The Skinny: Buffalo 6, Isles 3

"The Skinny"      

By Eric Hornick

Game 43

Buffalo 6, Isles 3       

Victor Olofsson broke a 3-3 tie with 2:55 to play and later added the second of two empty net goals as the Buffalo Sabres extended the Islander losing streak to three games with a 6-3 decision before a crowd of 9,296 at KeyBank Center.

Kyle Palmieri scored a pair of goals in his return to the lineup as the Islanders erased one-goal deficit three separate times. However, it was not enough as the Isles fell three games below NHL-.500 (17-20-6) for the first time in nearly seven weeks.

The Scoring:

1st Period

Kyle Okposo (10) Casey Fitzgerald (3), Cody Eakin (7) 10:53 NYI 0,BUF 1

Kyle Palmieri (2) Anthony Beauvillier (10), Sebastian Aho (3) 12:06 NYI 1,BUF 1

2nd Period

Tage Thompson (16) Dylan Cozens (11) 01:36 NYI 1,BUF 2 SHG

Anders Lee (13) Zdeno Chara (6), Mathew Barzal (20) 07:11 NYI 2,BUF 2

Alex Tuch (7) Peyton Krebs (4), Rasmus Dahlin (23) 19:59 NYI 2,BUF 3 PPG

3rd Period

Kyle Palmieri (3) Anders Lee (6), Noah Dobson (13) 09:56 NYI 3,BUF 3

Victor Olofsson (6) Peyton Krebs (5), Dylan Cozens (12) 17:05 NYI 3,BUF 4

Henri Jokiharju (3)EN Alex Tuch (12) 18:55 NYI 3,BUF 5

Victor Olofsson (7)EN Dylan Cozens (13) 19:34 NYI 3,BUF 6

The Skinny         

The Isles allowed the first goal for the ninth time in ten games... Ilya Sorokin suffered his third straight loss; he has allowed three goals or more in six of his last seven games… Mathew Barzal became the first Islander with 20 assists... Victor Olofsson's goals were his first since October 30th ; he is 5-5-10 in 13 games against the Isles...Mark Pysyk played in his 500th NHL goal…The Isles allowed at least 40 shots for the fourth time this season…The Isles allowed a pair of empty-net goals for the third time this season (at MIN 11/7, CLG 11/20)…It was the 25th career multi-goal game (regular season only) for Kyle Palmieri and his first as an Islander; Kyle did have a 2-goal game to open last season's playoffs…Both Palmieri and Sebastian Aho played their first games since their wives gave birth…The Isles are 1-17-2 when trailing after two periods...…It's the first time since February 13, 2011 that the Isles have allowed six goals to Buffalo.

Last Second Disappointments

The Isles allowed a (non-empty net) goal in the last minute of a period for the fourth time in the last ten games; three of those goals have come in the last six seconds of a period.:

• Pierre Engvall (TOR) 1/22   19:59 (1st pd)

• Andreas Athanasiou (LA) 1/27  19:54 (2nd pd)

• Cody Ceci (EDM) 2/11 19:03 (1st pd)

• Alex Tuch  tonight 19:59 (2nd pd)

This season, the Isles have allowed ten (non-empty net) goals in the final minute of the period.

Lots of Short Stuff

The Isles allowed their sixth shorthanded goal of the season; only three teams (LA, WSH, NJ) have allowed more. The six goals allowed this season equal the total allowed over the first three seasons under Barry Trotz.

Road Warriors

Beginning with the All-Star Break, the Isles are playing 9 of 11 on the road. The Isles are 1-3-0 in that stretch and have been outscored 17-12.

• 2/9 @ Vancouver 6-3 W

• 2/11 @ Edmonton 1-3 L

• 2/12 @ Calgary 2-5 L

• 2/15 @ Buffalo 3-6 L

• 2/17 Vs. Boston

• 2/20 Vs. Montreal

• 2/22 @ Seattle

• 2/24 @ San Jose

• 2/26 @ Los Angeles

• 2/27 @ Anaheim

• 3/1 @ Colorado 

Histor-Z

Zdeno Chara played in his 1,648th NHL game;  Chara is just three games behind Chris Chelios' record for NHL defensemen.

All-time Games:

7. Mark Recchi 1,652

8. Chris Chelios 1,651  

9. Zdeno Chara 1,648

Home and Road

The Isles are 17-20-6 overall; they are 9-11-3 at home and 8-9-3 on the road.

Buffalo is 16-24-8 overall; they are 8-12-4 at home and 8-12-4 on the road.

Home is Where the Fans Are

The Isles have played 22 home games and sold out 20 of them. They are the twenty 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 894-655-60-164 in 1,773 games.

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  970

3. Barry Trotz    894

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman   2,141

2. Barry Trotz        1,773

3. Joel Quenneville 1,768

Sweet Lou

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

1. David Poile 1,474 

2. Lou Lamoriello 1,343

3. Glen Sather 1,319

It All Starts at the Top

Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz have 2,237 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 13-4-4 when scoring first and are 4-16-2 when allowing the opening goal. 

The Shots

Isles    10-12-11=33

Buffalo    12-17-12=41

The Isles are 6-6-2 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even and 11-13-4 when they are outshot. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 76-49-17 when outshot.

In the Nets

Ilya Sorokin made 35 saves; he is 14-11-5 on the season and 3-1-1 vs. Buffalo. 

Dustin Tokarski made 30 saves; he is 5-6-4 on the season and 2-0-0 vs. the Isles.    

Special Teams

The Isles were 0-2 on the power play (4:00); Buffalo was 1-2 on the power play (2:59).

The Isles are 8-6-4 when they score at least one power play goal and 9-14-2 when they do not. The Isles are 5-8-3 when they allow at least one power play goal and 12-12-3 when they do not.

Three is (Usually) a Magic Number

The Isles are 15-4-2 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 2-15-4 when they do not. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 103-13-13 when scoring three or more.

One-Goal Games

The Isles are 4-5-6 in games decided by a single goal including 2-5 in regulation. They are 1-3 in games decided in overtime and are 1-3 in shootouts. The Isles are 0-5 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game (including one game the Isles scored after allowing an empty-netter).

Back-to-Backs

The Isles are 5-3-1 in the front end and 2-6-1 in the back end. The next back-to-back is scheduled for February 26th  in Los Angeles and February 27th in Anaheim.

 

Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 23-10-5 in back-ends. 

Matinee Isles

The Isles are 1-1-2 in matinees this season; the next matinee will be on February 20th against Montreal. The Isles are scheduled to play thirteen matinees this season.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Ryan Pulock (21:38); Buffalo: Rasmus Dahlin (24:41)

Anthony Beauvillier led Isles forwards with 18:10 of ice-time. 

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Ryan Pulock (2-2-1), Anthony Beauvillier (0-1-0), Mathew Barzal (0-0-1), Adam Pelech (6-4-2), Zdeno Chara (2-1-0), Sebastian Aho (0-1-0), Robin Salo (0-2-0), Scott Mayfield (0-2-0), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (0-1-0), Noah Dobson (6-7-2).

Face-offs

Isles 34, Buffalo 25 (58%)

Casey Cizikas won 13 of 19 for the Isles; Cody Eakin won 9 of 14 for Buffalo. 

The Isles are 9-12-4 when they win more face-offs than the opposition, 0-1-1 when face-offs are even, and 5-9-1 when they win fewer.

Hit Count

Isles 17 (Two with 3)

Buffalo 9 (Three with 2)

Fights 

There were no fights. Season total: 16 (Chara 4, Martin 4, Johnston 2, Bellows 1, Mayfield 1, Nelson 1, Palmieri 1, Pageau 1, Wahlstrom 1)

 

Blocked Shots

Isles 13 (Sebastian Aho -3)

Buffalo 8 (Rasmus Dahlin -3)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 48, Buffalo 64

Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 36, Buffalo 51

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  Two with +1

Buffalo: Henri Jokiharju +15

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)

All situations: Isles 15, Buffalo 13

5-on-5: Isles 14, Buffalo 8

Scratches

Kieffer Bellows, Andy Greene, Ross Johnston, (Semyon Varlamov – COVID)

Games Lost: 108 (61 to injuries and 47 to COVID protocol)

Iron Man

Scott Mayfield played in his 132nd consecutive game. Only two other Islanders (Zach Parise and Cal Clutterbuck) have played in every game this season.

Challenges

Isles: 1 successful, 1 failure

The Isles are 1-0-0 in games that they are successful and 0-1-0 in games that they are unsuccessful.(no goalie interference 10/14 @CAR, offside 1/18 @PHI)

Opponents: 3 successful, 0 failures  

The Isles are 1-1-1 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; offside 12/19 vs VGK)

Last Minute Heroes:

The Isles have scored one goal and allowed three 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 – 12/5/21 vs CHI; Isles lost in SO)

Vs:  2 (Eeli Tolvanen 19:48 – 12/9/21 vs NSH-GWG, Shea Theodore 19:12 – 12/19/21 vs VGK; Isles lost in SO)

All-time Islander Leader Boards:

Games Played (skaters)

1. Bryan Trottier 1,123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1,060 *** 3. Josh Bailey 957…

10. John Tavares 669 *** 11. Matt Martin 649  *** 12. Derek King and Brock Nelson 638 *** 14. Casey Cizikas 626 … 

20. John Tonelli 594 *** 21. Cal Clutterbuck 571 *** 22. Anders Lee 559

Goals

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

11. John Tonelli 206 *** 12. Anders Lee 197 *** 13. Billy Harris 184 *** 14. Brock Nelson 183 *** 15. Ziggy Palffy 168 *** 16. Josh Bailey 165

Assists

1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553 *** 4. Josh Bailey 367…

17. Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo 230 *** 19. Nick Leddy 198 *** 20. Mathew Barzal 196 *** 21. Pierre Turgeon 193 *** 22. Ed Westfall 181 *** 23. Kenny Jonsson 175 *** 24. Duane Sutter and Alexei Yashin 171 *** 26. Brock Nelson 167

Points

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

8. John Tonelli 544 *** 9. Bob Bourne 542 *** 10. Josh Bailey 532 …

15. Kyle Okposo and Stefan Persson 369 *** 17. Brock Nelson 351 *** 18. Frans Nielsen 349 *** 19. Pierre Turgeon 340 *** 20. Anders Lee 339…

24. Duane Sutter 292 *** 25. Alexei Yashin 290 *** 26. Ed Westfall 286 *** 27. Mathew Barzal 283

+/-

1. Bryan Trottier +467 *** 2. Denis Potvin +456 *** 3. Mike Bossy +380…

20. Jude Drouin +58 *** 21. Patrick Flatley +57 *** 22. Adam Pelech +55 *** 23. Greg Gilbert +54 *** 24. Gord Lane +48 *** 25. Adrian Aucoin +47

Games Coached 

1. Al Arbour 1,500 *** 2. Jack Capuano 483 *** 3. Barry Trotz 249

 

Coaching Wins

1. Al Arbour 740 *** 2. Jack Capuano 227 *** 3. Barry Trotz 132

On the Farm

Bridgeport fell to 17-20-5-4 on the season with a 3-2 overtime loss to Rochester on Tuesday to open a three-game homestand. Bridgeport hosts Hershey on Saturday night and Hartford on Sunday afternoon. 

Season Series Stats

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

While the Isles are 10-2-1 in their last three meetings with the Sabres they are 0-2-1 in their last three games in Buffalo. 

The final meeting of the season will also be in Buffalo, on April 23rd.

UP NEXT

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17th–ISLANDERS AT BOSTON 7:30 PM 

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

The Isles head home for a quick two-game homestand as they host the Bruins for the second time this season. 

The Isles are 6-2-1 in their last nine regular season games with the Bruins, including five straight wins on home ice. 

The Isles have tied the club record for consecutive home wins against the Bruins, having won five straight only once before (Nov 1, 2005 – Nov 24, 2007).

Barry Trotz will become the 3rd coach in Islander history to coach 250 games.

And Finally…

Thanks for reading the 800th consecutive edition of #TheSkinny! 

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