"The Skinny"
By Eric Hornick
Game 42
Isles 2, Utah 1
Matthew Barzal scored the latest go-ahead goal for the Islanders in 2 ½ seasons and it held up for the winner as Marcus Hogberg made 21 saves for his first NHL win since April 2021 and the Isles defeated Utah HC 2-1 before a sellout crowd of 11,131 at Delta Center.
Brock Nelson scored for the second straight game to knot the game 1-1 in the third period after Nick Schmaltz had given Utah a 1-0 advantage with a goal just 1:13 into the middle period.
The Isles have won three straight games for the first time this season as they complete a sweep of a road trip of at least three games for the first time in over six years. The Isles head home for a seven-game homestand beginning on Tuesday against Ottawa.
The Scoring:
1st Period
No Goals
2nd Period
Nick Schmaltz (8) Michael Kesselring (12), Logan Cooley (25) 01:13 NYI 0,UTA 1
3rd Period
Brock Nelson (12) Anders Lee (15), Mathew Barzal (9) 03:36 NYI 1,UTA 1
Mathew Barzal (4) Anders Lee (16), Brock Nelson (13) 18:35 NYI 2,UTA 1
The Skinny
The Isles allowed the opening goal for the 14th time in the last 17 games…The Isles have outscored the opposition 60-58 thru two periods but have been outscored 60-42 in the third period and overtime…The Isles have scored 82 goals and allowed 75 goals at 5-on-5 but have been outscored 53-30 in all other situations… The Isles have been tied or ahead at some point in the third period in 24 of the last 30 games… The Isles have outscored the opposition 41-34 in the second period this season; they were outscored 107-83 in the second period a season ago… Ilya Sorokin, who had started 16 of the prior 17 games, going 8-7-1, missed the game due to illness… Jakub Skarek dressed for an NHL game for the first time. … The Isles killed both Utah penalties but did not score on their only power play opportunity, dropping them to 0-24 over the last thirteen games; it is the longest streak without a power play goal in club history and matches the longest streak in the NHL this season (Pittsburgh had a similar streak) … Over the last thirteen games, the Isles have been outscored 9-0 on the power play… Matthew Barzal has a five-game assist streak (one shy of his career high) and six assists in the last seven games… The Isles have won three straight road games for the first time since a four-game stretch last February 23rd- March 10th…Logan Cooley earned his 36th point, trailing only Connor Bedard (38) among players 21 or younger.
Most Consecutive Games Without a Power Play Goal (Isles History, one season)
13 - 12/10/24-CURRENT
12 - 11/10-12/9/2010
12 - 11/26-12/20/1972
The 0-24 stretch leaves the Isles power play at 11-104 (10.6%) on the season.
Look at Me, I'm Anders Lee
Anders Lee extended his club lead in points with two assists. Lee is 6-2-8 in seven games since Christmas. At 19-16-35, Lee is on pace to set career highs in assists (23 - twice) and points (62 in 2017-18). Lee is the last Islander to score 40 goals (2017-18) and only Brock Nelson (3x), Bo Horvat (2023-24) and Kyle Palmieri (2023-24) have reached 30 goals in the interim.
First Times in a Long Time
• The Isles last swept a road trip of at least three games October 27-28-30, 2018, when they defeated Philadelphia, Carolina, and Pittsburgh.
• The Isles have won six straight Saturday games for the first time since eight straight wins over a two-season span in 2019; they last won six straight in a single season November 24, 2018-January 5, 2019, so it matches their longest single season Saturday streak since winning seven straight to start the 2017-18 season.
• It was the first time since Semyon Varlamov became an Islander in 2019 that neither Varlamov nor Ilya Sorokin dressed for a game.
• It was the first time since April 3, 2022, when Cory Schneider earned his only Islander win (in New Jersey) that a goalie other than Varlamov or Sorokin won a game.
• It was the first time since 2020-21 that a third Islander goaltender started multiple games (Christopher Gibson).
A Late Winner
Mathew Barzal's goal at 18:35 was the latest Islander go-ahead goal since Kyle Palmieri scored at 19:45 in Carolina on April 8, 2022. In the last 25 seasons, the Isles have only three later go-ahead goals on the road: John Tavares (18:36 - 1/12/2014 at Dallas), Jordan Eberle (18:47- 3/28/2019 at Winnipeg) and Palmieri.
Quite the Numbers
Marcus Hogberg has now played 153 minutes for the Isles, allowing four goals on 80 shots for a 1.57 GAA and a .950 save percentage. Both the GAA and save percentage are the best in Islander history for any goalie who played multiple games. He is the 52nd goalie to win a game for the Isles (and is one of nine to win exactly one).
Weekend Warriors
The Islanders have won six straight Saturday games (four at home and two on the road). The Isles are 10-11-3 in their last 24 games (6-0-0 on Saturday; 4-11-3 on other days). Eight of their last ten wins have come on Saturday or Sunday.
Milestone Men
• Brock Nelson recorded his 287th goal, matching Pat LaFontaine and Brent Sutter for 5th place in club history as well as the most of any player without four Stanley Cups.
• Mathew Barzal recorded his 323rd assist, tying Brent Sutter for 9th place in club history.
• Anders Lee recorded his 488th point, tying Patrick Flatley for 14th place in club history.
• Noah Dobson's next assist will be his 168th assist, passing Jean Potvin for 6th place on the club's assist list.
• Anthony Duclair's next goal will be his 150th career goal.
Third Periods
Goals: Isles 40, Opponents 54
Tying Goals: Isles 5, Opponents 11 (in 10 games)
Go Ahead Goals: Isles 7 (in 6 games), Opponents 9
Empty Net Goals: Isles 9, Opponents 12
The Isles have either been ahead or tied after two periods in 29 of their 42 games. In the thirteen games that they have trailed through 40 minutes (2-10-1), they have been within one goal at some point in all but four of them (10/12 @ DAL, 12/5 vs SEA, 12/17 @ CAR, 12/23 vs BUF, 12/31 @TOR)
Did Somebody Say Comeback?
The Isles have eight come-from behind wins this season, including two when they trailed in the third period. The opponents have come-from-behind to win eight times this season, including seven times in the third period.
Overtime
Ten of the first 26 Islanders games went to overtime; 14 of the last 15 have been decided in regulation. They are 2-6 in games decided by an overtime goal, and they are 2-1 in shootouts. Ilya Sorokin is 2-4 in overtime and 1-0 in shootouts, while Semyon Varlamov is 0-2 in overtime and 1-1 in shootouts.
Sorokin has 34 OT/SO losses, extending his club record (Rick DiPietro had 28).
Empty Netters
The Isles have scored 9 empty-net goals and allowed 12.
Building on a Lead
The Islanders have had a two-goal lead 29 times this season:
• Score the next goal: 11 times
• Allowed the next goal: 15 times
• Game ended with 2-goal difference: 3 times
Last Year vs. This Year
• 2024-25 17-18-7 for 41 points in 42 games
• 2023-24 19-13-10 for 48 points in 42 games
Offense from Defense
• Today: 0-1-1
• Season: 13-62-75
• Last Season (Final) 33-137-170
Islander defensemen have earned 34.1% of the team's assists, which is 5th in the NHL, and 25.5% of the team's points, which is 9th.
Varly, Varly
Semyon Varlamov has 41 career shutouts and 289 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. Mike Liut 293
48. Ed Giacomin 290
49. Semyon Varlamov 289
Oh Canada
The Isles are playing 17 games against Canadian-based teams this season; they are 5-2-3 so far (1-0-0 at home and 4-1-3 on the road). After opening with a home shootout win over Montreal, the Isles played eight straight road games in November/December going (4-1-3). Six of the seven remaining games will be at home.
Going back to last season the Isles are 8-2-3 in the last thirteen games against Canadian teams; the next Canadian opponents will be Ottawa at UBS Arena on January 14th.
Home and Road
The Isles are 17-18-7 overall; they are 7-9-2 at home and 10-9-5 on the road.
Utah is 18-17-7 overall; they are 6-9-4 at home and 12-8-3 on the road.
East and West
The Isles are 11-12-3 against the East (4-4-2 vs. Metropolitan and 7-8-1 vs. Atlantic) and 6-6-4 against the West (4-2-2 vs. Central and 2-4-2 vs. Pacific).
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 1,461
3. Glen Sather 1,319
Leaders of the Pack
Lou Lamoriello (1,461) and Patrick Roy (167) have combined for 1,628 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 8-3-4 when scoring first and are 9-15-3 when allowing the opening goal.
The Shots
Isles 14-5-13=32
Utah 5-10-7=22
The Isles are 9-11-3 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even and 8-6-4 when the opposition has more shots.
In the Nets
Marcus Hogberg made 21 saves; he is 1-1-0 this season and 1-0-0 vs. Utah.
Connor Ingram made 30 saves; he is 6-5-3 this season and 1-2-0 vs the Isles.
Special Teams
The Isles were 0-3 (6:00); Utah was 0-2 (4:00).
The Isles are 8-1-1 when they score at least one power play goal and 9-17-6 when they do not. The Isles are 9-10-6 when they allow at least one power play goal and 8-8-1 when they do not.
Three is (Usually) a Magic Number
The Isles are 16-3-4 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 1-15-3 when they do not.
One-Goal Games
The Isles are 8-5-7 in games decided by a single goal including 4-5 in regulation. They are 2-6 in games decided in overtime and are 2-1 in shootouts. The Isles are 3-6 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.
Back-to-Backs
The Isles are 3-1-1 on the front end and 2-3-0 on the back end this season. The next back-to-back will be January 24th-25th when they host division foes Philadelphia and Carolina.
Ice-time Leaders
Isles: Noah Dobson (27:18); Utah: Mikhail Sergachev (26:41)
Mathew Barzal led Isles forwards (22:10).
Face-offs
Isles 29, Utah 30 (49%)
Bo Horvat won 14 of 24 for the Isles; Nick Schmaltz won 7 of 11 for Utah.
Hit Count
Isles 25 (Adam Pelech -7)
Utah 23 (Lawson Crouse -6)
Fights
None. Season total: 3 (Mayfield, Wahlstrom, Martin)
Blocked Shots
Isles 23 (Adam Pelech -4)
Utah 22 (Ian Cole -5)
For the Analytics Crowd
Corsi: All situations: Isles 64, Utah 58
Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 45, Utah 44
5-on-5 leaders:
Isles: Anders Lee +19
Utah: Two with +11
High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)
All situations: Isles 14, Utah 7
5-on-5: Isles 9, Utah 7
Scratches
(Mike Reilly-IR), (Semyon Varlamov-IR), (Hudson Fasching-INJ), Simon Holmstrom – IR), (Alex Romanov-INJ), (Ilya Sorokin-INJ)
Games Lost to injury: 142. (Last season's total: 181)
The Ironmen
Brock Nelson is the Islanders' ironman, having played 208 consecutive games. Kyle Palmieri (158) has also played every game since the start of last season.
Most Overtime Goals, Career (Islanders)
1. John Tavares 11
2. Brock Nelson 8
3. Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey 6
5. Bo Horvat, Mathew Barzal, Thomas Hickey, and Anthony Beauvillier 5
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 41 overtime goals that the Isles have scored since he became a regular in 2016-17.
National TV Games
The Isles are 0-3-0 in games that air on one of the NHL's US national broadcast partners, with seven games remaining. The next national games will stream on January 28th on ESPN+/Hulu, as the Isles host the Avs and January 30th on ESPN+/Hulu as the Isles visit the Flyers. The remaining five national telecasts are all scheduled in April.
Matinee Isles
The Isles are 0-4-1 in matinee games this season, with six games remaining. The next matinee will be on March 1st vs Nashville. The NHL considers games that start before 5:00 local time to be afternoon contests. Since the start of the 2019-20 season, the Isles are 13-16-11 in matinees.
Challenges
Isles: 3 successful, 3 failures (No offsides -PIT 11/5, No goalie interference – SEA 11/16, Goalie Interference 11/29, goalie interference – TOR 12/31, no goalie interference – BOS 1/5, offsides-VEG 1/9)
Opponents: 5 successful, 2 failures (No Goalie Interference -UTA 10/10, Offside-VAN 11/14, Goalie Interference-STL 11/23, Offside -BUF 11/30, No Goalie Interference-CHI 12/15, Goalie Interference – PIT 12/28. Offside 12/31)
Quickies (Two goals in under a minute)
For (1): CHI 12/12
Vs (1): CHI 12/15
Quick Responses (One team scoring within a minute of other team)
Isles responses (3): BUF 11/1, CAR 12/7, BOS 1/5
Opponent responses (6): UTA 10/10 (2), SEA 11/16, CHI 12/15, TOR 12/31, BOS 1/5
Multi-Goal 3rd Period Comeback Wins
For (1): Vs. PIT 11/5 (Trailed 3-1, won 4-3 (SO))
Vs (2): Vs. NJ 11/9 (Led 3-1, Lost 4-3 (OT)), WSH 11/29 Led 4-2, Lost 5-4 (SO))
Last Minute Heroes (Tying or go-ahead goals in the final three minutes of the third period):
For (3): Maxim Tsyplakov 10/10 vs. UTA (17:53, GAG but lost in OT); Anders Lee 11/12 @ EDM (17:20-GTG; EDM won in OT); Mathew Barzal 1/11 vs UTA (18:35-GAG)
Vs (7): 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); Stefan Noesen 11/9 vs NJ (19:10-GTG; NJD won in OT); Lucas Raymond 11/21 at DET (19:09-GAG); 12/15 Connor Bedard at CHI (19:06-GAG); Bobby McMann 1/2 vs. TOR (17:01- GAG)
OT Winners
For (2): Bo Horvat 10/25 at NJD (1:09), Bo Horvat 1/5 @ BOS (3:10)
Vs (6): Dylan Guenther 10/10 vs. UTA (2:18); Jake Neighbours 10/17 @ STL (2:04); Jack Hughes 11/9 vs NJD (2:35); Leon Draisaitl 11/12 @ EDM (1:52); Jakub Chychrun 11/29 @ WAS (1:20); Nick Suzuki 12/3 @ MTL (2:39)
Shootout Winners
For (2): Noah Dobson 10/19 vs MTL, Bo Horvat 11/5 vs PIT
Vs (1): Andrei Kuzmenko 11/19 @ CGY
All-time Islander Leader Boards:
Games Played (skaters)
1. Bryan Trottier 1,123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1,060 *** 3. Josh Bailey 1,057 ***
4. Bob Nystrom 900 *** 5. Brock Nelson 882 *** 6. Clark Gillies 872 *** 7. Casey Cizikas 857 *** 8. Matt Martin 846 *** 9. Bob Bourne 814 *** 10. Anders Lee 801 …
28. Pat LaFontaine 530 *** 29. Kyle Okposo 529 *** 30. Ryan Pulock 528 *** 31. Adam Pelech 522 *** 32. Mathew Barzal 521 *** 33. Nick Leddy 518 *** 34. Dave Lewis 514 *** 35. Rich Pilon, Mick Vukota and Scott Mayfield 509
Goals
1. Mike Bossy 573 *** 2. Bryan Trottier 500 *** 3. Denis Potvin 310 ***
4. Clark Gillies 304 *** 5. Pat LaFontaine, Brent Sutter and Brock Nelson 287 *** 8. Anders Lee 279 …
20. Kyle Okposo 139 *** 21. Mathew Barzal 132…
29. Ray Ferraro 116 *** 30. Casey Cizikas 111
Assists
1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553 …
8. Patrick Flatley 328 *** 9. Brent Sutter and Mathew Barzal 323…
14. Pat LaFontaine 279 *** 15. Bobby Nystrom 278 *** 16. Brock Nelson 268…
19. Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo 230 *** 21. Anders Lee 209…
26. Alexei Yashin and Duane Sutter 171 *** 28. Jean Potvin and Noah Dobson 167 *** 30. Jeff Norton 166 *** 31. Ziggy Palffy 163 *** 32. Ryan Pulock 157…
35. Travis Green 145 *** 36. Mark Streit and Casey Cizikas 139
Points
1. Bryan Trottier 1,353 *** 2. Mike Bossy 1,126 *** 3. Denis Potvin 1,052…
7. Josh Bailey 580 *** 8. Pat LaFontaine 566 *** 9. Brock Nelson 555 …
13. Derek King 499 *** 14. Patrick Flatley and Anders Lee 488 *** 16. Mathew Barzal 455…
28. Jason Blake and Steve Thomas 258 *** 30. Casey Cizikas 250
+/-
1. Bryan Trottier +467 ***2. Denis Potvin +456 *** 3. Mike Bossy +380…
15. Bob Lorimer +105 *** 16. Adam Pelech +76 *** 17. Tomas Jonsson +76 *** 18. Garry Howatt +75 *** 19. Pat Price +70 *** 20. JP Parise +67 *** 21. Ryan Pulock +58 *** 21. Jude Drouin +58 *** 23. Patrick Flatley +57 *** 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 50 *** 6. Jean Potvin 46 *** 7. Nick Leddy and Noah Dobson 45…
14. Vladimir Malakhov and Scott Mayfield 27 *** 16. Adam Pelech and four others 26
Defense Assists
1. Denis Potvin 742*** 2. Stefan Persson 317 *** 3. Tomas Jonsson 249…
5. Kenny Jonsson 175 *** 6. Jean Potvin and Noah Dobson 167 *** 8. Jeff Norton 166 *** 9. Ryan Pulock 157 ***10. Mark Streit 139 *** 11. Adam Pelech 121…
17. Bryan Berard 100 *** 18. Vladimir Malakhov 98 *** 19. Johnny Boychuk and Scott Mayfield 96
Defense Points
1. Denis Potvin 1,052 *** 2. Stefan Persson 369 *** 3. Tomas Jonsson 333…
6. Jean Potvin 213 *** 7. Noah Dobson 212 *** 8. Ryan Pulock 207…
10. Mark Streit 179 *** 11. Roman Hamrlik 153 *** 12. Adam Pelech 147…
18. Gerry Hart 128 *** 19. Vladimir Malakhov 125 *** 20. Scott Mayfield 123
Goalie Games
1. Billy Smith 674 *** 2. Rick DiPietro 318 *** 3. Glenn Resch 282 ***
4. Kelly Hrudey 241 *** 5. Ilya Sorokin 222 *** 6. Thomas Greiss 193 *** 7. Tommy Salo 187 *** 8. Jaroslav Halak 177*** 9. Glenn Healy 176 *** 10. Semyon Varlamov 173
Wins
1. Billy Smith 304 *** 2. Glenn Resch 157 *** 3. Rick DiPietro 130 ***
4. Ilya Sorokin 108 …
7. Jaroslav Halak 88 *** 8. Roland Melanson 77 *** 9. Semyon Varlamov 76
Shutouts
1. Glenn Resch 25 *** 2. Billy Smith 22 *** 3. Ilya Sorokin 20 ***
4. Rick DiPietro and Semyon Varlamov 16
On the Farm
Bridgeport is 7-22-2-2 following a 4-1 loss to Providence on Friday.
Brian Pinho, the team's All-Star selection, leads the team with 16 goals. Chris Terry's 21 assists pace the Baby Isles in that category and his goal Friday also gave him the team point lead with 26.
The Islanders open a four-game homestand Sunday at 5pm against Lehigh Valley.
Season Series Stats
The teams split the season series 1 game to 1 (the Isles earned 3 points to Utah's 2).
Both games were won by the road team; the Isles scored a go-ahead goal in the final three minutes of both games, but this one held up.
UP NEXT
TUESDAY, JANUARY 14th –OTTAWA AT ISLES 7:30pm
[MSGSN (pre-game at 7:00), WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, Isles + UBS Arena App]
The Isles look to keep the momentum going as they return home for a seven-game homestand beginning on Tuesday against Ottawa.
The Isles already own a pair of 4-2 wins in Ottawa this season and will look to sweep the season series with a win on home ice.
The Isles are 8-1-2 in their last 11 games vs. Ottawa and are 6-0-2 in their last eight home games against the Sens, dating back to a 6-5 loss in Brooklyn on December 1, 2017.
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
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