddy (1-1), Ryan Pulock (1-1)

Face-offs

Isles 32, Pittsburgh 25 (56%)  

JG Pageau won 14 of 18 for the Isles; no Penguin won more than he lost. 

Face-offs by Game

• Game 1: Isles 33, Pittsburgh 37 (47%)

• Game 2: Isles 24, Pittsburgh 26 (48%)

• Game 3: Isles 30, Pittsburgh 27 (53%)

• Game 4: Isles 33, Pittsburgh 17 (66%)

• Game 5: Isles 29, Pittsburgh 32 (48%)

• Game 6: Isles 32, Pittsburgh 25 (56%)

• Series: Isles 181, Pittsburgh 164 (52%)

Hit Count

Isles 30 (Casey Cizikas -5)

Pittsburgh 31 (Two with 5)

Hits Game by Game:

• Game 1: Isles 72, Pittsburgh 47 

• Game 2: Isles 46, Pittsburgh 37

• Game 3: Isles 46, Pittsburgh 29

• Game 4: Isles 31, Pittsburgh 34

• Game 5: Isles 47, Pittsburgh 46

• Game 6: Isles 30, Pittsburgh 31

• Series: Isles 274, Pittsburgh 224

Blocked Shots

Isles 23 (Scott Mayfield -4)

Pittsburgh 11 (Two with 2)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 48, Pittsburgh 79  

Corsi: 5-on-5 Isles 41, Pittsburgh 71

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  Ryan Pulock +1

Pittsburgh: Jeff Carter +21

High Danger Chances:

All situations: Isles 6, Pittsburgh 9

5-on-5: Isles 5, Pittsburgh 8

Corsi Game by Game:

• Game 1 (All) Isles 60, Pittsburgh 67;  (5-on-5) Isles 55, Pittsburgh 58

• Game 2 (All) Isles 51, Pittsburgh 68;  (5-on-5) Isles 44, Pittsburgh 64

• Game 3 (All) Isles 57, Pittsburgh 52;  (5-on-5) Isles 42, Pittsburgh 41

• Game 4 (All) Isles 44, Pittsburgh 60;  (5-on-5) Isles 34, Pittsburgh 55

• Game 5 (All) Isles 43, Pittsburgh 85;  (5-on-5) Isles 41, Pittsburgh 78 

• Game 6 (All) Isles 48, Pittsburgh 79;  (5-on-5) Isles 41, Pittsburgh 71 

• Series: (All)  Isles 303, Pittsburgh 411;  (5-on-5) Isles 257, Pittsburgh 367

High-Danger Game by Game:

• Game 1 (All) Isles 8, Pittsburgh 11;  (5-on-5) Isles 6, Pittsburgh 10

• Game 2 (All) Isles 14, Pittsburgh 8;  (5-on-5) Isles 14, Pittsburgh 8

• Game 3 (All) Isles 17, Pittsburgh 11; (5-on-5) Isles 12, Pittsburgh 8

• Game 4 (All) Isles 16, Pittsburgh 7;  (5-on-5) Isles 11, Pittsburgh 7 

• Game 5 (All) Isles 5, Pittsburgh 16;  (5-on-5) Isles 4, Pittsburgh 14

• Game 6 (All) Isles 6, Pittsburgh 9;  (5-on-5) Isles 5, Pittsburgh 8

• Series: (All)  Isles 66, Pittsburgh 72; (5-on-5) Isles 52, Pittsburgh 55

Scratches

(Anders Lee), (Oliver Wahlstrom), Cory Schneider, Sebastian Aho, Braydon Coburn, Kieffer Bellows, Ross Johnston, Michael Dal Colle

Playoff games lost: 8

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

• Kyle Palmieri (16:30 of OT on 5/16 vs. Pittsburgh – Game 1)

• Josh Bailey (20:51 of OT on 5/24 vs. Pittsburgh – Game 5)

Post-Season Late Goals Allowed

• None

Playoff Challenges

• None

Active Islander Playoff Leaders: (As NYI)

Games:

Matt Martin 60

Josh Bailey 58

Casey Cizikas 56

Nick Leddy 54

Brock Nelson 54

Consecutive Games

Matt Martin 60

Nick Leddy 54

Brock Nelson 49

Goals:

Brock Nelson 19

Josh Bailey 13

Anthony Beauvillier 13

Jordan Eberle 11

JG Pageau 9

Cal Clutterbuck 8

Anders Lee 8

Mathew Barzal 7

Matt Martin 6

Nick Leddy 5

Ryan Pulock 5

Assists:

Josh Bailey 30

Mathew Barzal 20

Brock Nelson 16

Jordan Eberle 15

Nick Leddy 14

Ryan Pulock 12

Points:

Josh Bailey 43

Brock Nelson 35

Mathew Barzal 27

Jordan Eberle 26

Anthony Beauvillier 22

Nick Leddy 19

J-G Pageau 18

Anders Lee 16

Penalty Minutes:

Matt Martin 70

Cal Clutterbuck 64

Casey Cizikas 42

PP Goals

Mathew Barzal 3

Anthony Beauvillier 3

Anders Lee 3

Jordan Eberle 3

Ryan Pulock 3

Josh Bailey 2

Brock Nelson 2 

Oliver Wahlstrom 1

Nick Leddy 1

SH Goals

Josh Bailey 1

 

GW Goals

Brock Nelson 5

Anthony Beauvillier 3

Jordan Eberle 3

Josh Bailey 3

Ryan Pulock 2

Thomas Hickey 1

Mathew Barzal 1

Leo Komarov 1

Andy Greene 1

Scott Mayfield 1

Kyle Palmieri 1

OT Goals 

Josh Bailey 2

Mathew Barzal 1

Thomas Hickey 1

Jordan Eberle 1

Kyle Palmieri 1

Goaltending

Semyon Varlamov 11-9  2.27 GAA, .919 save percentage

Ilya Sorokin 4-0 1.95 GAA, .943 save percentage

UP NEXT

DATE TBD  – ISLANDERS AT BOSTON

[NBC or NBCSN, WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN Radio]

For the first time since the Dynasty, the Islanders and Bruins will meet in the Stanley Cup playoffs.  The Isles defeated the Bruins in both 1980 and 1983; they were the 2nd and 15th consecutive series win for the Isles.

The Isles were 5-2-1 this season vs. Boston, winning the first five games (including all four at home).  The Bruins were 3-3-2 against the Isles, with all three of their wins coming after the trade deadline.

Boston dispatched the Capitals in five games to set up this #3 vs #4 match-up in the East Division.

All remaining playoff games will air on the NBC family of networks.  MSG+ will have extensive post-game coverage.

AND FINALLY…

Tonight marked the final MSG Network telecast of the season. For nearly 40 years, I have had the pleasure of working with our great crew.  It's a pleasure to work with the people you know: Brendan Burke, Butch Goring, Shannon Hogan, and AJ Meczko; however, there are also the people you don't know: Steve Napolitani, Joel Mandelbaum, Sarah Servetnick, Charlie Cucchiara, JT Townsend, Bobby Mills, and countless others.  I look forward to many years to come.

Of course, those years will come in a new building; however, this Old Barn still has life!  See you in Round 2.

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

The Skinny: Isles 3, Pittsburgh 2 (2-OT). Isles lead series 3 games to 2

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

First Round Game 5

Isles 3, Pittsburgh 2 (2-OT)

Isles lead best-of-7 series, 3-2

May 24th has always been a special day in Islander history. The 41st  anniversary of the first Stanley Cup is the most special anniversary of them all as Josh Bailey scored 51 seconds into the 2nd overtime and Ilya Sorokin made 48 saves for his third win of the series as the Islanders took a 3-2 lead in their First Round series with a 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins before a socially-distant crowd of 9,344 at PPG Paints Arena. 

The Isles never led in the game but got tying goals from Anthony Beauvillier and Jordan Eberle to force the marathon.

The Isles will look to clinch a series on Coliseum ice for the first time since 1993 (vs. Washington) in Game 6 on Wednesday.

The Scoring: 

1st Period

Evgeni Malkin (1) Kris Letang (1), Bryan Rust (1) 08:20 NYI 0,PIT 1 PPG

Anthony Beauvillier (2) Josh Bailey (1), Nick Leddy (2) 19:05 NYI 1,PIT 1

2nd Period

Bryan Rust (2) Sidney Crosby (1), Kris Letang (3) 07:37 NYI 1,PIT 2

3rd Period

Jordan Eberle (2) Leo Komarov (1), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (1) 08:50 NYI 2,PIT 2

OT

No Goals

2nd OT

Josh Bailey (3) 00:51 NYI 3,PIT 2

The Series (Isles lead series, 3-2)

Game 1: Isles 4, Pittsburgh 3 (OT)

Game 2: Pittsburgh 2, Isles 1

Game 3: Pittsburgh 5, Isles 4

Game 4: Isles 4, Pittsburgh 1

Game 5: Isles 3, Pittsburgh 2 (2OT)

Game 6: Wednesday, May 26 at Isles (TBD)

Game 7: Friday, May 28 at Pittsburgh (if needed)

The Skinny 

The Isles are 3-1 in game 5's under Barry Trotz… The Isles were credited with 47 hits, giving them 242 hits in the series … The Isles did not lead during play for the third time in the series; they have led for 35:36 in the five games combined. …The Isles have scored sixteen goals in this series on Tristan Jarry, who is 8-1-0 with a 2.12 GAA against the Isles in regular season play…Ilya Sorokin faced 50 shots; it is only the 20th time that a rookie goalie has faced at least that many in a playoff game…Sorokin is the first goalie in Islander history (rookie or veteran) to win his first three NHL playoff games; he stopped all 31 shots over the final 53:14 of the game…Sorokin joins Robin Lehner (4) as the only goalies to start their Islander playoff career with at least three straight wins…Sorokin is the 9th goalie since expansion to make at least 116 save in his first three playoff games – only three others (JS Giguere, Scott Darling and Bernie Parent) have done so with a GAA lower than Sorokin's 1.65..Josh Bailey is the 9th Islander to record multiple overtime goals; he now has three career OT points… The Isles had ten shots on goal in the first period with none blocked or missing the net; it was the first time that has happened (regular season or playoff) in the twelve seasons the NHL has maintained that record…Sidney Crosby recorded his 191st  point on the Penguins' 2nd goal, passing Brett Hull for 7th place on the all-time list; it was also his 122nd assist, giving him sole possession of 10th place on that list (passing Al MacInnis and Glenn Anderson)…The Penguins have lost five straight OT games, including three to the Islanders (Bailey-2, Palmieri) and a 4th to Barry Trotz as Capital coach (Evgeni Kuznetsov)…Scott Mayfield went +3; he leads the Isles with a +6 rating in the series and has been "even" or better in all five games…

The Injury

Oliver Wahlstrom left the game in the second period following a collision with Pittsburgh's Mike Matheson. He did not return.

First Time in a Long Time

• Ilya Sorokin is the first Islander goalie to face 50 shots and make 48 saves in a playoff game since Kelly Hrudey stopped 73 of 75 in the Easter Epic (4/18/1987 vs. Washington).

• The Isles allowed 20 shots in a playoff period for the first time since allowing a club record 22 on 4/15/1977 vs. Buffalo.  It was the first time in their 299-game playoff history that the Isles have allowed at least 20 shots in the second period.

Fastest Goals to Start 2nd Overtime (Islander history)

• 20:51  5/24/2021 @ Pittsburgh (Josh Bailey)

• 20:59  4/9/1990 vs. Rangers (Brent Sutter)

Most Overtime Wins in a Series

• 3 vs. Washington (1993)

• 3 vs. Florida (2016)

• 2 vs. Toronto (1978)

• 2 vs. Rangers (1979)

• 2 vs. Boston (1980)

• 2 vs. Philadelphia (1980)

• 2 vs. New Jersey (1988)

• 2 vs. Pittsburgh (2021)

Overtime is Our Time

The Isles are 38-21 (.644) all-time in overtime, including 19-9 (.678) on the road. Both percentages are 2nd-best (to Tampa Bay) in NHL history. The Isles are 2-0 in overtime this season; they have gone 9-8 in sixteen overtime games since 2015. 

The Isles are 9-4 in multiple-overtime games; all but the Easter Epic ended in the second overtime. Pittsburgh is 4-7 in multiple-overtime games.

Overtime vs. Pittsburgh

The Isles are 5-3 all-time in playoff overtime games vs. Pittsburgh. The 1982, 1993 and 2013 series all ended on overtime goals.

• 04/10/82 @ Rick Kehoe L Pit 4:14 

• 04/13/82 Vs John Tonelli W Pit 6:19  

• 05/14/93 @ David Volek W Pit 5:16 

• 05/05/13 Vs Chris Kunitz L Pit 8:44

• 05/11/13 Vs Brooks Orpik L Pit 7:49

• 04/10/19 Vs Josh Bailey W Pit 4:39

• 05/16/21 @ Kyle Palmieri W Pit 16:30

• 05/24/21 @ Josh Bailey W Pit 20:51

Brock Best

Brock Nelson has 17 playoff goals for the Islanders, more than any Isles in the 2000s:

• Brock Nelson 17

• Josh Bailey 13

• Anthony Beauvillier 12

• Jordan Eberle 11

• John Tavares 11

Nelson's 17 goals are tied for 13th in Islander history with Jude Drouin and Billy Harris.  Nelson has scored more playoffs goals for the Isles than any other US-born player.

A Familiar Playoff Foe

This is the sixth all-time playoff meeting between the teams:

• 1975- Quarter-Finals. Isles won series 4 games to 3.

• 1982- Preliminary Series. Isles won series 3 games to 2.

• 1993- Division Final. Isles won series 4 games to 3.

• 2013- Conference Quarter-Finals. Pittsburgh won series 4 games to 2.

• 2019- First Round. Isles won series 4 games to 0. 

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 29 playoff series as a General Manager, which allowed him to pass Bill Torrey for second place on the all-time list in the 2020 Bubble. Glen Sather has 41 series wins.

Lead/Tie/Trailed

Game 1: Led: 3:43, Tied: 53:01, Trailed: 19:46 

Game 2: Led  0:00, Tied:   3:22, Trailed: 56:38

Game 3: Led  0:00, Tied:   7:44, Trailed: 52:16

Game 4: Led  31:53, Tied: 28:07, Trailed: 0:00

Game 5: Led  0:00, Tied:   48:53, Trailed: 31:58

Series:    Led: 35:36, Tied: 141:07, Trailed: 160:38

Playoffs All-Time

The Isles improve to 164-135 in 299 all-time playoff games.  They are 91-51 at home (including 2-5 at Barclays, 5-2 in Toronto and 1-2 in Edmonton) and 73-84 on the road. In this year's playoffs, the Isles are 1-1 at home and 2-1 on the road.  The Isles will play their 300th playoff game on Wednesday (Game 6).

Coach Trotz

Barry Trotz is second among active coaches, trailing only Joel Quenneville, in both wins and games. Trotz' NHL record is 877-635-60-158 in 1,730 games. 

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  962

3. Barry Trotz    877

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman   2,141

2. Joel Quenneville 1,761

3. Barry Trotz        1,730

Coach Trotz (Playoffs)

Barry Trotz has now coached 148 playoff games (75-73).  His 148 games are tied for 12th with Peter Laviolette while his 75 wins are 15th all-time (1 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 20

• 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 35

• 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)

• Barry Trotz 5 (5-5)

• Jack Capuano 4 (4-5)

• Terry Simpson 3 (3-0)

• 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 2-0 when scoring first and are 1-2 when allowing the first goal in the playoffs.

The Shots

Isles         10-4-6-7-1=28    

Pittsburgh 12-20-9-8-1=50

Shots by Game

• Game 1: Isles 41, Pittsburgh 42

• Game 2: Isles 38, Pittsburgh 45

• Game 3: Isles 30, Pittsburgh 27

• Game 4: Isles 26, Pittsburgh 30

• Game 5: Isles 28, Pittsburgh 50

• Series:  Isles 163, Pittsburgh 194

The Isles are 0-1 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-0 when the shots are even and 3-1 when they are outshot. 

In the Nets

Ilya Sorokin made 48 saves to improve to 2-0 in the 2021 playoffs and in his playoff career. He is 2-0 in overtime.

 

Tristan Jarry made 25 saves but falls to 2-32 in this year's playoffs and 2-4 in his career. He is 0-2 in overtime.

Power Plays

The Isles were 0-2 on the power play in 4:00 of PP time; Pittsburgh was 1-2 on the power play in 2:33 of PP time.

Power Plays by Game

• Game 1: Isles 0-2 (4:00, 2 shots), Pittsburgh 0-3 (6:00, 3 shots)

• Game 2: Isles 0-1 (1:28, 1 shot), Pittsburgh 0-2 (4:00, 1 shot)

• Game 3: Isles 1-4 (6:19, 4 shots), Pittsburgh 1-2 (2:37, 3 shots)

• Game 4: Isles 2-5 (7:13, 4 shots), Pittsburgh 0-1 (0:30, 0 shots)

• Game 5: Isles 0-2 (4:00, 1 shot), Pittsburgh 1-2 (2:33, 5 shots)

• Series: Isles 3-14 (19:00, 12 shots), Pittsburgh 2-10 (15:40, 17 shots)

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 3-1 in the playoffs (1-1 in regulation and 2-0 in overtime) when they score at least three goals and 0-1 when they do not. 

Shutting the Door

The Isles are 2-1 when allowing two or fewer goals in this year's playoffs.  

One Goal Games

The Isles are 2-2 in the playoffs in one-goal games (0-2 in regulation and 2-0 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: Nick Leddy (32:04);  Pittsburgh Kris Letang (37:14)

J-G Pageau led Isles forwards with 24:38 of ice-time 

Isles record by ice-time leader: Adam Pelech (1-0), Nick Leddy (1-1), Ryan Pulock (1-1)

Face-offs

Isles 29, Pittsburgh 32 (48%)  

Casey Cizikas won 7 of 11 for the Isles; Jeff Carter won 14 of 19 for Pittsburgh. 

Face-offs by Game

• Game 1: Isles 33, Pittsburgh 37 (47%)

• Game 2: Isles 24, Pittsburgh 26 (48%)

• Game 3: Isles 30, Pittsburgh 27 (53%)

• Game 4: Isles 33, Pittsburgh 17 (66%)

• Game 5: Isles 29, Pittsburgh 32 (48%)

• Series: Isles 149, Pittsburgh 139 (52%)

Hit Count

Isles 47 (J-G Pageau -9)

Pittsburgh 46 (Kris Letang -10)

Hits Game by Game:

• Game 1: Isles 72, Pittsburgh 47 

• Game 2: Isles 46, Pittsburgh 37

• Game 3: Isles 46, Pittsburgh 29

• Game 4: Isles 31, Pittsburgh 34

• Game 5: Isles 47, Pittsburgh 46

• Series: Isles 244, Pittsburgh 193

Blocked Shots

Isles 13 (Andy Greene and Leo Komarov -3)

Pittsburgh 9 (Two with 2)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 43, Pittsburgh 85  

Corsi: 5-on-5 Isles 41, Pittsburgh 78

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  Oliver Wahlstrom +3

Pittsburgh: Bryan Rust +18

High Danger Chances:

All situations: Isles 5, Pittsburgh 16

5-on-5: Isles 4, Pittsburgh 14

Corsi Game by Game:

• Game 1 (All) Isles 60, Pittsburgh 67;  (5-on-5) Isles 55, Pittsburgh 58

• Game 2 (All) Isles 51, Pittsburgh 68;  (5-on-5) Isles 44, Pittsburgh 64

• Game 3 (All) Isles 57, Pittsburgh 52;  (5-on-5) Isles 42, Pittsburgh 41

• Game 4 (All) Isles 44, Pittsburgh 60;  (5-on-5) Isles 34, Pittsburgh 55

• Game 5 (All) Isles 43, Pittsburgh 85;  (5-on-5) Isles 41, Pittsburgh 78 

• Series: (All)  Isles 255, Pittsburgh 332;  (5-on-5) Isles 216, Pittsburgh 296

High-Danger Game by Game:

• Game 1 (All) Isles 8, Pittsburgh 11;  (5-on-5) Isles 6, Pittsburgh 10

• Game 2 (All) Isles 14, Pittsburgh 8;  (5-on-5) Isles 14, Pittsburgh 8

• Game 3 (All) Isles 17, Pittsburgh 11; (5-on-5) Isles 12, Pittsburgh 8

• Game 4 (All) Isles 16, Pittsburgh 7;  (5-on-5) Isles 11, Pittsburgh 7 

• Game 5 (All) Isles 5, Pittsburgh 16;  (5-on-5) Isles 4, Pittsburgh 14

• Series: (All)  Isles 60, Pittsburgh 63; (5-on-5) Isles 47, Pittsburgh 47

Scratches

(Anders Lee), Cory Schneider, Sebastian Aho, Braydon Coburn, Kieffer Bellows, Ross Johnston, Travis Zajac, Michael Dal Colle

Playoff games lost: 6

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

• Kyle Palmieri (16:30 of OT on 5/16 vs. Pittsburgh – Game 1)

• Josh Bailey (20:51 of OT on 5/24 vs. Pittsburgh – Game 5)

Post-Season Late Goals Allowed

• None

Playoff Challenges

• None

Active Islander Playoff Leaders: (As NYI)

Games:

Matt Martin 59

Josh Bailey 57

Casey Cizikas 55

Nick Leddy 53

Brock Nelson 53

Consecutive Games

Matt Martin 59

Nick Leddy 53

Brock Nelson 48

Goals:

Brock Nelson 17

Josh Bailey 13

Anthony Beauvillier 12

Jordan Eberle 11

JG Pageau 9

Cal Clutterbuck 8

Anders Lee 8

Mathew Barzal 7

Matt Martin 6

Nick Leddy 5

Assists:

Josh Bailey 28

Mathew Barzal 20

Jordan Eberle 15

Brock Nelson 15

Nick Leddy 14

Ryan Pulock 12

Points:

Josh Bailey 41

Brock Nelson 32

Mathew Barzal 27

Jordan Eberle 26

Anthony Beauvillier 19

Nick Leddy 19

J-G Pageau 16

Anders Lee 16

Penalty Minutes:

Matt Martin 70

Cal Clutterbuck 64

Casey Cizikas 42

PP Goals

Mathew Barzal 3

Anthony Beauvillier 3

Anders Lee 3

Jordan Eberle 3

Ryan Pulock 3

Josh Bailey 2

Brock Nelson 2 

Oliver Wahlstrom 1

Nick Leddy 1

SH Goals

Josh Bailey 1

 

GW Goals

Brock Nelson 5

Anthony Beauvillier 3

Jordan Eberle 3

Josh Bailey 3

Thomas Hickey 1

Mathew Barzal 1

Leo Komarov 1

Andy Greene 1

Scott Mayfield 1

Kyle Palmieri 1

Ryan Pulock 1

OT Goals 

Josh Bailey 2

Mathew Barzal 1

Thomas Hickey 1

Jordan Eberle 1

Kyle Palmieri 1

Goaltending

Semyon Varlamov 11-9  2.27 GAA, .919 save percentage

Ilya Sorokin 3-0 1.65 GAA, .951 save percentage

UP NEXT

WEDNESDAY, MAY 26th  –PITTSBURGH AT ISLANDERS (TBD)

[MSG+ (30 minute pre-game), WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN 1050]

The Isles look to close out the series and advance to the Second Round for the third straight season when they host the Penguins in Game 6 of the series on Wednesday night.  It will be the first time in club history that the Isles play later into the spring than May 24th and it will be the 300th playoff game in franchise history.

The Isles are 11-1 all-time in series that they lead 3-2 (and are 10-2 in those series in Game 6's), while Pittsburgh is 7-8 when trailing a series 3 games to 2.

The Isles are 7-2 in playoff games against Pittsburgh under Barry Trotz, including 3-1 at Nassau Coliseum.  Trotz will be coaching his 149th playoff game, breaking a tie with Peter Laviolette for 12th place.

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

The Skinny: Isles 4, Pittsburgh 1

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

First Round Game 4

Isles 4 Pittsburgh 1

Best-of-7 series tied, 2-2

Ilya Sorokin made 29 saves for his second win of the series and the Islanders got goals from four different players as they evened their First Round series with the Pittsburgh Penguins with a 4-1 victory before a socially-distant crowd of 6,800 at the Nassau Coliseum. 

After taking a 2-0 lead in the second period, the Isles blew the game open with a pair of power play goals 24 seconds apart in the third period as they scored four goals against Tristan Jarry for the third time in the series.  It's the first time in Islander playoff history that they have scored two power play goals in such a short span.

The series returns to Pittsburgh for game 5 on Monday; game 6 will be played on Coliseum ice on Wednesday.

 

The Scoring: 

1st Period

No Goals

2nd Period

Josh Bailey (2) Brock Nelson (2), Anthony Beauvillier (1) 08:07 PIT 0,NYI 1

Ryan Pulock (1) Oliver Wahlstrom (2), Nick Leddy (1) 14:51 PIT 0,NYI 2

3rd Period

Oliver Wahlstrom (1)OWN 06:04 PIT 0,NYI 3 PPG

Jordan Eberle (1) Mathew Barzal (3), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (1) 06:28 PIT 0,NYI 4 PPG

Zach Aston-Reese (1) Brian Dumoulin (2), Frederick Gaudreau (2) 17:25 PIT 1,NYI 4 SHG

The Series (Series tied, 2-2)

Game 1: Isles 4, Pittsburgh 3 (OT)

Game 2: Pittsburgh 2, Isles 1

Game 3: Pittsburgh 5, Isles 4

Game 4: Isles 4, Pittsburgh 1

Game 5: Monday, May 24 at Pittsburgh (7:00)

Game 6: Wednesday, May 26 at Isles (TBD)

Game 7: Friday, May 28 at Pittsburgh (if needed)

The Skinny 

The Isles are 4-3 in game 4's under Barry Trotz… The Isles were credited with 31 hits, giving them 195 hits in the series … The Isles scored led for the final 31:53 after leading for only 3:43 in the first three games of this series…Oliver Wahlstrom had a power play goal and added an assist; the assists on his goal were reversed after the game when the goal was ruled an "OWN" goal by the official scorer…The Isles have scored four goals in a game three times in this series on Tristan Jarry, who is 8-1-0 with a 2.12 GAA against the Isles in regular season play…The Isles allowed a shorthanded goal after not allowing a shorty in the regular season…For the third consecutive season, an Isles goalie has won his first two playoff appearances (Robin Lehner in 2019 and Semyon Varlamov in 2020).  This had never happened in club history prior to 2019; it also makes Ilya Sorokin the first rookie goalie in club history to do so…All three of Mathew Barzal's assists in this series have been primary assists.

First Time in a Long Time

• Oliver Wahlstrom is the first Islander rookie to have a goal and an assist in the same playoff game since Ryan Pulock (4-17-2016 vs. Florida); he is the first Islander rookie forward since Patrick Flatley (4-18-1984 vs. Washington) to have a power play goal and an assist in a game.

• The Isles scored twice in 24 seconds; it was their fastest two goals in a playoff game since Shawn Bates and Dave Scatchard scored 14 seconds apart on April 23, 2002 vs. Toronto.

• Both of those goals were scored on the power play, marking the first time they have scored two power play goals in a period since April 17, 2016 vs. Florida (game 3).

• Mathew Barzal is the first Islander since Butch Goring to record at least 20 assists in his first 34 playoff games with the team; Butch did it in 31 games.  Barzal joins Denis Potvin (27 games) and Bryan Trottier (34 games) as the only Isles to do so within their first 34 career playoff games.

• The Isles allowed a shorthanded goal in a playoff game for the first time in 64 playoff games: April 14, 2004 (game 4) vs. Tampa Bay.  Martin St. Louis broke a scoreless tie midway through the 2nd period with the shorty. 

Fastest 2 Goals in a Playoff Game (Isles history)

• 0:13 – 4/28/2014 vs. Washington  (Tomas Jonsson, Greg Gilbert)

• 0:14 -  5/1/1975 vs. Philadelphia (JP Parise, Denis Potvin)

• 0:14 – 4/23/2002 vs. Toronto (Shawn Bates, Dave Scatchard)

• 0:20 – 4/14/1987 vs. Washington (Brad Lauer, Pat LaFontaine)

• 0:24 – 5/22/2021 vs. Pittsburgh (Oliver Wahlstrom, Jordan Eberle)

Brock Best

Brock Nelson has 17 playoff goals for the Islanders, more than any Isles in the 2000s:

• Brock Nelson 17

• Josh Bailey 12

• Anthony Beauvillier 11

• John Tavares 11

Nelson's 17 goals are tied for 13th in Islander history with Jude Drouin and Billy Harris.  Nelson has scored more playoffs goals for the Isles than any other US-born player.

A Familiar Playoff Foe

This is the sixth all-time playoff meeting between the teams:

• 1975- Quarter-Finals. Isles won series 4 games to 3.

• 1982- Preliminary Series. Isles won series 3 games to 2.

• 1993- Division Final. Isles won series 4 games to 3.

• 2013- Conference Quarter-Finals. Pittsburgh won series 4 games to 2.

• 2019- First Round. Isles won series 4 games to 0. 

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 29 playoff series as a General Manager, which allowed him to pass Bill Torrey for second place on the all-time list in the 2020 Bubble. Glen Sather has 41 series wins.

Overtime is Our Time

The Isles are 37-21 (.638) all-time in overtime, including 18-9 (.667) on the road. Both percentages are 2nd-best (to Tampa Bay) in NHL history. The Isles are 1-0 in overtime this season; they have gone 8-8 in sixteen overtime games since 2015.

Overtime vs. Pittsburgh

The Isles are 4-3 all-time in playoff overtime games vs. Pittsburgh. The 1982, 1993 and 2013 series all ended on overtime goals.

• 04/10/82 @ Rick Kehoe L Pit 4:14 

• 04/13/82 Vs John Tonelli W Pit 6:19  

• 05/14/93 @ David Volek W Pit 5:16 

• 05/05/13 Vs Chris Kunitz L Pit 8:44

• 05/11/13 Vs Brooks Orpik L Pit 7:49

• 04/10/19 Vs Josh Bailey W Pit 4:39

• 05/16/21 @ Kyle Palmieri W Pit 16:30

Lead/Tie/Trailed

Game 1: Led: 3:43, Tied: 53:01, Trailed: 19:46 

Game 2: Led  0:00, Tied:   3:22, Trailed: 56:38

Game 3: Led  0:00, Tied:   7:44, Trailed: 52:16

Game 4: Led  31:53, Tied: 28:07, Trailed: 0:00

Series:    Led: 35:36, Tied: 92:14, Trailed: 128:40

Playoffs All-Time

The Isles improve to 163-135 in 298 all-time playoff games.  They are 91-51 at home (including 2-5 at Barclays, 5-2 in Toronto and 1-2 in Edmonton) and 72-84 on the road. In this year's playoffs, the Isles are 1-1 at home and 1-1 on the road.  The Isles will play their 300th playoff game on Wednesday (Game 6).

Coach Trotz

Barry Trotz is second among active coaches, trailing only Joel Quenneville, in both wins and games. Trotz' NHL record is 877-635-60-158 in 1,730 games. 

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville    962

3. Barry Trotz    877

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman   2,141

2. Joel Quenneville 1,761

3. Barry Trotz        1,730

Coach Trotz (Playoffs)

Barry Trotz has now coached 147 playoff games (74-73).  His 147 games are tied for 12th with Peter Laviolette while his 74 wins are 15th all time (2 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 19

• 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 34

• 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)

• Barry Trotz 4 (4-5)

• Jack Capuano 4 (4-5)

• Terry Simpson 3 (3-0)

• 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 2-0 when scoring first and are 0-2 when allowing the first goal in the playoffs.

The Shots

Isles          8-9-10=27    

Pittsburgh     8-12-10=30

Shots by Game

• Game 1: Isles 41, Pittsburgh 42

• Game 2: Isles 38, Pittsburgh 45

• Game 3: Isles 30, Pittsburgh 27

• Game 4: Isles 27, Pittsburgh 30

• Series:  Isles 136, Pittsburgh 144

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

In the Nets

Ilya Sorokin made 29 saves to improve to 2-0 in the 2021 playoffs and in his playoff career. 

 

Tristan Jarry made 23 saves but falls to 2-2 in this year's playoffs and 2-3 in his career.

Power Plays

The Isles were 2-5 on the power play in 7:13 of PP time, allowing a late shorthanded goal; Pittsburgh was 0-1 on the power play in 0:30 of PP time.

Power Plays by Game

• Game 1: Isles 0-2 (4:00, 2 shots), Pittsburgh 0-3 (6:00, 3 shots)

• Game 2: Isles 0-1 (1:28, 1 shot), Pittsburgh 0-2 (4:00, 1 shot)

• Game 3: Isles 1-4 (6:19, 4 shots), Pittsburgh 1-2 (2:37, 3 shots)

• Game 4: Isles 2-5 (7:13, 4 shots), Pittsburgh 0-1 (0:30, 0 shots)

• Series: Isles 1-7 (19:00, 11 shots), Pittsburgh 1-8 (13:07, 7 shots)

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 2-1 in the playoffs (1-1 in regulation and 1-0 in overtime) when they score at least three goals and 0-1 when they do not. 

Shutting the Door

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

One Goal Games

The Isles are 1-2 in the playoffs in one-goal games (0-2 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: Ryan Pulock (21:54);  Pittsburgh Brian Dumoulin (22:49)

Brock Nelson led Isles forwards with 20:53 of ice-time 

Isles record by ice-time leader: Adam Pelech (1-0), Nick Leddy (0-1), Ryan Pulock (1-1)

Face-offs

Isles 33, Pittsburgh 17 (66%)  

Casey Cizikas won 12 of 17 for the Isles; no Penguin won more than he lost.  

Face-offs by Game

• Game 1: Isles 33, Pittsburgh 37 (47%)

• Game 2: Isles 24, Pittsburgh 26 (48%)

• Game 3: Isles 30, Pittsburgh 27 (53%)

• Game 4; Isles 33, Pittsburgh 17 (66%)

• Series: Isles 120, Pittsburgh 107 (53%)

Hit Count

Isles 31 (Ryan Pulock -8)

Pittsburgh 34 (Brandon Tanev and Jason Zucker-6)

Hits Game by Game:

• Game 1: Isles 72, Pittsburgh 47 

• Game 2: Isles 46, Pittsburgh 37

• Game 3: Isles 46, Pittsburgh 29

• Game 4: Isles 31, Pittsburgh 34

• Series: Isles 197, Pittsburgh 147

Blocked Shots

Isles 14 (Ryan Pulock -3)

Pittsburgh 11 (Three with 2)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 44, Pittsburgh 60  

Corsi: 5-on-5 Isles 34, Pittsburgh 55

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  Mathew Barzal +1

Pittsburgh: Kris Letang and Bryan Rust +15

High Danger Chances:

All situations: Isles 16, Pittsburgh 7  

5-on-5 Isles 11, Pittsburgh 7

Corsi Game by Game:

• Game 1 (All) Isles 60, Pittsburgh 67;  (5-on-5) Isles 55, Pittsburgh 58

• Game 2 (All) Isles 51, Pittsburgh 68;  (5-on-5) Isles 44, Pittsburgh 64

• Game 3 (All) Isles 57, Pittsburgh 52;  (5-on-5) Isles 42, Pittsburgh 41

• Game 4 (All) Isles 44, Pittsburgh 60;  (5-on-5) Isles 34, Pittsburgh 55 

• Series: (All)  Isles 212, Pittsburgh 247;  (5-on-5) Isles 175, Pittsburgh 218

High-Danger Game by Game:

• Game 1 (All) Isles 8, Pittsburgh 11;  (5-on-5) Isles 6, Pittsburgh 10

• Game 2 (All) Isles 14, Pittsburgh 8;  (5-on-5) Isles 14, Pittsburgh 8

• Game 3 (All) Isles 17, Pittsburgh 11; (5-on-5) Isles 12, Pittsburgh 8

• Game 4 (All) Isles 16, Pittsburgh 7;  (5-on-5) Isles 11, Pittsburgh 7 

• Series: (All)  Isles 55, Pittsburgh 37; (5-on-5) Isles 43, Pittsburgh 33

Scratches

(Anders Lee), Cory Schneider, Sebastian Aho, Braydon Coburn, Kieffer Bellows, Ross Johnston, Travis Zajac, Michael Dal Colle

Playoff games lost: 5

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

• Kyle Palmieri (16:30 of OT on 5/16 vs. Pittsburgh – Game 1)

Post-Season Late Goals Allowed

• None

Playoff Challenges

• None

Active Islander Playoff Leaders: (As NYI)

Games:

Matt Martin 58

Josh Bailey 56

Casey Cizikas 54

Nick Leddy 52

Brock Nelson 52

Consecutive Games

Matt Martin 58

Nick Leddy 52

Brock Nelson 47

Goals:

Brock Nelson 17

Josh Bailey 12

Anthony Beauvillier 11

Jordan Eberle 10

JG Pageau 9

Cal Clutterbuck 8

Anders Lee 8

Mathew Barzal 7

Matt Martin 6

Nick Leddy 5

Assists:

Josh Bailey 27

Mathew Barzal 20

Jordan Eberle 15

Brock Nelson 15

Nick Leddy 13

Ryan Pulock 12

Points:

Josh Bailey 39

Brock Nelson 32

Mathew Barzal 27

Jordan Eberle 25

Anthony Beauvillier 18

Nick Leddy 18

Anders Lee 16

Penalty Minutes:

Matt Martin 70

Cal Clutterbuck 64

Casey Cizikas 42

PP Goals

Mathew Barzal 3

Anthony Beauvillier 3

Anders Lee 3

Jordan Eberle 3

Ryan Pulock 3

Josh Bailey 2

Brock Nelson 2 

Oliver Wahlstrom 1

Nick Leddy 1

SH Goals

Josh Bailey 1

 

GW Goals

Brock Nelson 5

Anthony Beauvillier 3

Jordan Eberle 3

Josh Bailey 2

Thomas Hickey 1

Mathew Barzal 1

Leo Komarov 1

Andy Greene 1

Scott Mayfield 1

Kyle Palmieri 1

Ryan Pulock 1

OT Goals 

Josh Bailey 1

Mathew Barzal 1

Thomas Hickey 1

Jordan Eberle 1

Kyle Palmieri 1

Goaltending

Semyon Varlamov 11-9  2.27 GAA, .919 save percentage

Ilya Sorokin 2-0 1.76 GAA, .944 save percentage

UP NEXT

MONDAY, MAY 24th  – ISLANDERS AT PITTSBURGH 7:00pm

[MSG/MSG+ (Pre-game at 6:30), WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN 98.7]

The Isles look to retake the series lead when the teams meet in Game 5 of the series on Monday night.

The Isles are 5-6 all-time in series tied 2-2 (but are 4-3 when the series, like this one, opened on the road), while Pittsburgh is 15-9. 

The Isles are 6-2 in playoff games against Pittsburgh under Barry Trotz, including 3-1 at PPG Paints Arena.

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