The Skinny: Isles 4, New Jersey 2

"The Skinny"      

By Eric Hornick

Game 23

Isles 4, New Jersey 2

Zach Parise's first goal as an Islander was a shorthanded, game winning tally as the Isles rewarded their eighth consecutive sellout crowd with the first victory at UBS Arena, defeating the New Jersey Devils 4-2 before the now customary sellout crowd of 17,255.

 

Jean-Gabriel Pageau set up the winning tally and then scored an insurance goal in the third period as the Isles improved to 2-1-3 in their last six games.

The Scoring:

1st Period

Jesper Bratt (8) Jonas Siegenthaler (6) 17:01 NJD 1,NYI 0

Noah Dobson (3) Mathew Barzal (11), Oliver Wahlstrom (4) 17:45 NJD 1,NYI 1 PPG

Jack Hughes (4) Pavel Zacha (6) 18:25 NJD 2,NYI 1

2nd Period

Andy Greene (1) Mathew Barzal (12), Josh Bailey (8) 08:33 NJD 2,NYI 2

Zach Parise (1) Jean-Gabriel Pageau (5), Scott Mayfield (4) 16:33 NJD 2,NYI 3 SHG

3rd Period

Jean-Gabriel Pageau (4) Oliver Wahlstrom (5) 09:37 NJD 2,NYI 4

The Skinny         

Oliver Wahlstrom had a pair of assists for his third consecutive multi-point game…Mathew Barzal extended his point streak to six games (1-8-9) and his assist streak to five games (eight assists)…Noah Dobson scored his third goal in the last four games as he became the only third Islander defenseman in the last 23 years to score in three consecutive home games…The Isles ended their home winless streak at seven games (0-5-2)…Zdeno Chara got in a fight for the second straight game; it was his 74th NHL fight…Chara now has a team-leading 53 penalty minutes to go along with his three fights…Josh Bailey had a season-high four shots…Zach Parise recorded his 8th career shorthanded goal; it was the best game-winning shorty of his career and the first shorthanded game winner by an Islander since Bailey did so in Tampa Bay on December 9, 2019…The Isles have scored 17 goals in the last five games after scoring only ten times in the prior ten games…The Devils played without Nico Hischier and Ryan Graves, who both entered COVID protocol…The Islander defense combined for three points (2-1-3); the defense has scored four goals in the last four games (Dobson 3, Greene) after scoring only one (Mayfield) in the first 19 games…The Isles won despite allowing the first goal and trailing after one period; it was the first time this season that either has happened…The Isles' power play improved to 5-13 (38.5%) in the last five games, after going 5-49 in the first eighteen games. It is the first time since December 12-19, 2019, that the Isles have scored five power play goals in a five game span.

The Healthy!

Casey Cizikas and Brock Nelson both returned to the lineup.  Ryan Pulock is the lone Islander on the injured list. 

Lots of Firsts

• The Isles played their first game without a player missing due to COVID for the first time since November 16th

• Zach Parise scored his first goal as an Islander (394th of his NHL career)

• Andy Greene scored his first goal against the Devils

• The Isles scored two goals in a period at UBS

• The Isles held a two-goal lead at UBS

It all adds up to the most important first: the first win in this beautiful new arena!

For the History Books

• First win at Nassau Coliseum – October 12, 1972 (Los Angeles)

• First win at Barclays Center - October 12, 2015 (Winnipeg)

• First win at UBS Arena – December 11, 2021 (New Jersey)

First Time in a Long Time

The Isles beat a starting goalie who was making his NHL debut for the first time since defeating Buffalo's Andrey Makarov (4-4-2015) in his only NHL game.  Since then, Aaron Dell, Ilya Samsonov and Michael Hauser have beaten the Isles in their NHL debut.

Dobson Hot at Home

Noah Dobson has three goals in the last four games after scoring only four times in his first 97 games.  Dobson is the first Islander defenseman since Nick Leddy (2018) to score in three consecutive home games.  Prior to Leddy, Mark Streit (four game streak in 2008) and Bryan Berard (1998) were the last Islander d-men to do so.  Streit and Denis Potvin (five games in 1978, four games in 1988) are the only Isle defensemen to score in at least four straight home games.

Nice Company

Zach Parise recorded his 77th career game-wining goal; among active players only Alex Ovechkin (118) and Jeff Carter have more.

Ilya Sorokin recorded his 20th win in his 39th game with the Islanders; among players to debut with the Isles, only Roland Melanson (34) and Chico Resch (38) did it faster.

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.

Lots of Home Cooking

The Isles are in a stretch where they are playing nine out of eleven games at home.  The Isles are 1-1-0 in this stretch:

• 12/9 vs. Nashville L 3-4

• 12/11 vs. New Jersey W 4-2

• 12/14 @ Detroit

• 12/16 vs. Boston

• 12/19 vs. Vegas

• 12/20 vs. Montreal

• 12/23 vs. Washington

• 12/27 @ Buffalo

• 12/29 vs. Detroit

• 12/30 vs. Buffalo

• 1/1/2022 vs. Edmonton

Histor-Z

Zdeno Chara played in his 1,628th NHL game. Chara is 3rd among defensemen in games played:

• Chris Chelios 1,651  

• Scott Stevens 1,635

• Zdeno Chara 1,628

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

Home and Road

The Isles are 7-11-5 overall; they are 1-5-2 at home and 6-6-3 on the road.

New Jersey is 10-11-5 overall; they are 7-5-3 at home and 3-6-2 on the road.

Home is Where the Fans Are

The Isles have played eight home games and sold out all of them. They are the eight 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 884-646-60-163 in 1,753 games. 

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  969

3. Barry Trotz    884

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman   2,141

2. Joel Quenneville 1,768

3. Barry Trotz        1,753

Sweet Lou

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

1. David Poile 1,462

2. Lou Lamoriello 1,333

3. Glen Sather 1,319

It All Starts at the Top

Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz have 2,217 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 6-4-4 when scoring first and are 1-7-1 when allowing the opening goal. 

The Shots

Isles    10-7-12=29

New Jersey    10-9-13=32

The Isles are 1-3-2 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even and 6-7-3 when they are outshot. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 70-43-16 when outshot.

In the Nets

Ilya Sorokin made 30 saves to improve to 7-6-4 on the season and 4-2-0 vs. New Jersey.

Akira Schmid made 25 saves in his NHL debut.  

Special Teams

The Isles were 1-2 on the power play (2:07); New Jersey was 0-3 on the power play (4:54) and allowed a shorthanded goal.

The Isles are 2-3-3 when they score at least one power play goal and 5-8-2 when they do not. The Isles are 2-5-2 when they allow at least one power play goal and 5-6-3 when they do not.

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 5-2-1 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 94-11-12 when scoring three or more.

One-Goal Games

The Isles are 0-2-5 in games decided by a single goal including 0-2 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

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.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Adam Pelech (24:48); New Jersey: Damon Severson (26:00)

Anders Lee led Isles forwards with 18:21 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 (4-2-1), Zdeno Chara (1-1-0), Sebastian Aho (0-1-0), Robin Salo (0-2-0), Scott Mayfield (0-2-0), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (0-1-0), Noah Dobson (0-0-2).

Face-offs

Isles 38, New Jersey 24 (61%)

Jean-Gabriel Pageau won 12 of 14 for the Isles; Michael McLeod won 11 of 15 for New Jersey. 

The Isles are 4-8-3 when they win more face-offs than the opposition, 0-0-1 when face-offs are even, and 3-3-1 when they win fewer.

Hit Count

Isles 21 (Cal Clutterbuck -5)

New Jersey 15 (Two with 3)

Fights 

Zdeno Chara fought Mason Geersten in the first period. Season total: 10 (Chara 3, Martin 2, Mayfield 1, Nelson 1, Palmieri 1, Pageau 1, Wahlstrom 1)

 

Blocked Shots

Isles 18 (Brock Nelson and Zach Parise -3)

New Jersey 12 (Dawson Mercer -3)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 55, New Jersey 59

Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 44, New Jersey 47

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  Mathew Barzal +14

New Jersey: Jesper Bratt +11

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)

All situations: Isles 11, New Jersey 7

5-on-5: Isles 9, New Jersey 6

Scratches

(Ryan Pulock -LTIR), Anthony Beauvillier, Matt Martin, Sebastian Aho

Games Lost: 62 (29 to injuries and 32 to COVID protocol)

Iron Man

Scott Mayfield played in his 112th consecutive game.

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 one goal in the final three minutes of the third period that were either the winning goal or forced overtime:

For: 1  (Noah Dobson 19:56 – 12/5/21 vs CHI; Isles lost in SO)

Vs:  1 (Eeli Tolvanen 19:48 – 12/9/21 vs NSH; GWG)

All-time Islander Leader Boards:

Games Played (skaters)

1. Bryan Trottier 1,123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1,060 *** 3. Josh Bailey 937…

11. Derek King 638 *** 12. Matt Martin 631 *** 13. Billy Harris 623 *** 14. Stefan Persson 622 *** 15. Brock Nelson 620 *** 16. Casey Cizikas 607 … 

20. John Tonelli 594 *** 21. Cal Clutterbuck 551 *** 22. Ken Morrow  550 ***  23. Duane Sutter 547 *** 24. Lorne Henning 543 *** 25. Anders Lee 539

Goals

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

11. John Tonelli 206 *** 12. Anders Lee 191 *** 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 357…

20. Pierre Turgeon 193 *** 21. Mathew Barzal 187…

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 520 …

17. Frans Nielsen 349 *** 18. Pierre Turgeon 340 *** 19 Brock Nelson 339 *** 20. Tomas Jonsson 333 *** 21. Ziggy Palffy 331 *** 22. Anders Lee 329…

26. Ed Westfall 286 *** 27. Mathew Barzal 269

Games Coached 

1. Al Arbour 1,500 *** 2. Jack Capuano 483 *** 3. Barry Trotz 229

 

Coaching Wins

1. Al Arbour 740 *** 2. Jack Capuano 227 *** 3. Barry Trotz 122

On the Farm

Bridgeport is 8-12-1-2 on the season following a come-from-behind 5-4 win over Toronto on Saturday night. Andy Andreoff and Otto Koivula scored 77 seconds apart to give the Isles the win; Austin Czarnik chipped in with three points (1-2-3).  The Isles host the Belleville Senators on Sunday afternoon.

Season Series Stats

The season series is tied 1 game to 1 (and 2 points to 2).  

The Isles are 8-3-0 in the last eleven games against the Devils.

UP NEXT

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 14th– ISLANDERS AT DETROIT 7:30pm 

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

The Isles head back to Detroit for the second time in ten days as they once again face the Red Wings.

Detroit beat the Isles 3-2 in overtime back on December 4th, however the Isles are 7-1-1 in their last nine games against the Red Wings, with both losses by a single goal.

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