The Skinny: Isles 5, Detroit 2

"The Skinny"      

By Eric Hornick

Game 62

Isles 5, Detroit 2

Anthony Beauvillier scored nine seconds into play and the Red Wings never caught them as the Isles defeated Detroit 5-2 before a crowd of 16,429 at UBS Arena.

Brock Nelson added two goals and Anders Lee added assists as the Isles held a 4-0 lead by the first 79 seconds of the third period.

The Isles improve to 7-1-1 in their last nine games and 28-25-9 on the season. The Isles are three games over NHL-.500 for the first time since early November (5-2-2).  They have also won six straight games at home and will look to match their longest home winning streak in 32 years on Sunday. 

The Scoring:

1st Period

Anthony Beauvillier (10) Anders Lee (10) 00:09 DET 0,NYI 1

Oliver Wahlstrom (12) Mathew Barzal (29), Adam Pelech (19) 16:07  DET 0,NYI 2

2nd Period

Brock Nelson (28) Anders Lee (11), Mathew Barzal (30) 11:39 DET 0,NYI 3 PPG

3rd Period

Josh Bailey (7) Kyle Palmieri (11), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (17) 01:19 DET 0,NYI 4

Pius Suter (13) Filip Hronek (27), Tyler Bertuzzi (28) 13:25 DET 1,NYI 4

Brock Nelson (29) Anthony Beauvillier (20), Anders Lee (12) 14:07 DET 1,NYI 5

Sam Gagner (8) Jakub Vrana (1) 15:18 DET 2,NYI 5

The Skinny           

Anders Lee improved to 10-6-16 in the last ten games-- it is the third time in his career he has managed at least three assists…The Isles have scored the first goal in 14 of the last 18 games after allowing the opening goal in 11 of the prior 12 games…Brock Nelson is 10-6-16 in the last twelve games and has 14 goals since February 17th – tied with Auston Mathews the most in the NHL in that span; the Isles have scored 65 goals since February 17th and their 1.16 average goal differential is second only to Florida (1.30).… The Isles alternated goalies for the thirteenth straight game…Josh Bailey passed Ziggy Palffy for 15th place on the club's goal list with his 169th tally; it was also his 542nd point, matching Bob Bourne for 9th place in club history…Chase Pearson made his NHL debut for Detroit; his father Scott played the final two of his 292 NHL games for the Islanders in December 1999…The Isles have scored eight third period goals in their last three home games, outscoring their opponents 8-3 in those third periods…The Isles welcomed back Thomas Greiss with a video in the first TV timeout. Greiss, who won 101 regular season games and seven playoff games for the Isles, was removed after the second period following a late period collision with Oliver Wahlstrom.

What a Start!

Anthony Beauvillier goal was the earliest in any Islander home game, breaking the record of :11 set by John Tavares on February 16, 2015, vs. the Rangers.  It was the second-earliest goal in club history, behind the NHL record-tying goal by Bryan Trottier five seconds into play on March 22, 1984, in Boston, and passed a Duane Sutter goal on November 15, 1986, in Minnesota (:10) for the second-fastest.

Beau's goal was the earliest in any NHL game this season and only the 74th time in NHL history that a goal was scored in the first nine seconds.

The Isles led for the final 59:51 – most of any game in their history.

Home is Where The Sorokin Is

Ilya Sorokin improved to 12-3-3 at UBS Arena. His 1.82 GAA is the lowest of any goalie who has played at least ten games.

Since February 1st, he has been even better, going 6-0-1 in seven home starts (1.41 GAA, .954 save percentage); both the goals against and save percentage are the best in the NHL among goalies who have played at least three full games in that stretch.

Great in the Nets

• Semyon Varlamov has allowed only seven goals in his last four games (3-0-1, 1.72, .944); he is the 7th goaltender in club history to record 10 shutouts.

• Ilya Sorokin is 5-1-0 in his last six games; he has allowed just nine goals in those six games (5-1-0, 1.51, .956).  Both the goals against and save percentage are the best in the NHL among goalies who have played at least three games in that stretch.

Strong PK

The Isles killed all three of their penalties and have now killed 34 of 38 in the last fourteen games (89.5%).  At home they are even better, having killed 27 of 28 since the beginning of February; their 96.4% home PK in that span is the best in the NHL (Calgary 95.6%).

Strong at Home

The Isles have won six straight games at UBS Arena for the first time; it is only the 20th home winning streak of at least six games in club history.  The Isles last won six straight home games between 2/28

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 77 in 23 games since the break (3.4/gm).  

Forwards:

Before: 80-106-186 in 39 games (4.8/gm)

After:   68-83-151 in 23 games  (6.6/gm)

Defense:

Before: 12-47-59 in 39 games (1.5/gm)

After:     9-53-62 in 23 games (2.7/gm)

Most Career Goals by an Islander Wearing #27

1. Derek King 211

2. Anders Lee 208

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, most of any month in franchise history  The Isles are 8-4-1 this month.

Home and Road

The Isles are 28-25-9 overall; they are 17-12-4 at home and 11-13-5 on the road.

Detroit is 26-31-7 overall; they are 17-12-4 at home and 9-19-3 on the road.

Home is Where the Fans Are

The Isles have played 33 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 905-661-60-166 in 1,792 games.

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  970

3. Barry Trotz    905

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman  2,141

2. Barry Trotz        1,792

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 1,483 (excluding late game Thursday)

2. Lou Lamoriello 1,354

3. Glen Sather 1,319

It All Starts at the Top

Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz have 2,259 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 23-7-5 when scoring first and are 5-18-4 when allowing the opening goal. 

The Shots

Isles    5-11-10=26

Detroit    13-13-13=39

The Isles are 11-6-4 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-1 when the shots are even and 17-18-4 when they are outshot. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 82-54-17 when outshot.

In the Nets

Ilya Sorokin made 37 saves; he is 22-13-7 on the season and 1-1-1 vs. Detroit.   

Thomas Griess made 13 saves in two periods but falls to 8-11-1 on the season and 1-2--0 vs. the Isles.  Alex Nedeljkovic made eight saves in the third period.

Special Teams

The Isles were 1-1 on the power play (1:00); Detroit was 0-3 on the power play (4:20, including a 1:40 5-on-3).

The Isles are 15-7-5 when they score at least one power play goal and 13-18-4 when they do not. The Isles are 6-10-4 when they allow at least one power play goal and 22-15-5 when they do not.

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 24-7-4 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 4-18-5 when they do not. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 111-16-15 when scoring three or more.

One-Goal Games

The Isles are 7-8-9 in games decided by a single goal including 5-8 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

The Isles are 7-4-1 in the front end and 4-7-1 in the back end. 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 25-11-5 in back-ends. 

Matinee Isles

The Isles are 3-2-3 in matinees this season; the next matinee will be on Saturday in Boston. The Isles are scheduled to play thirteen matinees this season.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Adam Pelech (22:22); Detroit: Dylan Larkin (25:32)

Zach Parise led Isles forwards with 17:47 of ice-time. 

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Adam Pelech (11-4-4), Noah Dobson (7-8-3), 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 28, Detroit 24 (54%)

Casey Cizikas won 5 of 7 for the Isles; Pius Suter won 11 of 20 for Detroit.

Hit Count

Isles 20 (Oliver Wahlstrom and Ryan Pulock -4)

Detroit 21 (Three with 3)

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 20 (Adam Pelech -4)

Detroit 6 (Six with 1)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 44, Detroit 70

Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 38, Detroit 52

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Brock Nelson +1

Detroit: Two with +12

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)

All situations: Isles 8, Detroit 14

5-on-5: Isles 8, Detroit 11

Scratches

(Cal Clutterbuck-INJ), (Scott Mayfield-INJ), Ross Johnston

Games Lost: 129 (80 to injuries and 49 to COVID protocol)

Lone Survivor

With Scott Mayfield's consecutive game streak ending at 150 games, Zach Parise is the only Islander to 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 973…

9. Brent Sutter 694 *** 10. John Tavares 669 *** 11. Matt Martin 665  *** 12. Brock Nelson 657 *** 13. Casey Cizikas 645 … 

18. Kenny Jonsson 597 *** 19. Garry Howatt 596 *** 20. John Tonelli 594 *** 21. Cal Clutterbuck 588 *** 22. Anders Lee 576

Goals    

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

9. Bobby Nystrom 235 *** 10. Derek King 211 *** 11. Anders Lee 208 *** 12. John Tonelli 206 *** 13. Brock Nelson 196 *** 14 Billy Harris 184 *** 15. Josh Bailey 169

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 206 ***20. Nick Leddy 198 *** 21. Pierre Turgeon 193 *** 22. Ed Westfall 181 *** 23. Kenny Jonsson and Brock Nelson 175

Points

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

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

14. Billy Harris 443 *** 15. Brock Nelson 369 ***  16. Kyle Okposo and Stefan Persson 369 *** 18.  Anders Lee 356…

22. Ziggy Palffy 331 *** 23. Mariusz Czerkawski 295 *** 24. Mathew Barzal 294

+/-

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

19. JP Parise +67 *** 20. Adam Pelech +65 *** 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 268

 

Coaching Wins

1. Al Arbour 740 *** 2. Jack Capuano 227 *** 3. Barry Trotz 143

On the Farm

Bridgeport is 4-0-1-0 in their last four and 25-25-6-4 on the season following a 4-1 win over the Utica Comets in the first game of a four-game road trip.  All four goals were scored by defensemen, including two for Paul LaDue.  The Baby Isles are at AHL-.500 for the first time since November 10th (5-5-0-2).

Chris Terry continues to lead the team with 21 goals and 46 points while Otto Koivula has a team-leading 30 helpers. Jakub Skurek is 15-11-4 in goal on the season while Cory Schneider is 9-10-3.

The Isles continue their road trip on Saturday in Toronto. 

Season Series Stats

Detroit wins the season series, 2 games to 1 (and 4 points to 3).   

The Isles have won five straight home games over the Red Wings.

UP NEXT

SAURDAY, MARCH 26th  –ISLANDERS AT BOSTON 12:30 PM 

[MSG+ (Pre-game at 12:00), WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN Radio]

Two of the hottest teams in the NHL meet in a matinee as the Isles return to Boston for the first time since winning the pivotal fifth game of their East Division Final series last June 7th as they look to sweep the regular season series from the Bs.

The Isles went 1-2-1 last regular season in Boston before winning two of three playoff games in Beantown last spring. 

The Bruins moved into third place in the Atlantic on Thursday by beating Tampa Bay and are 13-2-1 in their last sixteen games.

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