The Skinny: Chicago 3, Isles 2 (SO)

"The Skinny"      

By Eric Hornick

Game 20

Chicago 3, Isles 2 (SO)

Noah Dobson scored at 19:56 of the third period to earn the Isles a point for the third straight game but Patrick Kane scored the only goal of the shootout as the Chicago Blackhawks edged the Isles 3-2 before another sellout crowd of 17,255 at UBS Arena.

The Isles are winless in 11 (0-8-3) and are 0-4-2 in their new home.

JG Pageau's power play tally had tied the game in the second period, but it was up to Dobson to force overtime with the latest tying goal by an Islander since March 3, 2015 (Anders Lee in Dallas).

The Isles have points in three consecutive games (0-0-3) but remain five games under NHL-.500 for the first time since January 16, 2012 (16-21-6). 

The Scoring:

1st Period

Brandon Hagel (8) Alex DeBrincat (5), Seth Jones (19) 06:49 CHI 1 ,NYI 0 PPG

2nd Period

Jean-Gabriel Pageau (2) Sebastian Aho (2), Mathew Barzal (7) 08:03 CHI 1, NYI 1 PPG

3rd Period

Dylan Strome (2) 05:59 CHI 1 ,NYI 2

Noah Dobson (1) Mathew Barzal (8), Josh Bailey (6) 19:56 CHI 2, NYI 2

OT

No Goals

The Shootout

Oliver Wahlstrom (NG) - Jonathan Toews (NG)

Mathew Barzal (NG) - Patrick Kane (G/GDG)

Anthony Beauvillier (NG)

The Blackhawks are 4-0 all-time against the Isles in shootouts; Jonathan Toews had the deciding goal in the first three…The Isles have lost four straight shootouts after winning the four before that…Patrick Kane now has 49 shootout goals, tying former Islander Frans Nielsen for 2nd all-time; Toews holds the record with 51…Marc-Andre Fleury tied Henrik Lundqvist's NHL record with 61 shootout win; he retains his edge over Semyon Varlamov as #'s 1-2 in shootout save percentage (minimum 150 shots).

The Skinny         

The Isles have been outscored 41-13 (including shootout winners) in their 11-game winless streak. It's the first time since a 14-game streak in November/December 2010 that the Isles have gone eleven straight without a win… The Blackhawks improve to 5-2 in games decided beyond 60 minutes while the Isles are 0-5 in OT/SO; the Isles have lost eight straight (regular season) OT/SO games dating back to last season…Noah Dobson played a career-high 26:14 (one night after playing a career-high 24:18)…Mathew Barzal recorded two assists for his second consecutive game; he played a career-high 25:20 …The Isles already have more power play goals in December (3) than they had in November (1)…Marc-Andre Fleury recorded his 499th NHL win in his 899th NHL game…The Isles allowed the opening goal but rallied to get a point for the first time this season (0-7-1)…It is the first time in NHL history that a team has gone winless in six games to open a new building.

First Times in a Long Time

• Noah Dobson played a career-high 26:14; it is the highest ice-time for any Islander since Ryan Pulock played 26:31 in the final game before COVID suspended the 2019-20 season (3-10-2020 in Vancouver).

• Mathew Barzal played a career-high 25:20; it the highest ice-time for any Islander forward since John Tavares played 25:27 in a regulation win in Columbus on December 12, 2015.

• The Isles scored a tying goal in the final minute for the first time since February 25, 2020, when Brock Nelson tied the Rangers (JG Pageau debut game).  

• The Isles scored a 6-on-5 goal for the first time since March 5, 2020, in Ottawa (however, that goal only brought the Islanders within one)

• It's the first time in March 3-8, 2018 (Pittsburgh/OT, Vancouver/OT, Edmonton/SO) that the Isles have lost three consecutive games, all in overtime or shootouts.  It's the third time in club history that they have earned one point in three consecutive games; they have never done that in four straight games.

Final 4

Noah Dobson is the seventh player in Islander history to score a tying goal in the final four seconds of regulation time. Blackhawk interim coach Derek King is one of the others:

• 12/26/1991    vs New Jersey  Derek King 19:59

• 11/18/1986   @ Quebec Bryan Trottier 19:59

• 3/3/2015     @ Dallas Anders Lee 19:58

• 12/27/2008   @ Buffalo Chris Campoli 19:58

• 1/13/2007     vs New Jersey Miroslav Satan 19:58

• 2/26/2002     vs Boston Michael Peca 19:58

• 12/5/2021     vs Chicago Noah Dobson 19:56

Quick Responses Against

The Isles have allowed a goal within three minutes of scoring one five times this season, including four times in this winless streak:

• 10/14  Carolina 1:52

• 11/15 Tampa  :23

• 11/24 NYR  :20

• 12/4 Detroit 2:33 

• 12/4 Detroit 2:30 

The COVID List

Casey Cizikas is the lone Islander still in protocol while Ryan Pulock and Brock Nelson remain on the injured list.

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. By the time the Isles hit the Olympic/All-Star Break, they will have played 25 of their 47 games at home.

Histor-Z

Zdeno Chara played in his 1,625th NHL game. Chara is 3rd among defensemen in games played:

• Chris Chelios 1,651  

• Scott Stevens 1,635

• Zdeno Chara 1,625

Chelios is 8th among all players in games played, Stevens is 10th and Chara is 11th.

Home and Road

The Isles are 5-10-5 overall; they are 0-4-2 at home and 5-6-3 on the road.

Chicago is 9-13-2 overall; they are 5-5-1 at home and 4-8-1 on the road.

Home is Where the Fans Are

The Isles have played six home games and sold out all of them. They are the six largest indoor crowds to ever see the Islanders play at home.

Leader of the Pack

Barry Trotz has coached more games and recorded more victories than any other active coach. Trotz' NHL record is 882-645-60-163 in 1,750 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        1,750

Sweet Lou

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

1. David Poile 1,459

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 5-3-4 when scoring first and are 0-7-1 when allowing the opening goal. 

The Shots

Isles    8-7-9-0=24

Chicago    10-4-10-2=26

The Isles are 1-3-2 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even and 4-6-3 when they are outshot. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 68-42-16 when outshot.

In the Nets

Semyon Varlamov made 24 saves; he is 0-4-1 on the season and 14-6-4 vs. Chicago.  He is 33-20 in shootouts.

Marc-Andre Fleury made 22 saves and improves to 7-9-0 on the season and 27-12-5 vs. the Isles.  He is 61-35 in shootouts; the 61 shootout wins tie Henrik Lundqvist's NHL record

Special Teams

The Isles were 1-4 on the power play (7:19); Chicago was 1-2 on the power play (3:19).

The Isles are 1-2-3 when they score at least one power play goal and 4-8-2 when they do not. The Isles are 1-5-2 when they allow at least one power play goal and 4-5-3 when they do not.

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 3-1-1 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 2-9-4 when they do not. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 92-10-12 when scoring three or more.

One-Goal Games

The Isles are 0-1-5 in games decided by a single goal including 0-1 in regulation. They are 0-3 in games decided in overtime and are 0-2 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 2-2-1 in the front end and 1-3-1 in the back end. The next back-to-back will be December 19th vs. Vegas and December 20th vs. Montreal.

 

Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 22-7-5 (.727) in back-ends. 

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: Noah Dobson (career-high 26:14); Chicago: Seth Jones (28:45)

Mathew Barzal led Isles forwards with a career-high 25:20 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 (2-2-1), Zdeno Chara (1-1-0), Sebastian Aho (0-1-0), Robin Salo (0-2-0), Scott Mayfield (0-1-0), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (0-1-0), Noah Dobson (0-0-2).

Face-offs

Isles 29, Chicago 19 (60%)

Jean-Gabriel Pageau won 15 of 19 for the Isles (a post-game scoring change eliminated a 16th win; Ryan Carpenter won 4 of 4 for Chicago. 

The Isles are 2-8-3 when they win more face-offs than the opposition, 0-0-1 when face-offs are even, and 3-2-1 when they win fewer.

Hit Count

Isles 24 (Zdeno Chara –season high 6)

Chicago 16 (Six with 2)

Fights 

There were no fights. Season total: 8 (Martin-2, Mayfield 1, Chara 1, Nelson 1, Palmieri 1, Pageau 1, Wahlstrom 1)

 

Blocked Shots

Isles 13 (Sebastian Aho -3)

Chicago 12 (Calvin deHaan -3)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 52, Chicago 51

Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 32, Chicago 40

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  Scott Mayfield +10

Chicago: Kirby Dach +8

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)

All situations: Isles12, Chicago 8

5-on-5: Isles 6, Chicago 5

Scratches

(Ryan Pulock -LTIR, Brock Nelson -INJ) (Casey Cizikas- COVID Protocol), Robin Salo, Matt Martin, Otto Koivula

Games Lost: 56 (25 to injuries and 31 to COVID protocol)

Iron Man

Scott Mayfield is the only Islander to play in least 100 consecutive games; he played his 109th 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 one goal and allowed no goals in the final three minutes of the third period that were either the winning goal or forced overtime:

For: 1  (Noah Dobson 19:56 – 12/6/21 vs CHI; Isles lost in SO)

Vs:  0  

All-time Islander Leader Boards:

Games Played (skaters)

1. Bryan Trottier 1,123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1,060 *** 3. Josh Bailey 934…

11. Derek King 638 *** 12. Matt Martin 631 *** 13. Billy Harris 623 *** 14. Stefan Persson 622 *** 15. Brock Nelson 619 *** 16. Frans Nielsen and Casey Cizikas 606 … 

21. Ken Morrow 550 *** 22. Cal Clutterbuck 548 ***  23. Duane Sutter 547 *** 24. Lorne Henning 543 *** 25. Claude Lapointe and Anders Lee 535

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 355…

20. Pierre Turgeon 193 *** 21. Mathew Barzal 184…

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 518 …

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 265

Games Coached 

1. Al Arbour 1,500 *** 2. Jack Capuano 483 *** 3. Barry Trotz 226

 

Coaching Wins

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

On the Farm

Bridgeport dropped to 7-12-1-2 with a 3-2 loss to Charlotte. Chris Terry and Andy Andreoff scored for the Isles

Bridgeport is off until Saturday, when they host Toronto. 

Season Series Stats

The teams split the season series 1 game to 1 (the Isles earned 3 points to Chicago's 2).  

The Isles are 3-2-2 in the last seven games against the Hawks.

UP NEXT

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7th–ISLANDERS AT OTTAWA 7:00pm 

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

The Isles head North of the Border for a single game as they face the Senators in Ottawa.  It will be the first meeting of the teams since March 5, 2020, when Brady Tkachuk's third period goal was the difference in a 4-3 Sens win.

Despite that loss, the Isles are 6-1-0 in their last seven games against Ottawa.

Following this game, the Isles will play nine of their next 11 games at home.

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