"The Skinny"
By Eric Hornick
Eastern Conference Round 1, Game 5
Carolina 6, Isles 3
Carolina Wins Series 4-1
School is out.
Jack Drury and Stefan Noesen scored goals eight seconds apart in the third period to break a 3-3 tie as the Carolina Hurricanes eliminated the Islanders with a 6-3 victory before a sellout crowd of 18,874 at PNC Arena. Carolina wins the series 4 games to 1.
The Isles trailed 2-0 just 3:13 into play and later allowed a penalty shot goal to Evgeny Kuznetsov but battled back on goals by Mike Reilly, Brock Nelson, and Casey Cizikas to earn a 3-3 tie after 40 minutes.
However, the fastest two goals the Isles have ever allowed in a playoff game sealed their fate and ended the season.
The Scoring:
1st Period
Teuvo Teravainen (2) Seth Jarvis (3), Jaccob Slavin (1) 01:23 NYI 0,CAR 1
Andrei Svechnikov (1) Seth Jarvis (4), Brent Burns (1) 03:13 NYI 0,CAR 2 PPG
Mike Reilly (1) Mathew Barzal (2), Brock Nelson (2) 03:54 NYI 1,CAR 2 PPG
Evgeny Kuznetsov (2)PS 13:22 NYI 1,CAR 3
2nd Period
Brock Nelson (2) Kyle Palmieri (2), Ryan Pulock (2) 03:47 NYI 2,CAR 3
Casey Cizikas (1) Mathew Barzal (3), Ryan Pulock (3) 19:38 NYI 3,CAR 3
3rd Period
Jack Drury (1) Brady Skjei (4), Martin Necas (4) 04:36 NYI 3,CAR 4
Stefan Noesen (3) Brady Skjei (5), Evgeny Kuznetsov (2) 04:44 NYI 3,CAR 5
Seth Jarvis (3)EN 18:21 NYI 3,CAR 6
The Series
Game 1: Carolina 3, Isles 1
Game 2: Carolina 5, Isles 3
Game 3: Carolina 3, Isles 2
Game 4: Isles 3, Carolina 2 (2-OT)
Game 5: Carolina 6, Isles 3
The Skinny
The Isles have led after the first period only three times in their last 31 playoff games (2023 R1 games 5/6, 2024 R1G2)... The Isles were outscored 10-1 in the third period in the series, including three empty net goals…Ironically, it was the second period that was the Isles' best in the series, outscoring Carolina 6-2…Anders Lee's point streak ended at four games… The Isles are 7-10 in game 5 when trailing a series 3-1…Carolina is now 9-1 all-time when scoring first in a potential clinching game (the loss was in game 4) …The Isles played Carolina nearly even at 5-on-5 (outscored 9-8), but allowed three empty net goals, a sixth attacker goal, five power play goals, and a penalty shot…It was the second multi-assist playoff game for Ryan Pulock…Mike Reilly's goal was the only one scored by an Islander defenseman in the series….Jack Drury's goal gave the Canes twelve goal scorers in the series… The Canes scored power play goals in each game in Carolina, and a pair in game 3 at UBS Arena.
Series Leaders (by team)
Goals: Seth Jarvis 3 and Stefan Noesen 3; Mathew Barzal and Brock Nelson 2
Assists: Brady Skjei 5; Barzal and Ryan Pulock 3
Points: Seth Jarvis 7; Barzal 5
+/-: Jack Drury +5; Alexander Romanov +2
Penalty Minutes: Noesen 19; Matt Martin +16
Shots: Andrei Svechnikov 15; Bo Horvat 20
Ice-Time: Brent Burns 22:40; Pulock 24:35
Face-off %: Jack Drury 63.2%; Jean-Gabriel Pageau 55.7%
Goalies:
Frederik Andersen 4-1 2.25 GAA, .912; Semyon Varlamov 1-3 2.70 GAA, .914
The Penalty Shot
Evgeni Kuznetsov is the first player to convert a penalty shot against the Isles in the playoffs. Thomas Greiss stopped Aleksander Barkov (in overtime) in 2016 while Billy Smith and Chico Resch each stopped two. It was the second successful penalty shot in Carolina history (Jordan Martinook last year vs. New Jersey).
Lots of Shots Allowed
Carolina had 21 shots in the first period. It was the sixth time Isles have allowed at least 20 shots in a playoff period:
Period Shots Opponent
4/15/1975 1 21 Pittsburgh
4/15/1977 1 22 Buffalo
5/5/1983 1 21 Boston
5/24/2021 2 20 Pittsburgh
6/3/2021 3 21 Boston
4/30/2024 1 21 Carolina
Milestone Men
• Mike Reilly scored his first career playoff goal.
• Brock Nelson recorded his 50th and 51st points, tying and then passing Josh Bailey for 12th on the club's playoff point list. The 11 players ahead of him all won multiple Stanley Cup rings with the Isles.
• Lou Lamoriello served as General Manager for the 325th game, passing Glen Sather for the most all-time.
First Time in a Long Time
Three goals were scored within the first four minutes for the third time in Islander playoff history (5/11/1975 – outscored Philadelphia 2-1; 5/10/1993 -- trailed Pittsburgh 3-0)
The New Mr. Overtime
Islanders with Multiple OT Goals:
• Bob Nystrom 4
• Mike Bossy and Ken Morrow 3
• Mathew Barzal, Ray Ferraro, Pat LaFontaine, John Tavares, Josh Bailey, and Denis Potvin 2
The Goals (Series)
Isles 4-6-1-1=12
Carolina 7-2-10-0=19
The Shots (Series)
Isles 40-41-46-10=137
Carolina 55-50-46-18=169
Led/Tied/Trailed
Game 1: Led: 0:00, Tied: 36:49, Trailed: 23:01
Game 2: Led: 41:23, Tied: 16:31, Trailed: 2:06
Game 3: Led: 0:00, Tied: 4:46, Trailed: 55:14
Game 4: Led: 12:30, Tied 46:44, Trailed: 22:10
Game 5: Led: 0:00, Tied 6:21, Trailed: 53:39
Series: Led: 53:53, Tied: 111:11, Trailed: 156:10
Playoffs All-Time
The Isles are 175-149 in 324 all-time playoff games. They are 98-56 at home (88-44 at the Coliseum, 2-5 at Barclays, 5-2 in Toronto, 1-2 in Edmonton and 2-3 at UBS Arena) and 77-93 on the road. In this year's playoffs, the Isles are 1-1 at home and 0-3 on the road.
Offense from Defense
• Today: 1-2-3
• Playoffs 1-9-10
Home is Where the Fans Are
The Isles have played 122 regular season games at UBS Arena and recorded 89 sellouts of 17,255. The Isles have sold out 5 playoff games as well.
Overtime is Our Time
The Isles are 41-24 (.645) all-time in overtime, including 21-14 at home. The Isles are 1-0in overtime in 2024; they have gone 11-11 in 22 overtime games since 2015.
(all stats below exclude Seattle)
The Isles are the best overtime team in Stanley Cup history:
• Isles 40-24 .631
• Florida 13-8 .619
• Anaheim 24-15 .615
• Carolina 30-20 .600
• Ottawa 22-16 .579
• Colorado 46-34 .575
The Isles are also one of the best teams on the road in Stanley Cup history:
• Florida 9-4 .692
• Isles 20-10 .667
• Anaheim 15-8 .652
• Tampa Bay 14-8 .636
• Colorado 26-15 .634
The Isles' winning percentage is 5th at home in overtime games
• Carolina 16-10 .615
• Chicago 30-18-1 .612
• Buffalo 20-13 .606
• Montreal 46-29-1 .605
• Isles 21-14 .600
Overtime vs. Carolina
The Isles are 1-3 all-time in playoff overtime games vs. Carolina:
4/26/19 Vs Jordan Staal L (0-1) 04:04 (Brooklyn*)
4/19/23 @ Jesper Fast L (3-4) 05:03
4/28/23 Vs Paul Stastny L (1-2) 06:01
4/27/24 Vs Mathew Barzal W(3-2) 21:24
*It was the last overtime game and penultimate playoff game at Barclays Center.
Sweet Lou
Lou Lamoriello has the second-highest post-season win total for any general manager in NHL history:
1. Glen Sather 187-137
2. Lou Lamoriello 172-153
Most playoff games as GM
1. Lou Lamoriello 325
2. Glen Sather 324
Pulock the Playoff Hitter
In regular season play, Ryan Pulock averages 1.7 hits (802 hits in 486 games). In the playoffs, Pulock has 190 hits in 66 games (2.9 per game), and he holds the Isles career record (real-time era) for playoff hits by a defenseman.
Most Hits by an Isles Defenseman (Playoffs, since 2007)
• Johnny Boychuk 10 4/23/2015 @ WSH
• Ryan Pulock 9 4/17/2023@ CAR
• Ryan Pulock 8 5/16/2021@ PIT
• Ryan Pulock 8 5/20/2021vs PIT
First Things First
The Isles are 0-1 when scoring first and are 1-3 when allowing the opening goal.
The Shots
Isles 4-11-10=25
Carolina 21-9-8=38
Shots by Game
Game 1: Isles 34, Carolina 26
Game 2: Isles 12, Carolina 39
Game 3: Isles 31, Carolina 22
Game 4: Isles 35, Carolina 44
Game 5: Isles 25, Carolina 38
Series: Isles 137, Carolina 169
The Isles are 0-3 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-0 when the shots are even and 1-1 when they are outshot.
In the Nets
Semyon Varlamov made 32 saves; he is 1-3 this year and 32-30 in his playoff career.
Frederik Andersen made 22 saves; he is 4-1 this year and 36-27 in his playoff career.
Special Teams
The Isles were 1-4 on the power play (6:11); Carolina was 1-1 on the power play (1:17).
Power Plays by Game
• Game 1: Isles 0-2 (3:59, 4 shots), Carolina 1-3 (4:12, 3 shots)
• Game 2: Isles 1-1 (1:16, 1 shot), Carolina 1-5 (7:18, 4 shots)
• Game 3: Isles 0-2 (3:08, 2 shots), Carolina 0-2 (3:08, 2 shots)
• Game 4: Isles 1-2 (3:38, 4 shots), Carolina 2-4 (5:20, 4 shots)
• Game 5: Isles 1-4 (6:11, 6 shots), Carolina 1-1 (1:17, 4 shots)
• Series: Isles 3-11 (18:12, 17 shots), Carolina 5-15 (21:15, 17 shots)
• 2023 Playoffs Isles 1-18 (32:02, 21 shots), Carolina 5-25 (36:09, 26 shots)
The Isles are 1-2 when they score at least one power play goal and 0-2 when they do not. The Isles are 1-3 when they allow at least one power play goal and 0-1 when they do not.
Three is (Usually) a Magic Number
The Isles are 1-2 when they score at least three goals and are 0-2 when they do not.
One-Goal Games
The Isles are 1-1 in games decided by a single goal (0-1 in regulation and 1-0 in overtime). The Isles are 0-2 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.
Ice-time Leaders
Isles: Noah Dobson (25:35); Carolina: Jaccob Slavin (23:02)
Mathew Barzal led Isles forwards with 22:05 of ice-time.
Isles record by ice-time leaders: Bo Horvat (0-1), Ryan Pulock (0-2), Noah Dobson (1-1)
Face-offs
Isles 28, Carolina 41 (59%)
Jean-Gabriel Pageau won 12 of 23 for the Isles; Evgeny Kuznetsov won 9 of 12 for Carolina.
Face-offs by Game
• Game 1: Isles 24, Carolina 34 (41%)
• Game 2: Isles 28, Carolina 41 (41%)
• Game 3: Isles 29, Carolina 19 (60%)
• Game 4: Isles 48, Carolina 23 (68%)
• Game 5: Isles 28, Carolina 41 (41%)
• Series : Isles 157, Carolina 158 (50%)
The home team has won 193 of 315 face-offs (61%, winning at least 59 percent in each game)
Hit Count
Isles 14 (Cal Clutterbuck and Anders Lee -3)
Carolina 23 (Seth Jarvis -5)
Hits by Game
• Game 1: Isles 17, Carolina 23
• Game 2: Isles 27, Carolina 27
• Game 3; Isles 40, Carolina 22
• Game 4: Isles 40, Carolina 24
• Game 5: Isles 14, Carolina 23
• Series : Isles 138, Carolina 119
Fights
None. Playoff total: 1 (MacLean 1)
Blocked Shots
Isles 18 (Adam Pelech -3)
Carolina 14 (Jalen Chatfield -4)
For the Analytics Crowd
Corsi: All situations: Isles 59, Carolina 72
Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 43, Carolina 63
Corsi Game by Game:
Game 1: (All) Isles 59, Carolina 74; (5-on-5) Isles 52, Carolina 65
Game 2: (All) Isles 28, Carolina 110; (5-on-5) Isles 20, Carolina 85
Game 3: (All) Isles 65, Carolina 62; (5-on-5) Isles 53, Carolina 55
Game 4: (All) Isles 78, Carolina 93; (5-on-5) Isles 69, Carolina 82
Game 5: (All) Isles 59, Carolina 72; (5-on-5) Isles 43, Carolina 63
Series: (All) Isles 289, Carolina 411; (5-on-5) Isles 237, Carolina 350
5-on-5 leaders:
Isles: Casey Cizikas +2
Carolina: Sebastian Aho +15
High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)
All situations: Isles 9, Carolina 12
5-on-5: Isles 6, Carolina 9
High-Danger Game by Game:
Game 1: (All) Isles 8, Carolina 8; (5-on-5) Isles 7, Carolina 8
Game 2: (All) Isles 9, Carolina 23; (5-on-5) Isles 4, Carolina 15
Game 3: (All) Isles 9, Carolina 6; (5-on-5) Isles 9, Carolina 5
Game 4; (All) Isles 16, Carolina 18; (5-on-5) Isles 15, Carolina 14
Game 5: (All) Isles 9, Carolina 12; (5-on-5) Isles 6, Carolina 9
Series: (All) Isles 51, Carolina 67; (5-on-5) Isles 41, Carolina 51
2023 Playoffs: (All) Isles 89, Carolina 83; (5-on-5) Isles 68, Carolina 65
Scratches
(Scott Mayfield- LTIR), (Matt Martin-upper body), Ruslan Iskhakov, Samuel Bolduc, Oliver Wahlstrom, Sebastian Aho, Jacob Skarek, Robin Salo, Dennis Cholowski, Julien Gauthier, Karson Kuhlman, Brian Pinho.
Playoff Games Lost: 8
The Ironman (Playoffs)
Brock Nelson played in his 73rd consecutive Islander playoff game.
Challenges
Isles: 0 successful, 0 failures (Regular season 3 of 7, including 1 of 3 for Roy)
Opponents: 0 successful, 0 failures (Regular season 5 of 8 were successful)
League reviews: 0
Quickies
The Isles have not scored two goals in under a minute during this postseason. They did so eight times in the regular season.
The Isles allowed 2 goal in under a minutes twice in the postseason (CAR R1G2, :09 and CAR R1G5, :08); The Isles allowed two goals in under a minute nine times in the regular season.
Multi-Goal 3rd Period Comeback Wins
The Isles have allowed one multi-goal third period comeback in this year's playoffs (CAR R1G2, led 3-1, lost 5-3).
The Isles came from two goals behind after two periods to win once and allowed the opposition to do so five times in the regular season.
Last Minute Heroes:
The Isles have allowed one tying goal (Aho CAR R1G2 17:45) and one winning goal (Martinook CAR R1G2 17:54) in the final three minutes of the third period in the playoffs,
In the regular season, the Isles scored five goals and allowed eight goals in the final three minutes of the third period that were either the winning goal or forced overtime.
Overtime Winners
Playoffs: For 1, Vs. 0 (Barzal vs CAR R1G4 21:24)
Regular Season: For 9, Vs. 11
Active Islander Playoff Leaders: (As NYI)
Games:
Matt Martin 82
Casey Cizikas 80
Brock Nelson 78
Cal Clutterbuck 76
Ryan Pulock 66
Scott Mayfield 58
Consecutive Games:
Brock Nelson 73
Ryan Pulock 62
Mathew Barzal 60
Goals:
Brock Nelson 27
Mathew Barzal 17
Jean-Gabriel Pageau 12
Cal Clutterbuck 11
Anders Lee 10
Kyle Palmieri 10
Ryan Pulock 8
Matt Martin 8
Casey Cizikas 7
Assists:
Mathew Barzal 28
Brock Nelson 24
Ryan Pulock 19
Jean-Gabriel Pageau 15
Adam Pelech 13
Scott Mayfield 12
Casey Cizikas 12
Anders Lee 11
Noah Dobson 10
Points:
Brock Nelson 51
Mathew Barzal 45
Jean-Gabriel Pageau 27
Ryan Pulock 27
Anders Lee 21
Casey Cizikas 19
Cal Clutterbuck 18
Penalty Minutes:
Matt Martin 127
Cal Clutterbuck 86
Casey Cizikas 64
Anders Lee 48
Scott Mayfield 47
Mathew Barzal 43
+/-
Scott Mayfield +23
Jean-Gabriel Pageau +15
Kyle Palmieri +8
Adam Pelech +6
PP Goals
Mathew Barzal 4
Anders Lee 4
Ryan Pulock 3
Brock Nelson 3
Kyle Palmieri 2
Jean-Gabriel Pageau 1
Mike Reilly 1
Oliver Wahlstrom 1
SH Goals
Bo Horvat 1
GW Goals
Brock Nelson 7
Mathew Barzal 4
Ryan Pulock 3
Kyle Palmieri 2
Scott Mayfield 1
Casey Cizikas 1
Matt Martin 1
OT Goals
Mathew Barzal 2
Kyle Palmieri 1
Casey Cizikas 1
Goaltending
Semyon Varlamov 19-17, 2.35 GAA, .921 save percentage.
Ilya Sorokin 6-6, 2.83 GAA, .921 save percentage.
(Varlamov's 19 wins is second in club history to Billy Smith's 88. Among goalies who have played at least ten post-season games, Varlamov has the best goals against average, while Varlamov, Ilya Sorokin and Thomas Greiss share the best save percentage in club history.)
Coaching Numbers:
Most playoff wins by Islander coaches:
• Al Arbour 119
• Barry Trotz 28
• Jack Capuano 10
• Terry Simpson 9
• Peter Laviolette 4
• Lane Lambert 2
• Patrick Roy 1
• Ted Nolan 1
• Steve Stirling 1
Most playoff games coached (Islanders):
• Al Arbour 198
• Barry Trotz 49
• Jack Capuano 24
• Terry Simpson 20
• Peter Laviolette 12
• Lane Lambert 6
• Patrick Roy 5
• Steve Stirling 5
• Ted Nolan 5
Most overtime wins/overtime record:
• Al Arbour 26 (26-9)
• Barry Trotz 7 (7-6)
• Jack Capuano 4 (4-5)
• Terry Simpson 3 (3-0)
• Patrick Roy 1 (1-0)
• Peter Laviolette 0 (0-1)
• Steve Stirling 0 (0-1)
• Lane Lambert 0 (0-2)
Series Stats
Carolina wins the series, 4 game to 1.
The Isles are 3-12 all-time in playoff games against Carolina, including 1-7 in Raleigh.
The Isles fall to 2-15 in best-of-7 playoff series when they trail 3-1, with the wins coming in 1975 (vs. Pittsburgh) and 1987 (vs. Washington).
Carolina has won all seven best-of-7 series that they led by a 3-1 margin.
The Isles are 32-25 all-time in games where they face elimination.
UP NEXT
NHL Draft June 28-29 (Las Vegas).
As of right now, the Isles have five picks: their own picks in Rounds 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6.
AND FINALLY...
The Isles qualified for the post-season for the fifth time in the last six season and gave the Hurricanes quite a battle. The season, like most seasons, had its ups and its downs. With everything that went on, one thing was consistent. The Skinny appeared after all 87 regular season and playoff games, making yet another perfect season, at least in attendance. The Skinny streak is 1,014 consecutive games (including playoffs). With a little luck, good health, and an Islander playoff berth, we will hit 1,100 games sometime next April.
At UBS, we have a phenomenal spot to watch and bring you Islander hockey. It also gives us a chance to say hello to so many fans- thank you so much for your support and for reading and commenting on The Skinny all season long.
Finally, thanks to my first line – my wife Diane, and my sons Adam and Evan, for their continuous support – I hope I make you as proud as you make me. You all are the absolute best!
Have a great summer!
Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since 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