The Skinny: Isles 4, Buffalo 3

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Game 11

Isles 4, Buffalo 3

Bo Horvat and Maxim Tsyplakov each scored a goal and added an assist, and Ilya Sorokin made 32 saves, including a Jason Zucker penalty shot, for his 98th career victory as the Isles overcame injury losses both before and during the game and defeated the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 before a crowd of 17,074 at KeyBank Center.

The Isles played the second half of the game with just four defenseman, following injuries to Adam Pelech and Mike Reilly.

 

The Isles are 4-5-2 on the season and head to Manhattan to face the Rangers on Marathon Sunday in the final game of the three-game road trip.

The Scoring:  

1st Period

Dylan Cozens (1) Jason Zucker (6), Rasmus Dahlin (6) 09:03 NYI 0,BUF 1 PPG

Bo Horvat (4) Anders Lee (1) 09:43 NYI 1,BUF 1

2nd Period

Maxim Tsyplakov (2) 05:25 NYI 2,BUF 1

Kyle Palmieri (5) Maxim Tsyplakov (5), Simon Holmstrom (3) 12:20 NYI 3,BUF 1 PPG

3rd Period

Jason Zucker (3) Tage Thompson (6), Bowen Byram (4) 05:27 NYI 3,BUF 2

Jean-Gabriel Pageau (2) Bo Horvat (3), Anders Lee (2) 08:08 NYI 4,BUF 2

Owen Power (3) Ryan McLeod (2), Bowen Byram (5)  18:59 NYI 4,BUF 3

The Skinny

The Isles snapped a three-game losing streak with the victory; it was only their second regulation win of the season…. 21 of the Isles' 25 goals have been scored in just five of their games(4-0-1) …The Isles have killed 10 of 11 penalties on the road this season; they were shorthanded four times for the first time this season.…The Isles defense did not have a point after registering at least one point on 12 of the prior 13 goals (1-12-13) …The Isles scored twice in the second period, giving them five goals in the middle period this season – all on the road...The Isles had 13 shots on the power play; it was their most since having 16 PP shots on February 22, 2024 in St. Louis...The Isles started the game in last place in the Eastern Conference but passed six teams with their wins tonight to tie Ottawa for 9th…Maxim Tsyplakov had eight hits; Kieffer Bellows and Anders Lee also had eight in a game as a rookie, but no Islander rookie has had more since Matt Martin had 14 on March 8, 2011 vs. Toronto (his 6th game of at least eight hits while a rookie)…Tage Thompson has a point in eight straight games…The Isles have out-shot their opponents in eight of the first ten games (3-3-2)…Dylan Cozens now has five goals in fifteen games against the Isles…Today would have been Al Arbour's 92nd birthday.

The Injuries

• Alex Romanov left the game briefly in the second period, but later returned.

• Adam Pelech left the game with an upper body injury in the second period and did not return.

• Mike Reilly left the game midway through the second period after needing assistance to get off the ice following a clean hit from Jordan Greenway; he did not return.

The Penalty Shot

Ilya Sorokin has now stopped all three penalty shots he has faced:

• Michael Bunting 1/23/23 (TOR)

• Sidney Crosby 4/17/24 (PIT)

• Jason Zucker 11/1/24 (BUF)  5:01 of 3rd period

Road Warriors

The Isles are 3-2-1 on the road through six games. Since 2002-03, the Isles have had more points through six road games exactly once- they had ten points in 2019-20 when they opened 5-1-0 on the road.

What a Start!

Ilya Sorokin has allowed only 12 goals in his first six games (2.00 GAA, .928 save percentage). It is the first time he has allowed fewer than thirteen goals through six games.

The Road Ahead

The Isles are in a stretch where they play nine of eleven games on the road.  So far, the Isles are 1-1-0:

• 30-Oct-24 @ Columbus  L 0-2

• 1-Nov-24  @ Buffalo       W 4-3

• 3-Nov-24  @ New York

• 5-Nov-24  Vs Pittsburgh

• 7-Nov-24  @ Ottawa

• 9-Nov-24  Vs New Jersey

• 12-Nov-24 @ Edmonton

• 14-Nov-24 @ Vancouver

• 16-Nov-24 @ Seattle

• 19-Nov-24 @ Calgary

• 21-Nov-24 @ Detroit

Overtime is Our Time

The Isles have played 4 overtime games. They are 1-2 in games decided by an overtime goal, and they are 1-0 in shootouts. Ilya Sorokin is 1-1 in overtime and 0-0 in shootouts, while Semyon Varlamov is 0-1 in overtime and 1-0 in shootouts. 

Empty Netters 

The Isles have scored 1 empty-net goal and allowed 4.

Killing Their Own PP

The Isles have taken a penalty to interrupt their power play 1 time this season.

Building on a Lead

The Islanders have had a two-goal lead 7 times this season:

• Score the next goal: 3 times

• Allowed the next goal: 4 time

• Game ended with 2-goal difference: 0 times 

Last Year vs. This Year

• 2024-25  4-5-2 for 10 points in 11 games

• 2023-24  5-3-3 for 13 points in 11 games

Offense from Defense

• Today:   0-0-0

• Season: 1-16-17

• Last Season (Final) 33-137-170

The 137 assists were the most since 2006-07, when they also had 137.

Varly, Varly

Semyon Varlamov has 41 career shutouts and 287 career wins. Among active NHL goalies (and excluding Carey Price, who is technically still active), Varlamov is seventh in wins and fourth in shutouts.

All-time Goalie Wins

47. Ed Giacomin 290

48. Semyon Varlamov 287

49. Jose Theodore 286

      Dan Bouchard 286

Home and Road

The Isles are 4-5-2 overall; they are 1-3-1 at home and 3-2-1 on the road.

Buffalo is 4-6-1 overall; they are 3-4-0 at home and 1-2-1 on the road

East and West

The Isles are 3-3-0 against the East (1-1-0 vs. Metropolitan and 2-2-0 vs. Atlantic) and 1-2-2 against the West (1-1-2 vs. Central and 0-1-0 vs. Pacific).

Home is Where the Fans Are

The Isles have played 127 games at UBS Arena and recorded 90 sellouts of 17,255. 

Sweet Lou

Lou Lamoriello has the second-highest win total for any general manager in NHL history:

1. David Poile 1,531

2. Lou Lamoriello 1,448

3. Glen Sather 1,319

Leaders of the Pack

Lou Lamoriello (1,448) and Patrick Roy (154) have combined for 1,602 career wins as general manager and coach. That is the highest in the NHL among active combinations by a wide margin.

First Things First

The Isles are 2-1-1 when scoring first and are 2-4-1 when allowing the opening goal. 

The Shots

Isles     10-15-11=36

Buffalo 12-10-13=35

The Isles are 3-3-2 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-0-0 when the shots are even and 1-2-0 when the opposition has more shots.

In the Nets

Ilya Sorokin made 32 saves; he is 3-2-1 this season and 6-3-2 vs. Buffalo.

Devon Levi made 32 saves; he is 1-3-0 this season and 0-2-0 vs the Isles.

Special Teams

The Isles were 1-4 on the power play (7:00); Buffalo was 1-4 (4:55).

The Isles are 3-1-1 when they score at least one power play goal and 1-4-1 when they do not. The Isles are 2-2-1 when they allow at least one power play goal and 2-3-1 when they do not.

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 4-1-1 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 0-4-1 when they do not. 

One-Goal Games

The Isles are 3-1-2 in games decided by a single goal including 1-1 in regulation. They are 1-2 in games decided in overtime and are 1-0 in shootouts. The Isles are 0-2 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.

Back-to-Backs     

The Isles are 1-1-0 on the front end and 0-2-0 on the back end this season. The next back-to-back will be on November 29th in Washington and November 30th vs. Buffalo.

Fewest Wins on Back-end

0 1972-73 (0-22-3)

1 2023-24 (1-6-3)

2 2012-13 (1-5-1; 48-game schedule)

3 1994-95 (2-3-3; 48-game schedule)

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Ryan Pulock (25:21); Buffalo: Rasmus Dahlin (24:59)

Jean-Gabriel Pageau led Islander forwards with 21:28.

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Noah Dobson (2-4-1), Alex Romanov (0-1-0), Ryan Pulock (1-0-0), Adam Pelech (0-0-1)

Face-offs

Isles 31, Buffalo 26 (54%)

Brock Nelson won 10 of 12 for the Isles; Ryan McLeod won 3 of 4 for Buffalo. 

Hit Count

Isles 18 (Maxim Tsyplakov -8)

Buffalo 18 (Two with 3)

Fights 

Oliver Wahlstrom fought Jason Zucker in the 2nd period. Season total: 2 (Mayfield, Wahlstrom)

 

Blocked Shots

Isles 23 (Jean-Gabriel Pageau -5)

Buffalo 9 (Two with 2)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 55, Buffalo 71

Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 33, Buffalo 46

 

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  Bo Horvat +3  

Buffalo:  Rasmus Dahlin +11

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)

All situations: Isles 13, Buffalo 12

5-on-5: Isles 8, Buffalo 5

Scratches

(Mathew Barzal – INJ), (Anthony Duclair-LTIR), Matt Martin, Dennis Cholowski

Games Lost to injury: 10.   (Last season's total: 181)

The Ironmen

Brock Nelson is the Islanders' ironman, having played 177 consecutive games. Kyle Palmieri (127) and Jean-Gabriel Pageau (107) also played every game since the start of last season.

Most Overtime Goals, Season (Islanders)

1. John Tavares 4 (2014-15)

2. Bo Horvat 3 (2023-24)

Brock Nelson 3 (2019-20)

John Tavares 3 (2010-11)

Most Overtime Assists, Career (Islanders)

1. Mathew Barzal 16

2. John Tavares 12

Most Overtime Points, Career (Islanders)

1. John Tavares 23

2. Mathew Barzal 21

3. Brock Nelson 18

Barzal has a point on 21 of the 40 overtime goals that the Isles have scored since he became a regular in 2016-17.

National TV Games 

The Isles are 0-0-0 in games that air on one of the NHL's US national broadcast partners, with ten games remaining. The first national game will stream on December 5th on ESPN+/Hulu, as the Isles host Seattle. The Isles have five national telecasts scheduled through the end of March, with the other five all scheduled in April.

Matinee Isles

The Isles are 0-0-0 in matinee games this season, with 11 games remaining. The first matinee will be on November 3rd at MSG. The NHL considers games that start before 5:00 local time to be afternoon games. Since the start of the 2019-20 season, the Isles are 13-13-10 in matinees.

Challenges

Isles: 0 successful, 0 failures 

Opponents: 0 successful, 1 failures (No Goalie Interference -UTA 10/10)

Quickies (Two goals in under a minute)

For (0):

Vs (0): 

Quick Responses (One team scoring within a minute of other team)

Isles responses (1): BUF 11/1

Opponent responses (2): UTA 10/10 (2)

Multi-Goal 3rd Period Comeback Wins 

For (0):

Vs (0): 

Last Minute Heroes (Tying or go-ahead goals in the final three minutes of the third period):

For (1): Maxim Tsyplakov 10/10 vs. UTA (17:53, go-ahead goal but lost in OT)

Vs (3): Josh Doan 10/10 vs. UTA (18:06- GTG; UTA won in OT); Cole Caufield 10/19 vs MTL (17:50-GTG; NYI won in SO); Jesper Bratt 10/25 at NJD (18:31-GTG; NYI won in OT)

OT Winners

For (1): Bo Horvat 10/25 at NJD (1:09)

Vs (2): Dylan Guenther 10/10 vs. UTA (2:18); Jake Neighbours 10/17 @ STL (2:04)

Shootout Winners

For (1): Noah Dobson 10/19 vs MTL

Vs (0): 

 

All-time Islander Leader Boards:

Games Played (skaters)

1. Bryan Trottier 1,123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1,060 *** 3. Josh Bailey 1,057…

5. Clark Gillies 872 *** 6. Brock Nelson 851 *** 7. Casey Cizikas 826 *** 8. Matt Martin 825 *** 9. Bob Bourne 814 *** 10. Anders Lee 770 …

31. Dave Lewis 514 *** 32. Adam Pelech 511 *** 33. Mathew Barzal 510 *** 34. Rich Pilon and Mick Vukota 509 *** 36. Ryan Pulock 497  *** 37. Ed Westfall 493 *** 38. Radek Martinek and Scott Mayfield 479

Goals    

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

5. Pat LaFontaine and Brent Sutter 287 *** 7. Brock Nelson 279 *** John Tavares 272 *** 9. Anders Lee 263 …

20. Kyle Okposo 139 ***21. Mathew Barzal 130…

29. Ray Ferraro 116 *** 30. Casey Cizikas 107

Assists

1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553 …

8. Patrick Flatley 328 *** 9. Brent Sutter 323 *** 10. Stefan Persson and Mathew Barzal 317…

14. Pat LaFontaine 279 *** 15. Bobby Nystrom 278 *** 16. Billy Harris 259 *** 17. Brock Nelson 258…

19. Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo 230 *** 21. Nick Leddy 198 *** 22. Anders Lee 195…

30. Ziggy Palffy 163 *** 31. Noah Dobson 157 *** 32. David Volek 154 *** 33. Mariusz Czerkawski 150 *** 34. Ryan Pulock 146 *** 35. Travis Green 145 *** 36. Steve Thomas 140 *** 37. Mark Streit and Casey Cizikas 139

Points

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

9. John Tonelli 544 *** 10. Bob Bourne 542 *** 11. Brock Nelson 537 *** 12. Bob Nystrom 513 *** 13. Derek King 499 *** 14. Patrick Flatley 488 *** 15. Anders Lee 458 *** 16. Mathew Barzal 447…

30. David Volek 249 *** 31. Casey Cizikas 246

+/-

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

15. Bob Lorimer +105  *** 16. Tomas Jonsson +76 ***17. Garry Howatt +75 *** 18. Adam Pelech +73 *** 19. Pat Price +70 *** 20. JP Parise +67  *** 21. Jude Drouin +58 *** 22. Patrick Flatley +57 *** 23. Ryan Pulock +56 *** 24. Greg Gilbert +54 *** 25. Gord Lane +48

Defense Goals

1. Denis Potvin 310 *** 2. Tomas Jonsson 84 *** 3. Kenny Jonsson 57…

4. Stefan Persson 52 *** 5. Ryan Pulock 48 *** 6. Jean Potvin 46 *** 7. Nick Leddy 45 *** 8. Roman Hamrlik 43 *** 9. Mark Streit and Noah Dobson 40…

14. Vladimir Malakhov 27 *** 15. Adam Pelech and four others 26 *** 20. Scott Mayfield 25

Defense Assists

1. Denis Potvin 742 *** 2. Stefan Persson 317 *** 3. Tomas Jonsson 249…

7. Jeff Norton 166 *** 8. Noah Dobson 157 *** 9. Ryan Pulock 146…

11. Travis Hamonic 120 *** 12. Adam Pelech 118… 

20. Dave Langevin and Thomas Hickey 95 *** 22. Scott Mayfield 92

Defense Points

1. Denis Potvin 1,052 *** 2. Stefan Persson 369 *** 3. Tomas Jonsson 333…

6. Jean Potvin 213 *** 7. Noah Dobson 197 *** 8. Ryan Pulock 194…

11. Roman Hamrlik 153 *** 12. Travis Hamonic 146 *** 13. Adam Pelech 144 …

19. Vladimir Malakhov 125 *** 20. Thomas Hickey and Scott Mayfield 117

Goalie Games

1. Billy Smith 674 *** 2. Rick DiPietro 318 *** 3. Glenn Resch 282 …

4. Kelly Hrudey 241 *** 5. Ilya Sorokin 198 *** 6. Thomas Greiss 193 *** 7. Tommy Salo 187 *** 8. Jaroslav Halak 177 *** 9. Glenn Healy 176 *** 10. Semyon Varlamov 168

Wins

1. Billy Smith 304 *** 2. Glenn Resch 157 *** 3. Rick DiPietro 130…

5. Thomas Greiss 101 *** 6. Ilya Sorokin 98 *** 7. Jaroslav Halak 88 *** 8. Roland Melanson 77 *** 9. Semyon Varlamov 74

Shutouts

1. Glenn Resch 25 *** 2. Billy Smith 22 *** 3. Ilya Sorokin 18 *** 

4. Rick DiPietro and Semyon Varlamov 16

On the Farm   

Bridgeport is 2-5-1-1 after defeating Springfield 4-1 on Friday. Brian Pinho scored for the fifth straight game and Jakub Skarek made 17 saves for the win. 

Bridgeport is off until they return to Springfield for a game on Wednesday morning.

Season Series Stats

The Isles lead the season series, 1 game to 0 (and 2 points to 0); the teams will meet November 30th and December 23rd at UBS Arena to complete the season series. 

The win ends a seven-game winless streak in Buffalo (0-5-2) and is only the third in the last nine games for the Isles (3-5-1) over the Sabres.

UP NEXT

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 3rd - ISLES AT RANGERS 1:00pm

[MSGSN (pre-game at 12:30], WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, Isles + UBS Arena App]

The three-game road trip concludes on Sunday as the Isles head to Madison Square Garden to face the Rangers for the first time this season.

The Isles went 1-1-2 last season against the Rangers, but let third period leads get away in an overtime loss at Met Life and a shootout loss at MSG,

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