The Skinny: Washington 4, Isles 3 (SO)

"The Skinny"      

By Eric Hornick

Game 57

Washington 4, Isles 3 (SO)

On the night Alexander Ovechkin passed Jaromir Jagr for third place on the all-time NHL goal list, it was Anthony Mantha who scored the deciding goal in the eighth round of the shootout as the Washington Capitals defeated the Isles 4-3 in front of a sellout crowd of 18,573 at Capital One Arena.

Ovechkin's goal, the 767th of his Hall-of-Fame-bound career, had given the Capitals a 3-2 lead with 4:58 to play but Anders Lee evened the game 2:59 later to set the stage for overtime.  The Caps had seven of the eight shots in the extra session but then needed eight shootout rounds to emerge with the victory.  

Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri also scored for the Isles, who are 3-0-1 in their last four games as they remain at NHL-.500 with a 24-24-9 record.

The Scoring:

1st Period

Anthony Mantha (4) Evgeny Kuznetsov (39), Conor Sheary (15) 12:21NYI 0,WSH 1

2nd Period

Brock Nelson (24) Zdeno Chara (9), Noah Dobson (23) 04:55 NYI 1,WSH 1

Kyle Palmieri (10) Josh Bailey (24), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (16) 17:02 NYI 2,WSH 1

3rd Period

Axel Jonsson-Fjallby (1) Dmitry Orlov (18) 10:13 NYI 2,WSH 2

Alex Ovechkin (37) Evgeny Kuznetsov (40) 15:02 NYI 2,WSH 3

Anders Lee (22) Noah Dobson (24), Brock Nelson (12) 18:01 NYI 3,WSH 3 

OT

No Goals

The Shootout

Evgeny Kuznetsov  (NG)/ Anthony Beauvillier  (NG)

Nicklas Backstrom  (NG)/ Oliver Wahlstrom  (NG)

T.J. Oshie (G)/ Kyle Palmieri (G)

Daniel Sprong (NG) / Mathew Barzal  (NG)

Alex Ovechkin (NG) / Josh Bailey (NG)

John Carlson (NG) / Noah Dobson (NG)

Trevor van Riemsdyk (NG) / Brock Nelson (NG)

Anthony Mantha (G/GDG) / Anders Lee (NG)

This was the third-longest shootout of the season in the NHL.  The Isles beat Philly on January 18th and the Rangers beat Boston on February 15th (both in nine rounds)…The Islanders remain the NHL's all-time winningest shootout team (87) but are 1-6 this season…The six losses matches the club record for shootout losses, done four other times, but in three of the other four seasons the Isles had a winning record in the shootout…The Isles are now 3/30 (10%) in shootout attempts; they have connected on at least 20% of their attempts in every previous season…The Isles are 2-9 in games beyond 60 minutes.

The Skinny          

Anders Lee extended his goal scoring streak to five games (8 goals), and now had 206 career goals – tying John Tonelli for 11th place on the club's all-time list…Josh Bailey had an assist to extend his point streak to four games; Bailey is the 8th player to post 9 consecutive 30-point seasons for the Isles;  5 of the others have banners hanging (5-9-19-22-23); Brent Sutter and John Tavares are the others...Kyle Palmieri and Jean-Gabriel Pageau also extended their streaks to five games…The Isles allowed the first goal for only the third time in the last 12 games after allowing the opening goal in 11 of the prior 12 games… Kyle Palmieri is 5-4-9 in his last nine games…. Noah Dobson has assists on Brock Nelson's last three goals and four of his last five tallies…The Isles are 21-2-2 when leading after 2;  Washington improves to 3-14-5 when trailing after 2…Barry Trotz and staff won another offsides challenge; he is 11-0 when challenging offsides as an Islander coach…The Islander defense had three assists; they have 46 assists in the last 19 games after having 47 helpers in the first 37 games…Brock Nelson is now within two goals of his career high; his second period goal was the Isles' first in 151:50 against the Caps…The Isles are now +16 in the second period (55-39) and -15 in the first/third periods combined…Evgeny Kuznetsov had a pair of assists to extend his point streak to six games…The Caps are 5-0-1 in March.

Staying Out of the Box

The Isles were not shorthanded for the second time in three games – they have killed 22 of 24 in the last ten games (91.7%).  It is the fourth time this season that the Isles were not shorthanded, but the first time on the road that the Isles did not have to kill a penalty since February 13, 2020, in Nashville.

The Great 8

Alex Ovechkin passed Jaromir Jagr for third place on the all-time NHL goal list, despite having played 477 fewer games than Jagr.  Ovechkin has tallied 42 times in 64 games against the Isles. Only Wayne Gretzky (894) and Gordie Howe (801) have scored more goals than Ovechkin (767).

The milestone goal was Ovechkin's 1,392nd point, breaking a tie for 23rd with Brett Hull.

First Time in a Long Time

Anders Lee is the first Islander to score in five straight games since Derick Brassard did so October 24 - November 2, 2019 (Lee assisted on an empty-net goal in that streak).  It is also the longest streak of Lee's career. . Michael Grabner (2011) is the only Islander to score in six straight games in the last 26 years; Lee will try to match that on Thursday. 

First Time Forever

Axel Jonsson-Fjallby scored his first goal in his 14th NHL game. He is the 91st player to score his first NHL goal this season. Cole Sillinger and Quinton Byfield are the others with first NHL goals against the Isles this season.

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 4-3-1 this month.

Home and Road

The Isles are 24-24-9 overall; they are 14-12-4 at home and 10-12-5 on the road.

Washington is 33-18-10 overall; they are 15-11-5 at home and 18-7-5 on the road.

Home is Where the Fans Are

The Isles have played 30 home games and recorded 24 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 901-660-60-166 in 1,787 games.

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  970

3. Barry Trotz    901

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman  2,141

2. Barry Trotz        1,787

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

2. Lou Lamoriello 1,350

3. Glen Sather 1,319

It All Starts at the Top

Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz have 2,251 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 19-6-5 when scoring first and are 5-18-4 when allowing the opening goal. 

The Shots

Isles    11-10-10-1=32

Washington    9-7-9-7=32

The Isles are 10-6-4 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-1 when the shots are even and 14-17-4 when they are outshot. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 79-53-17 when outshot.

In the Nets

Semyon Varlamov made 29 saves; he is 4-12-2 on the season and 6-10-3 vs. Washington.  Varlamov is 34-21 in shootouts.

Vitek Vanecek made 29 saves; he is 15-7-5 on the season and 5-1-0 vs. the Isles. Vanecek is 4-2 in shootouts.

Special Teams

The Isles were 0-1 on the power play (2:00); Washington did not have a power play.

The Isles are 12-7-5 when they score at least one power play goal and 12-17-4 when they do not. The Isles are 5-9-4 when they allow at least one power play goal and 19-15-5 when they do not.

Three is (Usually) a Magic Number

The Isles are 21-7-4 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 108-16-15 when scoring three or more.

One-Goal Games

The Isles are 6-7-9 in games decided by a single goal including 4-7 in regulation. They are 1-3 in games decided in overtime and are 1-6 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

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: Noah Dobson (24:57); Washington: John Carlson (23:05)

Brock Nelson led Isles forwards with 19:03 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 (9-4-4), 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 (7-7-3).

Face-offs

Isles 23, Washington 31 (43%)

No Islander won more than he lost; Evgeny Kuznetsov won 10 of 17 for Washington. 

Hit Count

Isles 23 (Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck -5)

Washington 30 (Alex Ovechkin -6)

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 10 (Noah Dobson -3)

Washington 13 (Martin Fehervary -3)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 58, Washington 56

Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 51, Washington 46

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  Kyle Palmieri +12

Washington: Josh Morrissey +11

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)

All situations: Isles 5, Washington 13

5-on-5: Isles 4, Washington 10

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 146th 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 three goals and allowed two goals in the final three minutes of the third period that were either the winning goal or forced overtime:

For: 3  (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

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 968…

9. Brent Sutter 694 *** 10. John Tavares 669 *** 11. Matt Martin 660  *** 12. Brock Nelson 652 *** 13. Casey Cizikas 640 … 

18. Kenny Jonsson 597 *** 19. Garry Howatt 596 *** 20. John Tonelli 594 *** 21. Cal Clutterbuck 585 *** 22. Anders Lee 571

Goals    

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

9. Bobby Nystrom 235 *** 11. John Tonelli and Anders Lee 206 *** 13. Brock Nelson 192 *** 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 202 ***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 364 *** 18. Frans Nielsen and Anders Lee 349…

22. Ziggy Palffy 331 *** 23. Mariusz Czerkawski 295 *** 24. Duane Sutter 292 *** 25. Alexei Yashin and Mathew Barzal 290

+/-

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

19. JP Parise +67 *** 20. Adam Pelech +61 *** 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 263

 

Coaching Wins

1. Al Arbour 740 *** 2. Jack Capuano 227 *** 3. Barry Trotz 139

On the Farm

Bridgeport is 23-25-5-4 on the season and just three points out of a playoff spot heading into Wednesday evening's game in Springfield.

Chris Terry continues to lead the team with 20 goals and 44 points while Otto Koivula has a team-leading 26 helpers.

The Baby Isles return home to host Syracuse on Saturday.

Season Series Stats

Washington leads the season series, 2 games to 0 (and 4 points to 1).  The teams will play a home-and-home series over the last week of the regular season to conclude their matches for the year. 

The Isles are 0-3-2 in their last five games with Washington and 0-4-1 in their last five trips to DC.

UP NEXT

THURSDAY, MARCH 17th- ISLANDERS AT RANGERS 7:00 PM 

[MSG+ (pre-game at 6:30PM), WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN Radio]

The Isles have 25 games to play and three of them will be against the rival Rangers, beginning with a St. Patrick's Day matchup at Madison Square Garden.

This will be the second meeting between the teams this season. Igor Shesterkin beat the Isles 4-1 on Thanksgiving Eve as Kevin Rooney and Chris Kreider each scored twice; the Isles played that game despite missing seven regulars due to COVID and three others due to injury. Andy Andreoff scored the only goal for the Isles.

This will be the 4th St. Patrick's Day game between the teams.  The Isles won at the Coliseum in both 1979 (5-2) and 1990 (6-3); Brian Leetch scored the only goal in 2003 at the Garden.

The Isles took three of four at MSG last season, losing only in Ilya Sorokin's unplanned NHL debut last January 16th.

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