The Skinny: Calgary 5, Isles 2

"The Skinny"      

By Eric Hornick

Game 14

Calgary 5, Isles 2

Andrew Mangiapane scored two goals as the Calgary Flames spoiled the debut of UBS Arena with a 5-2 victory over the Islanders before a sellout crowd of 17,255.

Brad Richardson earned the answer to the trivia question as the first goal scorer in the arena's history; Brock Nelson scored twice for the Islanders with each goal bringing the Isles within one.

However, the Isles, who had six players in COVID protocol, could not find the equalizer and allowed a pair of empty-netters for the final margin.

The Isles have lost five straight to fall two games under NHL-.500 for the first time since the opening weekend.

The Scoring:

1st Period

Brad Richardson (2) 04:05 CGY 1,NYI 0

Andrew Mangiapane (13) Noah Hanifin (4), Johnny Gaudreau (14) 13:18 CGY 2,NYI 0 PPG

Brock Nelson (8) Richard Panik (1), Kyle Palmieri (6) 19:37 CGY 2,NYI 1 PPG

2nd Period

Andrew Mangiapane (14) Noah Hanifin (5), Mikael Backlund (4) 06:43 CGY 3,NYI 1 PPG

3rd Period

Brock Nelson (9) 01:49 CGY 3,NYI 2

Trevor Lewis (1)EN 18:45 CGY 4,NYI 2

Johnny Gaudreau (7)EN Elias Lindholm (11), Noah Hanifin (6) 19:22 CGY 5,NYI 2

The Skinny         

The Isles fall to 28-15-6 in home openers (1-3-0 in the Trotz era)…Andrew Mangiapane has 13 goals in Calgary's first twelve road games (Austin Mathews led the NHL with 17 road goals in a 28-game road season last year)…The Isles had a season-high six power plays; they had as many as six only twice last season and had not had six at home since February 29, 2020 vs. Boston… The Isles allowed two empty-net goals late in the game; they have been outscored 19-10 in the third period (allowing five ENGs while scoring one)…Noah Hanifin's assist on the second empty-netter was his third assist of the game….The Flames have scored first in eleven straight road games (the NHL record is 16, by San Jose, in 2007-08).

The COVID List

The Isles were without six players due to covid protocol: Adam Pelech, Andy Greene, Josh Bailey, Anthony Beauvillier, Anders Lee and Ross Johnston. (Ryan Pulock is now on long-term injury reserve due to his injury).

The Newcomers

Four Islanders made their team debut: Robin Salo, Andy Andreoff, Richard Panik and Grant Hutton.  It was the first time since October 11, 2001, that four Islanders had debuted in the same game (Garth Snow, Ken Sutton, Marko Tuomainen, and Alexandre Kharitonov)

It was the NHL debut for both Robin Salo (team-high 21:42) and Grant Hutton (13:49).  The last time two Islanders debuted in the same game was on April 18, 2006,vs Philadelphia, when both Masi Marjamaki and Cole Jarrett appeared in their only NHL game.

Salo is only the third Islander since ice-time has been recorded to skate over 21 minutes in his NHL debut, joining John Tavares (22:05 in 2009) and Matt Donovan (21:52 in 2012).

First Times in a Long Time

• It was the first time since December 29, 2017 – January 5, 2018, that the Isles have lost five straight games, all in regulation. 

• It is the first time since 2017-2018 (six times) that the Isles have allowed at least four goals in five consecutive games.

• It is the first time since April 3, 2012 (Matt Donovan 21:52) that an Islander skater played over 21 minutes in his NHL debut.

First Time for Everything

The Isles allowed two empty-net goals in a game for the second time this month (November 7th vs. Minnesota).  It is the first time the Isles have allowed multiple EN goals in two games in the same season (let alone the same month).

Staying Close to Home

The Isles will not leave the Eastern Time Zone until January 4th in Seattle. The Islanders will not spend consecutive nights on the road at any point (playing consecutive road games only once – November 28th at The Garden and November 30th in Philadelphia).

Histor-Z

Zdeno Chara played in his 1,622nd game. Chara is now 3rd among defensemen in games played:

• Chris Chelios 1,651  

• Scott Stevens 1,635

• Zdeno Chara 1,622

Chelios is 8th among all players in games played, Stevens is 10th and Chara is 11th.  Chara celebrated the 24th anniversary of his NHL debut on Friday (November 19th).

Home and Road

The Isles are 5-7-2 overall; they are 0-1-0 at home and 5-6-2 on the road.

Calgary is 12-3-5 overall; they are 2-1-3 at home and 8-2-2 on the road.

Leader of the Pack

Barry Trotz has coached more games and recorded more victories than any other active coach. Trotz' NHL record is 882-642-60-160 in 1,744 games. 

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  969

3. Barry Trotz    882

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman   2,141

2. Joel Quenneville 1,768

3. Barry Trotz        1,744

Sweet Lou

Lou Lamoriello has the second-highest win total for any general manager in NHL history:

1. David Poile 1,455

2. Lou Lamoriello 1,331

3. Glen Sather 1,319

It All Starts at the Top

Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz have 2,213 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 5-3-2 when scoring first and are 0-4-0 when allowing the opening goal. 

The Shots

Isles    13-9-14=36

Calgary    9-15-7=31

The Isles are 1-3-2 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-0-0 when the shots are even and 4-4-0 when they are outshot. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 68-40-13 when outshot.

In the Nets

Semyon Varlamov made 26 saves but falls to 0-3-0 on the season and 7-10-2 vs. Calgary.  

Jacob Markstrom made 34 saves and improves to 7-3-4 on the season and 4-5-0 vs. the Isles.  

Special Teams

The Isles were 1-6 on the power play (10:06); Calgary was 2-4 on the power play (7:10).

The Isles are 1-2-1 when they score at least one power play goal and 4-5-1 when they do not. The Isles are 1-4-1 when they allow at least one power play goal and 4-3-1 when they do not.

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 3-1-0 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 2-6-2 when they do not. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 92-10-11 when scoring three or more.

One-Goal Games

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

Back-to-Backs

Including tonight, the Isles are 2-2-0 in the front end and 1-2-0 in the back end. This back-to-back will conclude on Sunday vs Toronto. The next back-to-back will be December 4th in Detroit and December 5th vs. Chicago.

 

Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 22-6-4 (.750) in back-ends. This is by far the best record of any NHL team in back-ends during this stretch. Tampa has the next best record: 21-9-3 (.682).

Matinee Isles

The Isles are 0-0-1 in matinees this season; the next matinee will be on December 19th against Vegas. The Isles will play a total of fourteen matinees this season, after playing only two in the shortened campaign last year.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Robin Salo (21:42); Calgary: Noah Hanifin (22:07)

Brock Nelson led Isles forwards with 19:47 of ice-time. 

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Ryan Pulock (2-1-1), Anthony Beauvillier (0-1-0), Mathew Barzal (0-0-1), Adam Pelech (2-2-0), Zdeno Chara (1-1-0), Sebastian Aho (0-1-0), Robin Salo (0-1-0)

Face-offs

Isles 27, Calgary 26 (51%)

Casey Cizikas won 9 of 13 for the Isles; Mikael Backlund won 11 of 17 for Calgary. 

The Isles are 2-6-0 when they win more face-offs than the opposition, 0-0-1 when face-offs are even, and 3-1-1 when they win fewer.

Hit Count

Isles 21 (Cal Clutterbuck -5)

Calgary 18 (Five with 2)

Fights 

There were no fights. Season total: 6 (Martin-2, Mayfield 1, Chara 1, Nelson 1, Palmieri 1)

 

Blocked Shots

Isles 16 (Robin Salo -4)

Calgary 13 (Erik Gudbranson -3)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 58, Calgary 52

Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 38, Calgary 35

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  Sebastian Aho and Richard Panik +7

Calgary: Rasmus Andersson +6

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)

All situations: Isles 18, Calgary 6

5-on-5: Isles 12, Calgary 5

Scratches

(Ryan Pulock -LTIR), (Josh Bailey, Anders Lee, Anthony Beauvillier, Ross Johnston, Andy Greene, Adam Pelech- COVID Protocol)

Games Lost: 20   (13 to injuries and 7 to COVID protocol)

Iron Man

Brock Nelson has the 2nd-longest streak in club history; he has appeared in every game since Barry Trotz became the Isles' coach:

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

2. Brock Nelson 3/16/2017 – CURRENT 315

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

4. Anders Lee 1/26/2017 – 3/13/2021 295

5. Mathew Barzal 10/6/2017- 5/3/2021 284

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

7. Ryan Pulock 12/29/2017 – 11/16/2021 263

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

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

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

 (*) Start of NHL career.

(**) Entire career with Islanders

Scott Mayfield is the only other Islander to play in least 100 consecutive games; he played his 103rd consecutive game tonight.

Challenges

Isles: 0 successful, 1 failure

The Isles are 0-0-0 in games that they are successful and 0-1-0 in games that they are unsuccessful.(no goalie interference 10/14 @CAR)

Opponents: 2 successful, 0 failures  

The Isles are 1-1-0 in games where opponents' challenges go their way and 0-0-0 in games where challenges go the Isles' way. (goalie interference 10/16 @FLA and 10/23 @ARI)

Last Minute Heroes:

The Isles have scored no goals and allowed no goals in the final three minutes of the third period that were either the winning goal or forced overtime:

For: 0  

Vs:  0  

All-time Islander Leader Boards:

Games Played (skaters)

1. Bryan Trottier 1,123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1,060 *** 3. Josh Bailey 931…

11. Derek King 638 *** 12. Matt Martin 626 *** 13. Billy Harris 623 *** 14. Stefan Persson 622 *** 15. Brock Nelson 618 *** 16. Frans Nielsen 606 *** 17. Casey Cizikas 603 … 

23. Lorne Henning 543 *** 24. Cal Clutterbuck 542 ***Claude Lapointe 535 *** 26. Kenny Jonsson and Anders Lee 532

Goals

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

11. John Tonelli 206 *** 12. Anders Lee 188 *** 13. Billy Harris 184 *** 14. Brock Nelson 177 *** 15. Ziggy Palffy 168 *** 16. Josh Bailey 163

Assists

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

4. Clark Gillies 359 *** 5. Josh Bailey 354…

20. Pierre Turgeon 193 *** 21. Ed Westfall 181 *** 22. Mathew Barzal 180…

26. Jean Potvin 167 *** 27. Jeff Norton 166 *** 28. Ziggy Palffy 163 *** 29. Brock Nelson 162

Points

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

9. Bob Bourne 542 *** 10. Josh Bailey 517 …

17. Frans Nielsen 349 *** 18. Pierre Turgeon 340 *** 19 Brock Nelson 339 *** 20. Tomas Jonsson 333 *** 21. Ziggy Palffy 331 *** 22. Anders Lee 324…

26. Ed Westfall 286 *** 27. Mathew Barzal 260

Games Coached 

1. Al Arbour 1,500 *** 2. Jack Capuano 483 *** 3. Barry Trotz 220

 

Coaching Wins

1. Al Arbour 740 *** 2. Jack Capuano 227 *** 3. Barry Trotz 120

On the Farm

Bridgeport fell to 5-8-1-2 with losses in Hartford (4-3) on Wednesday and Springfield (2-1) on Saturday. Chris Terry leads the team in goals with six, while Otto Koivula leads in assists (10) and points (13). 

Bridgeport continues their three-game set with Springfield at 3pm Sunday at Webster Bank Arena before returning to Springfield on Wednesday.

Season Series Stats

Calgary leads the season series 1 game to 0 (and 2 points to 0).  The teams will meet in Alberta on January 11th to complete the season series.

This was the first meeting of the teams in three seasons – the teams were not scheduled in 2020-21 and did not play in 2019-20 before COVID canceled the end of the regular season.  Overall, the Isles are 1-5-0 in the last six games against Calgary.

UP NEXT

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 201st–TORONTO AT ISLANDERS 7:30pm 

[MSG+ (pre-game begins at 7:00), WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN Radio]

The Isles waited through thirteen road games to play their first home game; their second home game comes just 24 ½ hours later as John Tavares leads the Maple Leafs into UBS Arena.

This will be Tavares' fourth game in New York since moving to Toronto; the Isles have won two of the first three.  Overall, the Isles are 3-2-0 vs. Toronto in the Trotz era, despite dropping the most recent meeting (3-0 in Toronto on January 4, 2020).

Note that this game, like most remaining Islander evening home games, is a 7:30 start.

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