The Skinny: Florida 3, Isles 2 (OT)

"The Skinny"      

By Eric Hornick

Game 76

Florida 3, Isles 2 (OT)

Aleksander Barkov completed his third hat trick with his career-high 37th goal of the season just :20 into overtime as the Florida Panthers won a game they never led, defeating the Islanders 3-2 before a sellout crowd of 17,255 at UBS Arena

The Isles honored the memory of Mike Bossy before the game, so perhaps it was fitting the game was 2-2-2 through 40 minutes.  Jonathan Huberdeau, who once won the Michael Bossy Trophy (Best prospect in QMJHL) assisted on all three Barkov goals to give him 111 points, and a one-point lead over Connor McDavid for the Art Ross Trophy.

Sebastian Aho and Jean-Gabriel Pageau twice gave the Isles a one-goal lead, only to have Barkov erase the lead.  The Isles are 7-4-1 in their last twelve games. 

The Scoring:

1st Period

No Goals

2nd Period

Sebastian Aho (2) Andy Greene (8), Kieffer Bellows (11) 04:56 FLA 0,NYI 1

Aleksander Barkov (35) Claude Giroux (39), Jonathan Huberdeau (79) 14:12 FLA 1,NYI 1 PPG

3rd Period

Jean-Gabriel Pageau (16) Mathew Barzal (38), Noah Dobson (32) 01:01 FLA 1,NYI 2 PPG

Aleksander Barkov (36) Radko Gudas (13), Jonathan Huberdeau (80) 16:02 FLA 2,NYI 2 

OT

Aleksander Barkov (37) Jonathan Huberdeau (81), Gustav Forsling (27) 00:20 FLA 3,NYI 2

The Skinny            

The Isles are 14-7-2 in their last 23 games … Ilya Sorokin played his fifth straight game; he has stopped 181 of 195 opponent shots in that stretch…Sebastian Aho has scored twice in the last four games but unlike the first Carolina's Aho did not score seconds apart as the Canes were idle…Noah Dobson leads the Isles with 16 power play assists and 18 power play points…Florida recorded its NHL-leading 27th comeback win to raise their win streak to 11; it is also a franchise record 23rd road win…The Panthers are 12-2 in games decided by an overtime goal while the Isles are 1-4…Aleksander Barkov is the second Panther with a hat trick vs. the Isles this season (Sam Bennett on 10/16); they are the only two hats allowed by the Isles this season…Barkov is the fourth player to ever complete a hat trick against the Isles with an overtime goal, joining Doug Crossman (11/7/1992-TB), Tomas Sandstrom (12/31/1986-@ NYR) and Hampus Lindholm (12/21/17-ANA)

Quick but Painful

Aleksander Barkov's goal was the earliest home overtime goal ever allowed by the Isles, breaking the previous record (:25) set by St. Louis' Lee Stempniak on March 1, 2007.  The Isles allowed a goal to Saku Koivu at :14 of overtime on March 19, 2010, at Honda Center in Anaheim – the only earlier overtime goal ever allowed by the Isles.   It was the second-earliest overtime goal for Florida, trailing only an Aaron Ekblad goal (:22) in Carolina earlier this season.

Home is Where The Sorokin Is

Ilya Sorokin is 13-4-4 at UBS Arena, with a 2.01 GAA and a .933 save percentage. 

Since February 1st, he has been even better, going 7-1-2 in ten home starts (1.93 GAA, .942 save percentage) .

Great in the Nets

• Ilya Sorokin is 8-4-1 in his last thirteen games with a 2.06 GAA and a .941 save percentage.

• Semyon Varlamov is 6-3-1 in his last ten decisions.  

PK is More Than Okay

The Isles killed four of their five penalties and have now killed 35 of 38 (92.1%) over their last twelve games and 74 of 83 in the last 26 games (89.2%).  At home they are even better, having killed 41 of 45 (91.1%) since the beginning of February.

And How About That Home PP?

Since the beginning of February, the Isles home PP has converted at a 32.5% rate (13-40).  Only Florida (17-46, 37.0%) has had a better home power play in that stretch.

Zach Attack

Zach Parise has 408 career goals, tying him for 95th place all-time with Patrik Elias and Ray Ferraro and, passing Marian Gaborik.  Ray Bourque has 410 goals and sits 94th.

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 116 in 38 games since the break (3.1gm).  

Forwards:

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

After:    101-123-224 in 37 games  (6.0/gm)

Defense:

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

After:    15-69-84 in 37 games (2.3/gm)

Most Career Goals by an Islander Wearing #27

1. Derek King 211

2. Anders Lee 210 

3. John Tonelli 206

Most Shutouts In a Season

• 7 Ilya Sorokin 2021-22

• 7 Semyon Varlamov 2020-21 (56-game season)

• 7 Chico Resch 1975-76

• 6 Robin Lehner 2018-19

• 6 Jaroslav Halak 2014-15

Home and Road

The Isles are 35-31-10 overall; they are 19-13-5 at home and 16-18-5 on the road.

Florida is 55-15-6 overall; they are 32-6-0 at home and 23-9-6 on the road.

Home is Where the Fans Are

The Isles have played 37 home games and recorded 28 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 912-667-60-167 in 1,806 games.

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  970

3. Barry Trotz    912

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman  2,141

2. Barry Trotz        1,806

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 1,490 

2. Lou Lamoriello 1,361

3. Glen Sather 1,319

It All Starts at the Top

Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz have 2,273 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 28-9-6 when scoring first and are 7-22-4 when allowing the opening goal. 

The Shots

Isles    5-12-9-0=26

Florida 12-17-12-1=42

The Isles are 12-7-4 when they outshoot their opponents, 1-2-1 when the shots are even and 22-22-5 when they are outshot. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 88-58-18 when outshot.

In the Nets

Ilya Sorokin made 39 saves; he is 25-16-8 on the season and 0-2-1 vs  Florida.

Sergei Bobrovsky made 24 saves; he is 37-6-3 on the season and 19-10-0 vs. the Isles.   

Special Teams

The Isles were 1-3 on the power play (2:21);  Florida was 1-5 on the power play (7:46).

The Isles are 18-9-6 when they score at least one power play goal and 17-22-4 when they do not. The Isles are 7-13-5 when they allow at least one power play goal and 28-18-5 when they do not.

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 30-9-4 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 5-22-6 when they do not. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 117-18-15 when scoring three or more.

One-Goal Games

The Isles are 11-9-10 in games decided by a single goal including 8-9 in regulation. They are 1-4 in games decided in overtime and are 2-6 in shootouts. The Isles are 1-7 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 9-6-1 in the front end and 6-9-1 in the back end. The next back-to-back will be April 23rd in Buffalo and April 24th at home vs. Carolina.

 

Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 27-13-5 in back-ends. 

Matinee Isles

The Isles are 4-4-3 in matinees this season; the final matinees will be on April 23rd in Buffalo and April 24th at home vs. Carolina.

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Ryan Pulock (25:10);  Florida: Gustav Forsling (22:37)

Jean-Gabriel Pageau led Isles forwards with 19:07 of ice-time. 

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Adam Pelech (12-5-4), Noah Dobson (9-11-3), Ryan Pulock (7-5-2), 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 22, Florida 30 (48%)

Matthew Barzal won 4 of 5 for the Isles; Aleksander Barkov won 15 of 17 for Florida.

Hit Count

Isles 24 (Ross Johnston -5)

Florida 16 (Mason Marchment -4)

Fights 

There were no fights. Season total: 22 (Martin 6, Chara 5,  Johnston 4, Pageau 2, Mayfield 2, Wahlstrom 2, Bellows 1, Nelson 1, Palmieri 1)

 

Blocked Shots

Isles 19 (Andy Greene and Ryan Pulock -3)

Florida 8 (Gustav Forsling -3)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 45, Florida 76

Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 39, Florida 57

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Matt Martin +1

Florida: Mason Marchment +17

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)

All situations: Isles 17, Florida 26

5-on-5: Isles 14, Florida 21

Scratches

(Cal Clutterbuck-INJ), (Scott Mayfield-INJ), Oliver Wahlstrom, (Grant Hutton-ILL), Otto Koivula

Games Lost: 170 (121 to injuries and 49 to COVID protocol)

Zach Parise is the only Islander to have played in every game this season.

Challenges

Isles: 3 successful, 2 failures

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 0-2-0 in games that they are unsuccessful (no goalie interference 10/14 @CAR, no goalie interference 4/5 @DAL)

Opponents: 5 successful, 1 failure

The Isles are 2-2-1 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, goalie interference 3/27 vs TB) 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 five goals and allowed two goals in the final three minutes of the third period that were either the winning goal or forced overtime:

For: 5  (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), (Kyle Palmieri 19:45 – 4/8/22 @ CAR – 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)

The Isles allowed a tying goal to CAR on 4/8/22 but scored the winner in the final seconds.

All-time Islander Leader Boards:

Games Played (skaters)

1. Bryan Trottier 1,123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1,060 *** 3. Josh Bailey 987…

9. Brent Sutter 694 *** 10. Matt Martin 679 *** 11. Brock Nelson 671 *** 12. John Tavares 669 *** 13. Casey Cizikas 657 … 

18. Kenny Jonsson 597 *** 19. Garry Howatt 596 *** 20. John Tonelli 594 *** 21. Anders Lee 590 *** 22. Cal Clutterbuck 587

Goals    

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

9. Bobby Nystrom 235 *** 10. Derek King 211 *** 11. Anders Lee 210 *** 12. John Tonelli 206 *** 13. Brock Nelson 202 *** 14 Billy Harris 184 *** 15. Josh Bailey 173

Assists

1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553 *** 4. Josh Bailey 375…

17. Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo 230 *** 19. Mathew Barzal 214 ***20. Nick Leddy 198 *** 21. Pierre Turgeon 193 *** 22. Brock Nelson 182

Points

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

7. Pat LaFontaine 566 *** 8. Josh Bailey 548 *** 9. John Tonelli 544 *** 10. Bob Bourne 542 …

14. Billy Harris 443 *** 15. Brock Nelson 384 ***  16. Kyle Okposo and Stefan Persson 369 *** 18.  Anders Lee 363…

22. Ziggy Palffy 331 *** 23. Mathew Barzal 304

+/-

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 282

 

Coaching Wins

1. Al Arbour 740 *** 2. Jack Capuano 227 *** 3. Barry Trotz 150

On the Farm

Bridgeport is to 9-4-2-0 in their last fifteen games and 30-29-7-4 on the season heading into the final weekend of the regular season.  

Chris Terry continues to lead the team with 29 goals and 57 points while Otto Koivula has a team-leading 35 helpers. Jakub Skurek is 16-14-4 in goal on the season while Cory Schneider, 9-2-2 in his last thirteen games, is 13-11-3.

Bridgeport is .014 ahead of Hartford for the final playoff spot.  (AHL teams play different number of games, so percentage will determine the final standings).  Bridgeport has two regular season games to play (Friday vs. Springfield and Saturday vs. Hartford) while the Wolf Pack have three.  

The Baby Isles could clinch a playoff spot on Friday if they beat Springfield and Hartford loses at home to Charlotte in regulation time.

Season Series Stats

Florida wins the season series, 3 games to 0 (and 6 points to 1).

The Cats swept the season series and out-scored the Isles 14-4. 

UP NEXT

THURSDAY, APRIL 21st  – RANGERS AT ISLANDERS 7:30 PM 

[MSG+2 (Pre-game at 7:00pm), WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN Radio]

The Isles and Rangers will meet for the fourth and final time of the season on Thursday.

The road team has won all  three games with the Rangers winning at UBS Arena in November and the Isles earning a pair of wins at Madison Square Garden. 

The Rangers have recorded shutouts in each of their last three games, one shy of the franchise record that was set in 1928.

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