The Skinny: Isles 2, Carolina 1

"The Skinny"      

By Eric Hornick

Game 70

Isles 2, Carolina 1

Kyle Palmieri scored the latest game-winning goal by an Islander in over 30 years as he broke a 1-1 tie with 15 seconds to play as the Islanders improved to 5-1-0 in their last six games with a 2-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes before a crowd of 17,279 at PNC Arena. 

Jean-Gabriel Pageau had given the Isles a 1-0 lead in the second period and that stood up until the dramatic final minute, when Vincent Trocheck tied the game at 19:03 to set the stage for Palmieri's 13th goal in his last 26 games and his 199th career goal.

The Isles improve to 33-28-9; they are 11 points behind Washington. Each team has 12 games to play.  It matches the closest that the Isles have been to Washington since mid-November.

The Scoring:

1st Period

No Goals

2nd Period

Jean-Gabriel Pageau (15) Matt Martin (3), Kyle Palmieri (15) 08:24 NYI 1,CAR 0

3rd Period 

Vincent Trocheck (19) Sebastian Aho (39), Tony DeAngelo (36) 19:03 NYI 1,CAR 1

Kyle Palmieri (14) Zach Parise (18), Brock Nelson (18) 19:45 NYI 2,CAR 1

The Skinny           

The Isles are 12-4-1 in their last 17 games…Jean Gabriel Pageau  has five goals in the last three games, giving him 15 goals on the season (one more than last season's total)… The Isles have been outscored 14-11 in the final minutes of periods this season (excluding empty nets)…Anthony Beauvillier played his 400th NHL game while Mathew Barzal played his 350th … Barry Trotz coached his 1,800th NHL game (2nd all-time)…Carolina has outscored the opposition 90-53 in the third period; their +37 goal differential is the best in the NHL…The Isles outscored Carolina 2-0 in 5-on-5 play; Carolina drops to +47 (166-119) when playing 5-on-5…The Isles regained NHL -.500 on the road (15-15-5)…Matt Martin earned his first assist since January 27 vs. Los Angeles.

That Final Minute

The Isles led 1-0 through 59 minutes, allowed the tying goal but then scored the winning goal in the 60th.  Sounds rare, right?   It is.

It is only the 4th time in the 105 year history of the NHL that it has happened.  The last time was in 2007 when the Bruins beat San Jose; Zdeno Chara also played in that game.

Late Heroes

This was the 7th latest Game-Winning Goal in Islander history (regulation time):

• Bryan Trottier 1/17/86 59:59  (at Philadelphia)

• Tom Fitzgerald 12/28/91 59:57 (vs Rangers)

• Pat LaFontaine 3/19/87 59:56 (at Detroit)

• Mike Bossy 4/1/78 59:55 (vs Washington)

• Brent Sutter 2/18/84 59:54 (vs. Rangers)

• Clark Gillies 1/7/82 59:47 (vs Philadelphia)

• Kyle Palmieri 4/8/22 59:45 (at Carolina)

Palmieri's goal was the latest since Tom Fitzgerald beat the Rangers in 1991, and the latest on the road since LaFontaine beat Detroit in 1987.

Home is Where The Sorokin Is

Ilya Sorokin is 12-4-3 at UBS Arena. His 1.86 GAA is the lowest of any goalie who has played at least ten home games.

Since February 1st, he has been even better, going 6-1-1 in eight home starts (1.55 GAA, .950 save percentage); both the goals against average and the save percentage is the best in the NHL among goalies who have played at least two home games in that stretch .

Great in the Nets

• Ilya Sorokin is 6-2-0 in his last eight games; he has allowed just twelve goals in those eight games (1.58, .951).  Both the goals against and save percentage are the best in the NHL among goalies who have played at least two games in that stretch.

• Semyon Varlamov is 6-2-1 in his last nine decisions with a 2.45 GAA and a .929 save percentage.  

PK is More Than Okay

The Isles killed all four of their penalties and have now killed 17 straight over their last six games and 56 of 62 in the last 20 games (90.3%).  At home they are even better, having killed 33 of 35 since the beginning of February; their 94.3% home PK in that span is the best in the NHL. 

Zach Attack

Zach Parise, the 100th-leading goal scorer in NHL history, has 404 goals, leaving him two behind Rod Gilbert and John LeClair, three behind Marian Gaborik and four behind Patrik Elias and Ray Ferraro.

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 101 in 31 games since the break (3.3/gm).  

Forwards:

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

After:    90-109-199 in 31 games  (6.4/gm)

Defense:

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

After:    11-64-75 in 30 games (2.4/gm)

Most Career Goals by an Islander Wearing #27

1. Derek King 211

2. Anders Lee 209

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

Home and Road

The Isles are 33-28-9 overall; they are 18-13-4 at home and 15-15-5 on the road.

Carolina is 46-18-8 overall; they are 26-7-4 at home and 20-11-4 on the road.

Home is Where the Fans Are

The Isles have played 35 home games and recorded 27 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 910-664-60-166 in 1,800 games.

Most Coaching Wins

1. Scotty Bowman  1,244

2. Joel Quenneville  970

3. Barry Trotz    910

Most Games Coached

1. Scotty Bowman  2,141

2. Barry Trotz        1,800

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 1,487

2. Lou Lamoriello 1,359

3. Glen Sather 1,319

It All Starts at the Top

Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz have 2,269 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 27-8-5 when scoring first and are 6-20-4 when allowing the opening goal. 

The Shots

Isles    7-8-6=21

Carolina 12-1-8=21

The Isles are 12-6-4 when they outshoot their opponents, 1-1-1 when the shots are even and 20-21-4 when they are outshot. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 86-57-17 when outshot.

In the Nets

Ilya Sorokin made 20 saves; he is 23-14-7 on the season and 1-1-0 vs Carolina.

Frederik Andersen made 19 saves; he is 33-13-3 on the season and 8-3-1 vs. the Isles.   

Special Teams

The Isles were 0-4 on the power play (6:52); Carolina was 0-4 on the power play (6:52).

The Isles are 17-8-5 when they score at least one power play goal and 16-20-4 when they do not. The Isles are 6-12-4 when they allow at least one power play goal and 27-16-5 when they do not.

Three is (Usually) a Magic Number

The Isles are 28-8-4 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 5-20-5 when they do not. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 115-17-15 when scoring three or more.

One-Goal Games

The Isles are 10-9-9 in games decided by a single goal including 8-9 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 tonight, the Isles are 9-5-1 in the front end and 5-8-1 in the back end. This back-to-back will conclude Saturday in St. Louis. The next back-to-back will be April 14th in Pittsburgh and April 15th in Montreal.

 

Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 26-12-5 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: Noah Dobson (23:18); Carolina: Jaccob Slavin (23:04)

Brock Nelson led Isles forwards with 18:09 of ice-time. 

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Adam Pelech (12-5-4), Noah Dobson (8-10-3), Ryan Pulock (7-4-1), 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 19, Carolina 25 (43%)

Jean-Gabriel Pageau won 8 of 15 for the Isles; Vincent Trocheck won 6 of 9 for Carolina.

Hit Count

Isles 20 (Casey Cizikas -5)

Carolina 14 (Two with 3)

Fights 

There were no fights. Season total: 21 (Chara 5, Martin 5, Johnston 3, Pageau 2, Mayfield 2, Wahlstrom 2, Bellows 1, Nelson 1, Palmieri 1)

 

Blocked Shots

Isles 15 (Noah Dobson -5)

Carolina 6 (Brett Pesce -2)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 35, Carolina 54

Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 31, Carolina 41

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles: Mathew Barzal +6

Carolina: Two with +8

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)

All situations: Isles 11, Carolina 8

5-on-5: Isles 10, Carolina 5

Scratches

(Cal Clutterbuck-INJ), (Scott Mayfield-INJ), Kieffer Bellows, Sebastian Aho

Games Lost: 154 (105 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 981…

9. Brent Sutter 694 *** 10. Matt Martin 673 *** 11. John Tavares 669  *** 12. Brock Nelson 665 *** 13. Casey Cizikas 653 … 

18. Kenny Jonsson 597 *** 19. Garry Howatt 596 *** 20. John Tonelli 594 *** 21. Cal Clutterbuck 587 *** 22. Anders Lee 584

Goals    

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

9. Bobby Nystrom 235 *** 10. Derek King 211 *** 11. Anders Lee 209 *** 12. John Tonelli 206 *** 13. Brock Nelson 201 *** 14 Billy Harris 184 *** 15. Josh Bailey 170

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 210 ***20. Nick Leddy 198 *** 21. Pierre Turgeon 193 *** 22. Ed Westfall 181 *** 23. Brock Nelson 178

Points

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

7. Pat LaFontaine 566 *** 8. Josh Bailey 545 *** 9. John Tonelli 544 *** 10. Bob Bourne 542 …

14. Billy Harris 443 *** 15. Brock Nelson 379 ***  16. Kyle Okposo and Stefan Persson 369 *** 18.  Anders Lee 361…

22. Ziggy Palffy 331 *** 23. Mathew Barzal 300

+/-

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 276

 

Coaching Wins

1. Al Arbour 740 *** 2. Jack Capuano 227 *** 3. Barry Trotz 148

On the Farm

Bridgeport is 7-2-2-0 in their last eleven games and 28-27-7-4 on the season following a 3-2 win over Providence on Friday night.  Chris Terry had the tying and winning goals.

Terry continues to lead the team with 27 goals and 53 points while Otto Koivula has a team-leading 32 helpers. Jakub Skurek is 16-13-4 in goal on the season while Cory Schneider, 7-1-2 in his last ten games, is 11-10-3.

Bridgeport plays in Providence on Saturday and then hosts Lehigh Valley on Sunday.

Season Series Stats

The season series is tied, 1 game to 1 (and 2 points to 2).    Carolina will make their only visit to UBS Arena on April 24th to complete the season series.

This was the first Isles win over Carolina since a 4-1 Coliseum victory on November 24, 2018, ending an 0-3-2 stretch.

UP NEXT

SATURDAY, APRIL 9th  – ISLANDERS AT ST. LOUIS 8:00 PM 

[MSG+ (Pre-game at 7:30pm), WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN Radio]

The Isles will wrap up their five-game road trip and play their final game of the season outside of the Eastern Time Zone as they face the St. Louis Blues. 

The Isles edged the Blues 2-1 in early March at UBS Arena and will be looking to sweep the season series.

The Isles are 5-0-2 in their last seven games with St. Louis since a 4-3 road loss on March 11, 2017.

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