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The Skinny: Los Angeles 3, Isles 1

"The Skinny"  By Eric Hornick Game 30 Los Angeles 3, Isles 1 Adrian Kempe and Kevin Fiala scored to give Los Angeles a 2-0 lead an...

Saturday, March 19, 2022

The Skinny: Isles 4, Dallas 2

"The Skinny"      

By Eric Hornick

Game 59
Isles 4, Dallas 2
Brock Nelson scored three times in the third period to establish a new career high in goals with 27 and Semyon Varlamov made 37 saves as the Islanders defeated the Dallas Stars 4-2 before a sellout crowd of 17,255 on Nickelodeon Day at UBS Arena.

Ryan Pulock's 100.8 mph blast gave the Isles the early lead as the Isles scored the first goal for the eleventh time in the last 14 games.  The Isles are 5-0-1 in their last six games as they moved two games over NHL-.500 for the first time since November 11th (5-3-2) with a 26-24-9 record.

The Scoring:
1st Period
No Goals

2nd Period
Ryan Pulock (2) Adam Pelech (18), Cal Clutterbuck (9) 03:16 DAL 0,NYI 1
Denis Gurianov (10) Jacob Peterson (4), Ryan Suter (21) 18:46 DAL 1,NYI 1

3rd Period
Brock Nelson (25) Noah Dobson (26), Mathew Barzal (28) 04:17 DAL 1,NYI 2 PPG
Brock Nelson (26) Anthony Beauvillier (19), Anders Lee (8) 05:55 DAL 1,NYI 3
Jacob Peterson (10) Tyler Seguin (16), Denis Gurianov (18) 11:39 DAL 2,NYI 3
Brock Nelson (27)EN 19:40 DAL 2,NYI 4

The Skinny          
Brock Nelson recorded his 20th career multi-goal game, and 4th hat trick to give him 27 goals in 50 games this season; he is now just five goals shy of 200 career goals… Anders Lee extended his point scoring streak to seven games (9-2-11) but saw his goal streak end at 7 (tied for the longest by an Islander in the 2000s)…Kyle Palmieri's point streak ended at six games …The Isles have scored the first goal in 11 of the last 14 games after allowing the opening goal in 11 of the prior 12 games… Noah Dobson had another assist and remained two behind Mathew Barzal. Dobson is 4-15-19 since the all-star break, leading the team in both assists and points. Dobson is also third in the NHL in defenseman points in that span (Roman Josi 28, Cale Makar 25) …In total, the Islander defense had two more assists; they have 51 assists in the last 20 games after having 47 helpers in the first 39 games… The Islander defense has recorded 35.8% of the team's assists; that is the third-highest percentage in the NHL…The Isles kept Tyler Seguin (299 goals) and Rick Bowness (199 wins) from reaching milestones…Semyon Varlamov is 2-0-1 in his last three starts, allowing just six goals.  It was his 17th career win against the Stars – more than any other opponent…That was the Isles' 7th empty-net goal of the season but the first that was scored with the Isles holding only a one-goal lead…Nelson has three empty-netters this season; he is the first Islander since Casey Cizikas in 2018-19 (also 3) to do so.  He has now scored both a hat-trick goal and a fourth goal into an empty net this season…Denis Gurianov has three goals in four games vs. the Isles…Dallas was the final Western Conference team to visit UBS this season; the Isles went 7-6-3 at home vs. the West, including 7-4-0 in the last eleven matches. Seven of the nine Islander home losses to Western Conference foes were by one goal (0-4-3).

Strong PK
The Isles killed both of their penalties and have now killed 26 of 29 in the last eleven games (89.7%).  At home they are even better, having killed 22 of 23 since the beginning of February; their 95.7% home PK in that span is the best in the NHL (Calgary 95.6%).

Offense from the Defense
The Islander defense has 51 assists in the last 20 games after having 47 helpers in the first 39 games. The Islander defense has recorded 35.8% of the team's assists; that is the third-highest percentage in the NHL.  Only Nashville (36.7%) and Detroit (36.3%) have a higher share of points from their defense.

All-Star Break Splits
The Islander offense has improved significantly since the All-Star break.  The Isles scored 92 goals in 39 games before the break (2.4/gm) and have scored 68 in 20 games since the break (3.4/gm).  

Forwards:
Before: 80-106-186 in 39 games (4.8/gm)
After:   60-70-130 in 20 games  (6.5/gm)

Defense:
Before: 12-47-59 in 39 games (1.5/gm)
After:     8-51-59 in 20 games (3.0/gm)

First Times in a Long Time
Brock Nelson is the first Islander to score three goals in a period since Mathew Barzal had a natural hat trick in the second period in Toronto on December 29, 2018. 

Nelson is the first Islander with two hat tricks in a season since John Tavares did so (both in October 2017).

It is the first time since December 2017 that the Isles have had two hat tricks in a month (Josh Bailey and Mathew Barzal).

Most Career Goals by an Islander Wearing #27
1. Derek King 211
2. Anders Lee 207
3. John Tonelli 206

Most Shutouts In a Season
7 Chico Resch 1975-76
7 Semyon Varlamov 2020-21 (56-game season)
6 Ilya Sorokin 2021-22
6 Robin Lehner 2018-19
6 Jaroslav Halak 2014-15

March Madness
The Isles are playing 17 games this month.  It is the first time in franchise history that they have played 17 games.  The Isles are 6-3-1 this month.

Home and Road
The Isles are 26-24-9 overall; they are 15-12-4 at home and 11-12-5 on the road.
Dallas is 33-24-3 overall; they are 20-8-1 at home and 13-16-2 on the road.

Home is Where the Fans Are
The Isles have played 31 home games and recorded 25 sellouts. The sellout crowds of 17,255 are the 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 903-660-60-166 in 1,789 games.

Most Coaching Wins
1. Scotty Bowman  1,244
2. Joel Quenneville  970
3. Barry Trotz  903

Most Games Coached
1. Scotty Bowman  2,141
2. Barry Trotz        1,789
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 1,481(* pending night game)
2. Lou Lamoriello 1,352
3. Glen Sather 1,319

It All Starts at the Top
Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz have 2,255 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 21-6-5 when scoring first and are 5-18-4 when allowing the opening goal. 

The Shots
Isles    8-7-10=25
Dallas    12-10-17=39
The Isles are 10-6-4 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-1 when the shots are even and 16-17-4 when they are outshot. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 81-53-17 when outshot.

In the Nets
Semyon Varlamov made 37 saves; he is 5-12-2 on the season and 17-7-2 vs. Dallas.   

Jake Oettinger made 21 saves; he is 20-10-1 on the season and 0-1-0 vs. the Isles.  

Special Teams
The Isles were 1-2 on the power play (2:48); Dallas was 0-2 on the power play (4:00).

The Isles are 14-7-5 when they score at least one power play goal and 12-17-4 when they do not. The Isles are 6-9-4 when they allow at least one power play goal and 20-15-5 when they do not.

Three is a Magic Number
The Isles are 22-7-4 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 4-16-5 when they do not. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 109-16-15 when scoring three or more.

One-Goal Games
The Isles are 7-7-9 in games decided by a single goal including 5-7 in regulation. They are 1-3 in games decided in overtime and are 1-6 in shootouts. The Isles are 1-6 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
Including today, the Isles are 7-4-1 in the front end and 4-6-1 in the back end. This back-to-back concludes on Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia. The next back-to-back will be March 26th in Boston and March 27th vs. Tampa Bay (both afternoon games).
 
Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 25-10-5 in back-ends. 

Matinee Isles
Including today, the Isles are 3-1-3 in matinees this season; the next matinee will be on Sunday in Philadelphia. The Isles are scheduled to play thirteen matinees this season.

Ice-time Leaders
Isles: Ryan Pulock (21:48); Dallas: Ryan Suter (23:32)
Jean-Gabriel Pageau led Isles forwards with 19:47 of ice-time. 

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Adam Pelech (9-4-4), Noah Dobson (7-7-3, Ryan Pulock (6-4-1), Anthony Beauvillier (0-1-0), Mathew Barzal (0-0-1), Zdeno Chara (2-1-0), Sebastian Aho (0-1-0), Robin Salo (0-2-0), Scott Mayfield (0-3-0), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (0-2-0).

Face-offs
Isles 32, Dallas 25 (56%)
Jean-Gabriel Pageau won 11 of 15 for the Isles; Ryan Strome won 7 of 12 for Dallas. 

Hit Count
Isles 31 (Jean-Gabriel Pageau -6)
Dallas 30 (Three with 4)
Fights 
There were no fights. Season total: 19 (Chara 5, Martin 4, Johnston 2, Pageau 2, Mayfield 2,  Bellows 1, Nelson 1, Palmieri 1, Wahlstrom 1)
 
Blocked Shots
Isles 15 (Noah Dobson -3)
Dallas 12 (Esa Lindell -3)

For the Analytics Crowd 
Corsi: All situations: Isles 40, Dallas 64
Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 33, Dallas 53

5-on-5 leaders:
Isles:  Noah Dobson +7
Dallas: Two with +4

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)
All situations: Isles 8, Dallas 15
5-on-5: Isles 7, Dallas 15

Scratches
Brian Bellows, Ross Johnston, Sebastian Aho
Games Lost: 125 (76 to injuries and 49 to COVID protocol)

Iron Man
Scott Mayfield played in his 148th consecutive game. Only two other Islanders (Zach Parise and Cal Clutterbuck) have played in every game this season.

Challenges
Isles: 3 successful, 1 failure
The Isles are 2-0-1 in games that they are successful (offside 1/18 @PHI, no goalie interference 2/22 @SEA, offside 3/15 @ WSH) and 0-1-0 in games that they are unsuccessful (no goalie interference 10/14 @CAR).

Opponents: 4 successful, 1 failure
The Isles are 2-1-1 in games where opponents' challenges go their way (goalie interference 10/16 @FLA and 10/23 @ARI; offside 12/19 vs VGK, goalie interference 3/5 vs STL) and 0-0-1 in games where challenges go the Isles' way (goalie interference 3/15 vs WSH)

Last Minute Heroes:
The Isles have scored four goals and allowed two goals in the final three minutes of the third period that were either the winning goal or forced overtime:
For: 4  (Noah Dobson 19:56 – 12/5/21 vs CHI; Isles lost in SO) (Brock Nelson 17:03 – 2/20/22 vs OTT; Isles lost in SO), (Anders Lee 18:01 – 3/15/22 @ WSH; Isles lost in SO), (Kyle Palmieri 17:16 – 3/17/22 vs. NYR -GWG)
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 970…
9. Brent Sutter 694 *** 10. John Tavares 669 *** 11. Matt Martin 662  *** 12. Brock Nelson 654 *** 13. Casey Cizikas 642 … 
18. Kenny Jonsson 597 *** 19. Garry Howatt 596 *** 20. John Tonelli 594 *** 21. Cal Clutterbuck 587 *** 22. Anders Lee 573

Goals    
1. Mike Bossy 573 *** 2. Bryan Trottier 500 *** 3. Denis Potvin 310 …
9. Bobby Nystrom 235 *** 10. Derek King 211 *** 11. Anders Lee 207 *** 12. John Tonelli 206 *** 13. Brock Nelson 195 *** 14 Billy Harris 184 *** 15. Ziggy Palffy and Josh Bailey 168

Assists
1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553 *** 4. Josh Bailey 373…
17. Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo 230 *** 19. Mathew Barzal 204 ***20. Nick Leddy 198 *** 21. Pierre Turgeon 193 *** 22. Ed Westfall 181 *** 23. Kenny Jonsson 175 *** 24. Brock Nelson 172

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 541 …
14. Billy Harris 443 *** 15. Kyle Okposo and Stefan Persson 369 *** 17. Brock Nelson 367 *** 18.  Anders Lee 351…
22. Ziggy Palffy 331 *** 23. Mariusz Czerkawski 295 *** 24. Duane Sutter and Mathew Barzal 292

+/-
1. Bryan Trottier +467 *** 2. Denis Potvin +456 *** 3. Mike Bossy +380…
19. JP Parise +67 *** 20. Adam Pelech +63 *** 21. Jude Drouin +58 *** 22. Patrick Flatley +57 *** 23. Greg Gilbert +54 *** 24. Gord Lane +48  

Games Coached 
1. Al Arbour 1,500 *** 2. Jack Capuano 483 *** 3. Barry Trotz 265
 
Coaching Wins
1. Al Arbour 740 *** 2. Jack Capuano 227 *** 3. Barry Trotz 141

On the Farm
Bridgeport improved to 24-25-6-4 on the season with a 7-4 win over Syracuse on Saturday. Richard Panik scored twice and Austin Czarnik added four assists as the Isles extended their point streak to four games.

Chris Terry continues to lead the team with 21 goals and 45 points while Otto Koivula has a team-leading 29 helpers.

The Baby Isles begin a stretch of four straight road games on Wednesday in Utica. 

Season Series Stats
The Isles lead the season series, 1 game to 0 (and 2 points to 0).  The teams will meet again in Dallas on April 5th.

The Isles are 6-2-0 in their last eight home games vs. Dallas and have won three of four overall from the Stars. 

UP NEXT
SUNDAY, MARCH 20th - ISLANDERS AT PHILADELPHIA 2:00 PM 
[TNT, WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN Radio]

The Isles look to complete a sweep of the season series and win their ninth straight game from the Flyers as they visit Philadelphia.  The Isles are 12-1-2 in the last 15 games vs. the Flyers and their current win streak is the longest in the 50-year rivalry.

The Isles beat the Flyers three times in nine days in January, including a nine-round shootout where Oliver Wahlstrom scored the only goal.

Five of the eight games have gone to extra time, including all three in the streak that have been played in Philadelphia, a place that the Isles have not lost in regulation since January 4, 2018 (6-0-2).  The Isles will be looking to match their longest-ever win streak in Philly, done twice before (1987 and 2006-07).

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

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