The Skinny: Pittsburgh 5, Isles 4 (Pittsburgh leads series, 2-1)

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

First Round Game 3

Pittsburgh 5, Isles 4

Pittsburgh leads Best-of-7 series, 2-1

Brandon Tanev scored the winning goal with 3:36 to play to cap a wild third period as the Pittsburgh Penguins held off the Isles 5-4 to take a 2-1 lead in their First Round series before a socially-distant crowd of 6,250 at the Nassau Coliseum. 

The Isles erased leads of 1-0, 3-1, and 4-3 to tie the score on three separate occasions but could never find the lead goal as they dropped the first playoff game played on Coliseum ice in 25 months.

Game 4 will be played at the Coliseum on Saturday; the game will be televised nationally by NBC. 

The Scoring: 

1st Period

Kris Letang (1) 02:01 PIT 1,NYI 0

2nd Period

Scott Mayfield (1) Mathew Barzal (1), Jordan Eberle (1) 11:03 PIT 1,NYI 1

Jeff Carter (2) Frederick Gaudreau (1), Marcus Pettersson (1) 13:33 PIT 2,NYI 1

Jason Zucker (1) Evgeni Malkin (2), Kris Letang (1) 18:03 PIT 3,NYI 1

3rd Period

Cal Clutterbuck (1) Casey Cizikas (1), Scott Mayfield (1) 03:46 PIT 3,NYI 2

Anthony Beauvillier (1) Mathew Barzal (2), Noah Dobson (2) 05:54 PIT 3,NYI 3 PPG

Jeff Carter (3) Evgeni Malkin (1) 07:00 PIT 4,NYI 3 PPG

Cal Clutterbuck (2) Scott Mayfield (2) 14:17 PIT 4,NYI 4

Brandon Tanev (1) Kris Letang (2), Zach Aston-Reese (1) 16:24 PIT 5,NYI 4

The Series (Pittsburgh leads, 2-1)

Game 1: Isles 4, Pittsburgh 3 (OT)

Game 2: Pittsburgh 2, Isles 1

Game 3: Pittsburgh 5, Isles 4

Game 4: Saturday at Isles (3:00)

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

Game 6: Wednesday, May 26 at Isles (if needed)

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

The Skinny 

The Isles are 4-3 in game 3's under Barry Trotz… Nick Leddy played his 51st playoff game as an Islander and was finally penalized as part of the 10-player confrontation in the third period. Pierre Turgeon now once again has played the most playoff games for the Isles without ever being penalized: 15…The Isles were credited with 46 hits, giving them 164 hits in the series … Scott Mayfield and Kris Letang each had three points; it was the first time an Islander defenseman has had three points in a playoff game since May 7, 2013 (Mark Streit, also vs. Pittsburgh) while it was the 5th time in his playoff career Letang has done so…Mayfield leads the Islanders with 4 points in the series (1-3-4); he had a 5th point reversed by the NHL on Wednesday… Cal Clutterbuck scored twice in a playoff game for the first time in his career; he matched Anthony Beauvillier's bubble feat of scoring twice in a period – they are the only two to do so for the Isles since Shane Prince did so in 2016 (game 1 vs. Tampa Bay)..The five goals allowed by Semyon Varlamov matches a career playoff-high; he allowed five goals only once in the regular season (1/28 at Washington)…An Islander defenseman had a point on all four goals that they scored tonight (Mayfield 3, Noah Dobson 1); the defense has seven points (1-6-7) on the Isles' nine goals in the series…The Isles scored the first goal of the series, but have not led during actual play since; Pittsburgh scored goals 2:30, 1:06, and 2:07 after Islander goals tonight.….Pittsburgh led for only 4:51 during the Isles' sweep in 2019; the Isles have led for only 3:43 in the first three games of this series.

First Time in a Long Time

• The Isles rallied to tie three times in a playoff game for the first time since April 14, 2016 (game 1) vs. Florida.

• The Isles rallied to tie three times, but lost, for the first time since April 15, 1982 (game 1) vs. the Rangers.

• The Isles scored four goals but lost a playoff game in regulation for the first time since April 26, 1993 (game 5) vs. Washington.

• The Isles lost a playoff game on Coliseum ice for the first time since April 21, 2015 (game 4) vs. Washington.

About Those Coincidental Penalties

Here is the explanation from the NHL as to why Sidney Crosby was released from the penalty box following Anthony Beauvillier's goal:

As all penalties were assessed at the same stoppage, the Coincidental Penalty Rule (19.5) is applied – cancelling as many minors as possible regardless of occurrence. PIT designates the player to serve the remaining minor before penalty starts. In this instance PIT chose Crosby.

Brock Best

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

• Brock Nelson 17

• Josh Bailey 11

• 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

Series:    Led: 3:43, Tied: 64:07, Trailed: 128:40

Playoffs All-Time

The Isles fall to 162-135 in 2976 all-time playoff games.  They are 90-51 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 0-1 at home and 1-1 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 146 playoff games (73-73).  His 146 games are tied for 12th with Peter Laviolette while his 73 wins are 15th all time (3 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 18

• 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 33

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

The Shots

Isles          10-7-13=30    

Pittsburgh     12-6-9=27

Shots by Game

• Game 1: Isles 41, Pittsburgh 42

• Game 2: Isles 38, Pittsburgh 45

• Game 3: Isles 30, Pittsburgh 27

• Series:  Isles 109, Pittsburgh 114

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

In the Nets

Semyon Varlamov made 22 saves but falls to 0-2 in the 2021 playoffs and 24-22 in his playoff career. 

 

Tristan Jarry made 26 saves; he is 2-1 in this year's playoffs and 2-2 in his career.

Power Plays

The Isles were 1-4 on the power play in 6:19 of PP time; Pittsburgh was 1-2 on the power play in 2:37 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)

• Series: Isles 1-7 (11:47, 7 shots), Pittsburgh 0-5 (12:37, 7 shots)

Three is (Usually) a Magic Number

The Isles are 1-1 in the playoffs (0-0 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 0-1 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 (22:15);  Pittsburgh Kris Letang (24:20)

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 (0-1)

Face-offs

Isles 30, Pittsburgh 27 (53%)  

Casey Cizikas won 10 of 14 for the Isles; Jeff Carter won 14 of 20 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%)

• Series: Isles 87, Pittsburgh 90 (49%)

Hit Count

Isles 46 (Ryan Pulock -8)

Pittsburgh 29 (Brandon Tanev-8)

Hits Game by Game:

• Game 1: Isles 72, Pittsburgh 47 

• Game 2: Isles 46, Pittsburgh 37

• Game 3: Isles 46, Pittsburgh 29

• Series: Isles 166, Pittsburgh 113

Blocked Shots

Isles 17 (Ryan Pulock -3)

Pittsburgh 18 (Six with 2)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 57, Pittsburgh 52  

Corsi: 5-on-5 Isles 42, Pittsburgh 41

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  Scott Mayfield +8

Pittsburgh: John Marino +7

High Danger Chances:

All situations: Isles 17, Pittsburgh 11  

5-on-5 Isles 12, 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

• Series: (All)  Isles 168, Pittsburgh 187;  (5-on-5) Isles 141, Pittsburgh 163

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

• Series: (All)  Isles 39, Pittsburgh 30; (5-on-5) Isles 32, Pittsburgh 26

Scratches

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

Playoff games lost: 4

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 57

Josh Bailey 55

Casey Cizikas 53

Nick Leddy 51

Brock Nelson 51

Consecutive Games

Matt Martin 57

Nick Leddy 51

Brock Nelson 46

Goals:

Brock Nelson 17

Josh Bailey 11

Anthony Beauvillier 11

JG Pageau 9

Jordan Eberle 9

Cal Clutterbuck 8

Anders Lee 8

Mathew Barzal 7

Matt Martin 6

Nick Leddy 5

Assists:

Josh Bailey 27

Mathew Barzal 19

Jordan Eberle 15

Brock Nelson 14

Nick Leddy 12

Ryan Pulock 12

Points:

Josh Bailey 38

Brock Nelson 31

Mathew Barzal 26

Jordan Eberle 24

Anthony Beauvillier 18

Nick Leddy 17

Anders Lee 16

Penalty Minutes:

Matt Martin 70

Cal Clutterbuck 62

Casey Cizikas 42

PP Goals

Mathew Barzal 3

Anthony Beauvillier 3

Anders Lee 3

Ryan Pulock 3

Josh Bailey 2

Jordan Eberle 2

Brock Nelson 2 

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

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 1-0 2.35 GAA, .929 save percentage

UP NEXT

SATURDAY, MAY 22nd  –PITTSBURGH AT ISLANDERS 3:00pm

[NBC-Channel 4 in NY, WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN 98.7]

The Isles will look to even the series when the teams meet in Game 4 of the series on Saturday afternoon.

The Isles are 4-13 all-time in series after trailing 2-1 (having lost seven straight series since dethroning the Penguins in 1993), while Pittsburgh is 18-7 when leading 2 games to 1. 

The Isles are 5-2 in playoff games against Pittsburgh under Barry Trotz, including 2-1 at 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