The Skinny: Isles 5, Winnipeg 2

"The Skinny"      

By Eric Hornick

Game 55

Isles 5, Winnipeg 2

Josh Bailey scored twice, and Brock Nelson extended his goal scoring streak to four games as the Islanders got 27 saves from Semyon Varlomov in a 5-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets, in front of a sellout crowd of 17,255 at UBS Arena.

Anders Lee scored for the sixth time in three games to reach 20 goals for the sixth time; Anthony Beauvillier chipped in with two assists to give him five helpers in the last two games as the Isles won consecutive games for the first time in seven weeks. Cal Clutterbuck added an early empty-netter for the final margin, which gave Barry Trotz his 900th win as an NHL head coach.

The Isles are 3-2-0 on this homestand as they improve to 23-24-8 on the season.  They will look to regain NHL-.500 for the first time since February 9th on Sunday vs. Anaheim.

The Scoring:

1st Period

Brock Nelson (23) Anthony Beauvillier (16), Noah Dobson (22) 06:38 WPG 0,NYI 1 PPG

Kyle Connor (36) Nikolaj Ehlers (15), Neal Pionk (25) 16:58 WPG 1,NYI 1

2nd Period

Josh Bailey (5) Jean-Gabriel Pageau (13), Kyle Palmieri (10) 01:09 WPG 1,NYI 2

Anders Lee (20) Brock Nelson (11), Anthony Beauvillier (17) 01:49 WPG 1,NYI 3

3rd Period

Blake Wheeler (8) Paul Stastny (13), Dylan DeMelo (8) 00:20 WPG 2,NYI 3

Josh Bailey (6) Adam Pelech (16), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (14) 07:14 WPG 2,NYI 4

Cal Clutterbuck (6)EN Casey Cizikas (4) 15:16 WPG 2,NYI 5

The Skinny          

Brock Nelson has a team-leading 23-goals, including 13 goals at UBS Arena …The Isles have scored six power play goals in the last four games… Ryan Pulock had five shots on goal for the second straight game… Josh Bailey had six shots on goal, connecting twice for his 11th career multi-goal game; it is only the 8th time in in his 966-game career that he has had at least six shots. …Noah Dobson had an assist to extend his assist streak to four games; he is 2-7-9 in the last eight games. Dobson now has 22 assists, which is second on the team to Barzal's 25 and leads the Isles with 13 power play points (on 28 Islander power play goals) ….Nelson's first period gave the Isles ten unanswered goals dating back to Monday; it is the most consecutive goals that the Islanders have scored since they tallied 11 straight goals December 28-31, 2018.…Both Mathew Barzal and Zdeno Chara returned to the lineup after missing six games…The Isles have scored first in eight of the last ten games and allowing the opening goal in 11 of the prior 12 games…Connor Hellebuyck allowed at least four goals for the sixth straight game… Blake Wheeler's goal was the earliest against the Isles in any period since Jared McCann (then with Pittsburgh) scored :18 into the third period on February 27, 2021…Josh Bailey scored twice in a game for the first time since January 14/16, 2020; he now has 168 career goals, tying Ziggy Palffy for 15th place on the all-time club list…Adam Pelech is now +20 on the season; no Islander has finished a season better than +25 since Adrian Aucoin went +29 in 2003-04…Semyon Varlamov recorded his first win since January 18th in Philadelphia...The Isles have scored 15 goals in a three-game span for the first time since sweeping three games from Buffalo last March by identical 5-2 scores.

Special Special Teams

The Isles went 1-4 on the power play, and are 6-14 in the last four games (43%); the Isles were not shorthanded – they have killed 20 of 22 in the last eight games (91%)

First Times in a Long Time

• The Isles scored twice within the first two minutes of a periods for the first time since December 11, 2017, when Andrew Ladd and John Tavares scored against Barry Trotz' Capitals.

• Adam Pelech was +3 for the second straight game; he also had a two-game streak of at least +3 last season.  Denis Potvin is the only other defenseman in club history with multiple streaks of games in which he went +3 or better; he did so eight times, including three three-game streaks.

Early Ending

Cal Clutterbuck scored into an empty net with 4:44 to play.  It was the fourth-earliest empty-net goal in Isles history and the earliest that they have ever scored at home:

• Billy Smith 11/28/1979 at Colorado  4:50  (delayed penalty)

• Mathew Barzal 4/29/2021 at Rangers 14:26 

• Bill Guerin 11/24/2018 at Montreal 15:13

• Cal Clutterbuck 3/11/2022 vs. Winnipeg 15:16

200-Goal Club

Anders Lee became the 12th player in club history to reach 200 goals on Monday; he now has 204, leaving him just two behind John Tonelli for 11th place on the club list. 

20-Goal Club

Brock Nelson scored for the fourth straight game; it is the fourth time in his career that he has a four-game streak.  Nelson is three goals shy of his career high of 26 goals and is 9 goals away from joining Lee in the 200-Goal Club.

Both Nelson and Lee now have six 20-goal seasons; John Tavares had nine with the Islanders and is the only Isle to have more in the 2000s.

Chasing History

Ilya Sorokin has nine shutouts in 60 games, matching Chico Resch for the most through 60 games.  He is also chasing a more noticeable record that Resch shares:

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

Busy Home Stand

This was the fifth game of a six-game homestand, all of which will be played in a span of eleven days.

• 3/3 vs Vancouver L 3-4

• 3/5 vs St. Louis W 2-1

• 3/7 vs. Colorado L 4-5

• 3/10 vs. Columbus W 6-0

• 3/11 vs. Winnipeg W 5-2

• 3/13 vs. Anaheim

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 3-3-0 this month.

Home and Road

The Isles are 23-24-8 overall; they are 13-12-4 at home and 10-12-4 on the road.

Winnipeg is 26-23-10 overall; they are 15-11-2 at home and 11-12-8 on the road.

Home is Where the Fans Are

The Isles have played 29 home games and sold out 23 of them. 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 900-660-60-165 in 1,785 games.

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville    970

3. Barry Trotz    900

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman  2,141

2. Barry Trotz         1,785

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 1,479

2. Lou Lamoriello 1,349

3. Glen Sather 1,319

It All Starts at the Top

Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz have 2,249 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 18-6-5 when scoring first and are 5-18-3 when allowing the opening goal. 

The Shots

Isles    11-11-16=38

Winnipeg    6-9-14=29

The Isles are 10-6-4 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even and 13-17-4 when they are outshot. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 78-53-17 when outshot.

In the Nets

Semyon Varlamov made 27 saves; he is 4-12-1 on the season and 16-10-2 vs. Winnipeg.   

Connor Hellebuyck made 33 saves; he is 19-21-9 on the season and 3-4-0 vs. the Isles. 

Special Teams

The Isles were 1-4 on the power play (6:18); Winnipeg did not have a power play.

The Isles are 12-7-5 when they score at least one power play goal and 11-17-3 when they do not. The Isles are 5-9-4 when they allow at least one power play goal and 18-15-4 when they do not.

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 20-7-3 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 3-16-5 when they do not. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 107-16-14 when scoring three or more.

One-Goal Games

The Isles are 5-7-8 in games decided by a single goal including 3-7 in regulation. They are 1-3 in games decided in overtime and are 1-5 in shootouts. The Isles are 0-6 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 tonight, the Isles are 6-4-1 in the front end and 4-6-1 in the back end. The next back-to-back will be March 19th vs. Dallas and March 20th in Philadelphia.

 

Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 25-10-5 in back-ends. 

Matinee Isles

The Isles are 2-1-3 in matinees this season; the next matinee will be on March 19th against Dallas. The Isles are scheduled to play thirteen matinees this season.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Ryan Pulock (21:28); Winnipeg: Josh Morrissey (23:09)

Mathew Barzal led Isles forwards with 17:44 of ice-time. 

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Ryan Pulock (4-4-1), Anthony Beauvillier (0-1-0), Mathew Barzal (0-0-1), Adam Pelech (8-4-4), 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), Noah Dobson (7-7-2).

Face-offs

Isles 33, Winnipeg 26 (56%)

Brock Nelson won 11 of 17 for the Isles; Mark Scheifele won 7 of 12 for Winnipeg. 

Hit Count

Isles 15 (Matt Martin -4)

Winnipeg 28 (Brenden Dillon -5)

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 14 (Andy Greene -4)

Winnipeg 19 (Three with 3)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 66, Winnipeg 56

Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 55, Winnipeg 48

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  Kyle Palmieri +12

Winnipeg: Josh Morrissey +11

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)

All situations: Isles 15, Winnipeg 14

5-on-5: Isles 12, Winnipeg 9

Scratches

Ross Johnston, Oliver Wahlstrom, Sebastian Aho

Games Lost: 125 (76 to injuries and 49 to COVID protocol)

Iron Man

Scott Mayfield played in his 144th consecutive game. Only two other Islanders (Zach Parise and Cal Clutterbuck) have played in every game this season.

Challenges

Isles: 2 successful, 1 failure

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

Opponents: 4 successful, 0 failures  

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 0-0-0 in games where challenges go the Isles' way.

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: 2  (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)

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 965…

10. John Tavares 669 *** 11. Matt Martin 659  *** 12. Brock Nelson 650 *** 13. Derek King and Casey Cizikas 638 … 

20. John Tonelli 594 *** 21. Cal Clutterbuck 583 *** 22. Anders Lee 569

Goals    

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

11. John Tonelli 206 *** 12. Anders Lee 204 *** 13. Brock Nelson 191 *** 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 370…

17. Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo 230 *** 19. Mathew Barzal 201 ***20. Nick Leddy 198*** 21. Pierre Turgeon 193 *** 22. Ed Westfall 181 *** 23. Kenny Jonsson 175 *** 24. Duane Sutter, Alexei Yashin and Brock Nelson 171

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 538 …

15. Kyle Okposo and Stefan Persson 369 *** 17. Brock Nelson 362 *** 18. Frans Nielsen 349 *** 19. Anders Lee 347…

24. Duane Sutter 292 *** 25. Alexei Yashin 290 *** 26. Mathew Barzal 289

+/-

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

19. JP Parise +67 *** 20. Adam Pelech +62 *** 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 261

 

Coaching Wins

1. Al Arbour 740 *** 2. Jack Capuano 227 *** 3. Barry Trotz 138

On the Farm

Bridgeport is 21-25-5-4 on the season after dropping a 2-1 decision to Hershey on Friday at the newly renamed Total Mortgage Arena. 

They play Saturday and Sunday in Providence.

Season Series Stats

The Isles sweep the season series, 2 games to 0 (and 4 points to 0) 

This was Winnipeg's first trip to Long Island since October 6, 2019. The Isles have won five straight over the Jets.  The Isles are 6-5-0 at home against the Jets since the Thrashers moved to Winnipeg, but they are 10-1-1 in Manitoba.

UP NEXT

SUNDAY, MARCH 13th- ANAHEIM AT ISLANDERS 7:30 PM 

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

The busy weekend and the homestand concludes as the Isles close out the season series with the Anaheim Ducks.

Ilya Sorokin blanked the Ducks two weeks ago in California.  This will be the Ducks' first trip to Long Island since December 21, 2019, when the Ducks won a 6-5 shootout game.  It is still the only Islander game since 2011 to feature five tying goals.

The Isles are 3-0-2 in their last five home games against the Ducks and are 6-3-2 in the last 11 meetings overall.

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