Stat Trick: Devils 6, Isles 1

For fifty minutes, the Islanders competed with the Devils.  For the final ten minutes, though, the Devils played with the Islanders, scoring four times to defeat the Isles 6-1 at The Rock.  On to the trick:

1..  Once again, the Isles started well, as Richard Park opened the scoring midway through the first.  Park now has two goals on the season: one in the final game of October and one in the final game of November.  Watch out Ottawa on New Year's Eve!  It was Park's third career goal agaisnt the Devils; the other two came on Easter Sunday 2007 in a playoff-clinching perfoirmance for the Islanders. Tim Jackman assisted on the goal--his first assist of the season.  Jackman's assist leaves Jerrod  Smithson, David Koci and Brad Richardson as the players who have appeared in the most NHL Games this season (25) without recording an assist.

2.  Mike Mottau and Brian Rolston scored in the second period to give New Jersey the lead.  Mottau's goal was his first in 2009, and snapped a 68-game scoreless streak, dating back to New Year's Eve.  It was the 6th goal in his 202 game NHL career.

3.  The Devils blew the game open with three goals in a 2:02 stretch as Patrik Elias, Zach Parise and Rolston all scored.  Elias added his second goal in the final minute to complete his second career 4-point game.  Rolston also finished with four points.  The Isles have now been outscored on the season 32-17 in the third period while the Devs have outscored their opponents 28-18 in the third period.

...a few more....

4. Sean Bergenheim also assisted on Park's goal, giving him four points in the last four games, but Trent Hunter's point streak ended at a career high of 9.  Parise's goal extended his streak to ten games.  He would have looked pretty good in orange, white and blue, wouldn't he?  Kyle Okposo played in his 100th NHL game, but was -2.

5. The skating record book, Martin Brodeur, extended two NHL records, by winning his 571st game, and raising his minute total to 60,278:42.  Brodeur, who is now eight games behind Patrick Roy's NHL record of 1,029 games played in goal, made 22 saves as he remains one shutout behind Terry Sawchuk's career record of 103.  Marty Biron finished with 36 saves as once again the Islanders did not score when he played.  Biron had allowed three goals or less in each of his last seven starts but is now 2-8-2 on the season.

6.  The Islanders finish the month 6-6-2, which is hard to believe when you realize that the Isles were shutout in Buffalo on November 4, but had the lead at some point in all of the other thirteen games this month.

7.  The Isles had only four shots in the third period, when they were outshot 16-4.  Ignoring their strong performance in the third period against Pittsburgh, the Isles totaled nine third period shots in theirother three games this week.

8. The Devils scored twice on three opportunities in only 2:32 of power play; the Isles had killed 23 of 25 coming into the game.  The Isles went 0-4 in 8:00 of power play time. 

9.  The Devils improve to 11-0-0 when they lead after two periods.  New Jersey also remains a perfect 5-0-0 when leading after one period.  The Isles, on the other hand, dropped to 5-4-3 when leading after one period.  They are 8-1-3 when leading after two periods.

10. New Jersey leads the season series two games to none, and four points to zero.  The Isles drop to 0-5 in their last five trips to Newark; they've scored just seven goals in the five games.  The next three meetings of the season series are on Long Island, including two in a six-game span in January.

Up next:  This is the first of five consecutive road games for the Isles.  The trip continues on Thursday in Atlanta, with stops in Tampa Bay, Philadelphia and Toronto also on this trip.  The Islanders dominated the Thrashers 6-4 on November 7th at the Coliseum in the only previous meeting this season.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

It was 30 years ago....

November 28, 1979

Saturday is the 30th anniversary of Billy Smith becoming the first goalie in NHL history to be credited with a goal. 

On November 28, 1979, the Isles trailed Colorado 4-3 in the third period when the Isles were called for a delayed penalty.  Colorado defensemen Rob Ramage put the puck into his own goal and the goal was credited to the last Islander to touch the puck, originally believed to be Dave Lewis. After the game, television replays showed that Smith was the last Islander to touch the puck.

A few things you might not know:

1. Smith didn't start the game; he replaced Chico Resch late in the 2nd period after the Rockies scored twice in a minutes' time. 
2. The goal tied the game and thus got Chico "off the hook".  Ron Delorme scored on the ensuing power play and the Rockies added two empty-netters for a 7-4 victory, thus making Smith the losing goaltender.
3. It was the first of two wins for the Colorado Rockies over the Islanders (also done on December 4, 1980; 2-19-3 overall).
4. The goalie who vacated the Colorado net was Bill McKenzie.
5. It was the final game of Billy Harris' 576 consecutive-game streak.  Harris had played in every game in club history to that point, but was scratched for the team's next game, in Edmonton, two night later.  Duane Sutter was brought in from Lethridge to replace Harris.
6.The loss dropped the Isles' record to 6-10-4 --the first time since Arbour's rookie season as coach (1973-74) that the Isles were 4 games under .500  The team wouldn't reach .500 until January 8th, but would sip from the Stanley Cup 4 1/2 months later.

 Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Stat Trick: Isles 3, Penguins 2. Tavares' first game-winner caps comeback!

Sean Bergeheim and John Tavares scored third period goals as the Isles rallied to defeat the Penguins 3-2.  On to the trick:

1.  Josh Bailey and Evgeny Malkin traded first period goals.  Bailey's goal gave the Islanders four players with at least seven goals before Malkin became just the second Penguin to reach the 10 goal mark.  Mark Streit and Freddy Meyer assisted on the Bailey goal.  Streit has an assist in three straight games while Meyer tied a career high with two assists in the game.

2.  Matt Cooke scored on a rebound 7:12 into the second period to give the Penguins the lead but the game changed later in the session when the Penguins failed to capitalize on 5:05 of consecutive power play, including a 55 second 5-on-3.  The Pens went 0-5 on the power-play and are 4-55 in their last fourteen games; they're also 0-8 against the Islanders this season.  The Isles have killed 23 of 25 over the last six games.

3.  Sean Bergenheim evened the score just 84 seconds into the third period, setting the stage for John Tavares.  Taveres, who had recorded the first goal, assist and point of his career against the Penguins on October 3rd, scored the winner with 6:12 to play.  He leads all rookies with 10 goals and 21 points.  The Isles outscored the Pens 2-0 after having been outscored 28-15 in the third period so far this season.

... a few more...

4.  Dwayne Roloson improved to 8-2-5, facing only 21 shots one game after facing 61.  The Isles bombarded Brent Johnson with 37 shots, including 18 in the third period.

5.  Trent Hunter extended his point streak to nine games.  He has a single point in each game.  Kyle Okposo broke a five-game drought with an assist on the winning goal.

6.  Talk about a reversal of fortune-- the Pens were 11-1 when leading after two periods while the Isles were 0-7-3 when trailing after two.  It was only the second time all season that the Penguins dropped a 1-goal game.

7.  Nate Thompson had another strong game, even though four of his five shots missed the net.  He also was involved in an altercation with Jordan Staal that landed the Penguin 17 penalty minutes early in the third period.   Seven of the last nine Isles games have been decided by one goal.

8.  The Islanders ended the month 3-1-0 at home.  They are 6-1-1 in their last eight at home and 6-3-2 for the season on home ice.  Only twice in the last 21 seasons have the Isles recorded more points in their first 11 home games than the 14 that they have this season.  They had 17 in 2001-02 and 16 two season s ago.

9.  The Isles contained Sidney Crosby as he has only one shot on goal and was -2.  Crosby did do well on draws, winning 14 of 23.

10.  The Isles lead the season series three points to two after earning a loser point on Opening Night; the series is tied at a game each.  It was the Isles first regulation win over he Penguins since March 24, 2008.  The next three meetings will be in Pittsburgh before the teams close the regular season against each other on April 11th.

Up next: The Isles play the back end of the back-to-backs on Saturday afternoon in New Jersey.  The Devils lead the series 1-0 and have beaten the Isles four stragiht times in Newark, with the Isles scoring a total of six goals.
Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Strange but True

A few quick facts before the Isles face the Pens on Black Friday.

1. Matt Moulson, John Tavares and yes, even Jeff Tambellini have more goals (11 - 9 - 7, respectively) than any Penguin not named Sidney Crosby.  The Kid has 12.  Five Penguins, including Bill Guerin and Evgeny Malkin, have scored six goals.

2.  The Isles are 9-9-7 this season. However, their opponents are 16-5-4 against the Isles -- a record better than any NHL team. (16 wins = 9 Isles losses + 7 loser points, etc.)

3. Roloson and Biron have almost identical stats: Roloson is 2.86 GAA and 91.6 save percentage while Biron is 2.78/91.3%, but Roloson is 7-2-5 while Biron is 2-7-2.

4. The Pens are 17-8-0.  Seven of their eight losses (and six of their wins) have been by three goals or more.  They are 10-1-0 in one-goal games, with a 2-1 Halloween loss to Minnesota being their only defeat by a single goal.  They've gone to extra time six times this season, winning twice in overtime and four times in shootouts.

5.  The Penguins have taken 124 more shots than their opponents while the Isles have taken 100 shots fewer than their opponents.  Goal totals are remarkably similar.  Pens 73, Opps 69.  Isles 67 Opps 72.
 
6.  Pittsburgh is 26-2-2 under Dan Bylsma when they score first.  The Isles are 7-4-3 this season when they score first.

7.  Trent Hunter enters play as one of 4 NHL'ers with 8 game point streaks (Mike Green, Zach Parise and Marian Gaborik are the others).  Corey Perry, who has a point in 16 straight is the only player with a longer current streak.  Hunter's streak is the longest of his career.
Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Stat Trick: Flyers 2, Isles 1

When the Islanders are able to maintain the same intensity for 60 minutes, they may very well become a good team. They are not there just yet, as they once again could not hold a lead, and dropped a 2-1 decision to the Flyers..  On to the trick:

1. Trent Hunter scored to give the Isles the lead on a first period power play.  The goal extended his point streak to eight straight games; only Cory Perry of Anaheim has a longer current streak.  John Tavares and Mark Streit assisted on the goal; it was Tavares' first point in five games and gave him his 20th point -- tops among NHL rookies..  11 of Tavares' points have come on the power-play; he has a point on 11 of the Isles' 17 power-play goals this season.

2.  Mike Richards got the Flyers even on the power play late in the second period; Scott Hartnell added the winner with just 5:27 to play.
RIchards' goal came on the Flyers' only power play; it's the second time in the last three home games that the Isles have not had a successful penalty kill (Edmonton did not have a power play in the November 2nd game).

3.  Martin Biron made 26 saves but suffered his 9th loss in 11 decisions (2-7-2).  The Isles have scored two goals or less in all but two of his starts.

...a few more...

4. The Isles dominated territorily throughout the game and the face-off circle through two periods.  Overall, there were 33 face-offs in the Flyers zone and only 19 in the Isles' zone.  The Isles won 37 of 62 faceoffs; John Tavares had a strong game in the circle, winning 9 of 12.

5.  Brian Boucher made 28 saves for the Flyers, who have now won eleven straight over the Isles, including three in overtime/shootouts.  Six of those games were at the Coliseum, equalling the Isles' longest home winless streak against Philadelphia, set between 1973 and 1975.

6.   The Isles have lost three straight Thanksgiving Eve games.  The Isles have had the lead at some point in every game this month except their shutout loss in Buffalo, yet they are only 5-5-2 this month.

7.  The loss ends a 4-game home winning streak and a 6-game home point streak (5-0-1).  The Isles drop to 4-3-3 on the season at home; they have scored only three goals in their three regulation losses at home.  They have led at some point in nine of the ten games (all except the 2-1 loss on Columbus Day to Los Angeles).

8.  The Isles have won only half of the games that they have scored first (7-4-3); they have lost 11 of their 15 one-goal games (4-4-7).  The Isles are also now 5-3-3 when they lead after one period.  The Leafs are the only team that has won a smaller percentage of the games that they have led after one period and of games decided by a single goal.

9..  The Isles have now been outscored 28-15 in the third period, and have been outshot 282-204.  The -13 goal differential in the period equals Columbus for the worst in the NHL.  The Isles had only one shot in the third period, after having ony four in Toronto in the third period on Monday.  They have been outshot by a combined 34-5 over the two games.

10.  The Flyers lead the season series 1 game to 0.  This was the first of 6 meetings on the season and the first of three meetings between the teams in 33 days.

Up next:  The Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins visit Long Island on Friday afternoon at 2:00.  Pittsburgh leads the season series 1 game to 0 and 2 points to 1, having defeated the Isles in the Islanders' opener in a shootout.  The Isles are 7-3-3 in their last 13 home games against the Pens.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

 Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Stat Trick Extra -- more notes from Monday's win

A few more notes to ponder:

1. (Thanks Elias) - Roloson's 58 saves is the most by a winning goalie in 28 years.  Mario Lessard made 65 saves for the Kings in a win over Minnesota on March 24, 1981.  The Kings were out-shot 68-19 in that game.

2. Roloson's 58 saves are the most by any goalie since March 21, 1991.  Ron Tugnutt (70 - 3/21/91 @ Boston in a 3-3 tie) and Mike Richter (59 - 1/31/91 @ Vancouver in a 3-3 tie) both made more saves than Roloson in games that season. While Roloson stopped 11 of 12 from Phil Kessel, Tugnutt faced 19 shots from Ray Bourque!

3.  60 shots does not guarantees success. According to Elias, teams that have had at least 60 shots since 1991 are 3-3-4 (Three wins, three regulation losses, three ties and one overtime loss. One of those losses was the Islanders last season; they took 60 shots on Carolina's Cam Ward; Ward stopped Doug Weight on a penalty shot at 19:59 of the third to preserve a 4-3 Carolina win (10/25/08).

4.  The Leafs jump to the top of the league in shots per game (34.7), but they've won only 2 of the 13 games that they've outshot their opponents.

5.  The Isles are now next-to-last in shots allowed (34.0 per game); 21 of the NHL's 30 teams average 61 shots allowed (or fewer) per every two games played.   The Isles improved to 7-4-4 when they are out-shot.  They are 2-3-2 when outshooting their opponents and 0-1-1 when the shots are even.

6.  Face-offs were a major problem on this trip, and on the road in general this season.

    Check out these numbers:  The Isles win 57.3% of their draws at home, but lose 56.6% on the road.  Overall, the Isles win 48.6% of their draws.  (The numbers don't appear to balance because the Isles have taken 529 face-offs at home and 873 on the road)

Individual winning percentages:
Player                  Home Road Total
Richard Park         59.0 49.5 53.0
Frans Nielsen        60.3 48.9 52.2
John Tavares         54.1 42.4 47.4
Nate Thompson     66.0 36.5 47.4
Josh Bailey           53.6 33.6 41.8
 
Face-offs are harder to win on the road, but they're not impossible.  Of the 20 players who have taken the most face-offs in the NHL this season, eight have a better winning percentage on the road, including Sidney Crosby who has taken a league high 520 draws, winning 58.1% on the road and 54.7% at home.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Re: Rewriting the Islanders' record book

Correcting --thanks Kinger!

ISLANDER CLUB RECORDS:
 
Most shots allowed (overtime game): 61 (@ Toronto, 11/23/09)
Most shots allowed (regulation game): 60 ( @ Philadelphia, 11/22/72)
 
Most saves (overtime game):  58 Dwayne Roloson (@ Toronto, 11/23/09)
Most saves (regulation game): 55 Felix Potvin  (@ New Jersey, 4/12/99)
                                          and Billy Smith  (@ Philadelphia, 11/22/72)
 
Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

----- Original Message ----
From: Eric Hornick <forever1940@yahoo.com>
To: IslesList <isles-list@replayer.com>; islanderfans@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Mon, November 23, 2009 11:54:30 PM
Subject: Rewriting the Islanders' record book

Dwayne Rolosn re-wrote the Islanders' record book on Monday night, and in doing so he erased, at least partially, an error that has been present in every Islander media guide since 1973.

Roloson made 58 saves and faced 61 shots.  Both are club records.  The 58 saves does indeed break Rick DiPietro's club record of 56, set in a shootout loss to the Rangers on March 5, 2007. 
 
However, the club record for shots allowed was 60, set in a November 22, 1972 loss to Philadelphia.  Billy Smith made 55 saves in that game, which was the club record for saves until it was tied by Felix Potvin, and later beaten by DiPietro.
 
Ironically, for over 30 years, the record was incorrectly listed in the Islanders' media guides.  The guide cited the correct shots total (60), but referenced a 10-2 loss to the Flyers on March 31, 1973.  The record was inexplicably replaced with the game against the Rangers after the 2006-07 season.
 
I've been trying to get it changed ever since.  Dwayne Roloson will likely have more pull.  :)

ISLANDER CLUB RECORDS:
 
Most shots allowed (overtime game): 61 (@ Toronto, 11/23/09)
Most shots allowed (regulation game): 60 ( @ Philadelphia, 11/22/72)
 
Most saves (overtime game):  58 Dwayne Roloson (@ Toronto, 11/23/09)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Holy Roli! Stat Trick: Isles 4, Toronto 3 (overtime)

Dwayne Roloson made a franchise record (and career high) 58 saves as the Islanders beat the Leafs, 4-3 in overtime at the Air Canada Centre.  With the win, the Isles complete the franchise record-tying 7-game road trip with a 3-2-2 record.  On to the trick:

1. Roloson's 58 saves broke the club record of 56, set by Rick DiPietro in a shootout loss to the Rangers in 2007.  The 61 shots allowed by the Islanders broke a club record that had stood for 37 years and 1 day -- the Isles allowed 60 shots to the Flyers on November 22, 1972.  The 58 saves broke Roloson's personal mark of 53 (set in a 2001 game for Minnesota against Boston) in a regular season game.  Roloson made 54 saves in a double-OT playoff loss to Detroit in 2007.

2. The Isles grabbed a 3-0 lead in the second period on goals by Jeff Tambellini (7th goal in 15 games), Matt Moulson (team-leading 11th) and Sean Bergenheim (shorthanded), all in a span of 3:13.

3.  Toronto got back into the game with a Phil Kessel second period tally (his 6th in 10 games as a Leaf, and one of his 12 shots on goal) and third period goals by Wayne Primeau and Niklas Hagman.  That set the stage for the overtime winner by Josh Bailey--his third goal in as many games.  Bailey had never scored in consecutive NHL games prior to this streak.

...a few more...

4.  Trent Hunter extended his point streak to 7 games, matching a career high.  Hunter has a single point in each game (3-4-7) and has 9 points in his 9 NHL games this season..  John Tavares, in his NHL debut in his hometown, and Kyle Okposo were both held off the scoresheet for the third straight game.

5.  The Isles improve to 9-8-7 with the victory and 4-6-5 on the road.  All but one of their road victories have been overtime wins.  The Isles continue to be far ahead of last season's pace.  The Isles have 25 points in 24 games; they recorded their 25th point in game 35 last season.  They also have 13 points in 15 games; they had only 12 points in their first 24 road games last year.

6. Bergenheim's goal came with the Islanders shorthanded.  It was the Isles' third "shorty" of the season.  The Isles are one of three NHL teams not to allow a shorthanded goal.  Six of Bergenheim's 33 career goals have been scored scorehanded.  All three of Bergenheim's goals this season have come in the last eight games.

7. Vesa Toskala made only 12 saves before he was chased.  However, Jonas Gustavsson, who faced only six shots in 27:26 is charged with the OT loss.

8. Lots of strange stats in this one.  In addition to the 61 shots on goal, the Leafs missed the net 27 times, and had 28 shots blocked by the Islanders -- a total of 116 attempts at goal.  The Leafs played only 15 players regularly -- John Mitchell left injured after playing 4:!7 while Garnet Exelby and Colton Orr played just over eight minutes...combined.  Mark Streit was a +3, but Freddy Meyer and Brendan Witt (playing his first game in 9 days) were -3.  Bruno Gervais had 2 assists, 4 blocks, and was +2, but he was also charged with 6 giveaways.

9. The Isles had only two power plays, and failed to score on either.  They are now 0-16 in their last four games, after going 5-11 in the first three games of the trip.  The penalty kill did well, shutting down all 6 Leaf attempts and scoring a shorthanded goal.  The Isles have killed 26 of the last 29 and killed 27 of 32 on the trip.

10. It's the third straight overtime game between the teams -- the Leafs won both contests last season. The Isles are now 3-3 this season in games decided by an overtime goal, while the Leafs are 0-5. The Isles will be back in Toronto on December 9th.

Up next: The Isles play their first home game in 18 days when they entertain Philadelphia in the traditional Thanksgiving Eve game.  The Isles have hosted a Thanksgiving Eve game every year since 1995 except for 1999 (did not play) and 2004 (lockout).  The Isles are 6-3-3 in those 12 games, but have lost two straight, including last year's 5-3 loss to Pittsburgh in a game the Isles led 3-0 in the final seconds of the middle period.
   Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Rewriting the Islanders' record book

Dwayne Rolosn re-wrote the Islanders' record book on Monday night, and in doing so he erased, at least partially, an error that has been present in every Islander media guide since 1973.

Roloson made 58 saves and faced 61 shots.  Both are club records.  The 58 saves does indeed break Rick DiPietro's club record of 56, set in a shootout loss to the Rangers on March 5, 2007. 
 
However, the club record for shots allowed was 60, set in a November 22, 1972 loss to Philadelphia.  Billy Smith made 55 saves in that game, which was the club record for saves until it was tied by Felix Potvin, and later beaten by DiPietro.
 
Ironically, for over 30 years, the record was incorrectly listed in the Islanders' media guides.  The guide cited the correct shots total (60), but referenced a 10-2 loss to the Flyers on March 31, 1973.  The record was inexplicably replaced with the game against the Rangers after the 2006-07 season.
 
I've been trying to get it changed ever since.  Dwayne Roloson will likely have more pull.  :)

ISLANDER CLUB RECORDS:
 
Most shots allowed (overtime game): 61 (@ Toronto, 11/23/09)
Most shots allowed (regulation game): 60 ( @ Philadelphia, 11/22/72)
 
Most saves (overtime game):  58 Dwayne Roloson (@ Toronto, 11/23/09)
Most saves (regulation game): 56 Rick DiPietro (@ NY Rangers 3/5/07)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Lost weekend: Stat Trick: Minnesota 3, Isles 2 and St. Louis 4, Isles 1

It was a lost weekend in the midwest for the Isles as they dropped back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday, dropping their record to 2-2-2 on this seven game trip and 8-8-7 on the season.  On to the trick:

1.  Owen Nolan was the star of the Friday game, scoring twice, including the winner with 67 seconds to play as the Wild erased a 2-1 deficit to defeat the Isles.  It was the the first time this season that the Isles had lost a game in regulation that they led after two periods (7-1-3) but equalled Florida and Colorado for the most non-wins in games that were led after forty minutes.  The loss broke a five-game point streak (3-0-2) for the Isles, including the first four games of this trip (2-0-2).

2. Patrik Bergulund broke a 1-1 tie with a goal late in the second period and David Perron added two third period goals as the Blues beat the Isles 4-1 on Saturday.  It was Berglund's first goal in thirteen games, while Perron now has six goals in his last six games, after scoring just 31 in his first 157 NHL games.

3. Josh Bailey scored in both games, giving him five goals on the season.  Bailey has two goals and one assist, and is +3 in four games since being scratched in Carolina last Friday.  It's the first time in his NHL career that Bailey has scored in consecutive games. Jon Sim had the other Islander goal on Friday and also assisted on Bailey's goal. It was his first goal in seventeen games.

...and a few more...

--Minnesota game--

4.  Martin Biron and Niklas Backstrom each faced 29 shots.  The Isles dropped to 2-6-2 with Biron in their nets, but Biron has allowed three goals or less in eight of the ten games.

5. Special teams let the Isles down.  The power-play was 0-6, while Miko Koivu scored the tying goal for Minnesota on a third period power play.

6. Matt Moulson led the Isles with five shots, while Mark Streit and Blake Comeau each had four.  However, it was Comeau's mis-play that led to the winning goal.  The Isles won 30 of 57 face-offs; Frans Nielsen led the way, winning 12 of 20.

7. Minnesota broke a 4-game losing streak with the victory.

8. The Isles have lost five straight to Minnesota (0-4-1) dating back to a 3-1 victory on March 19, 2004 at the Coliseum.  They are now winless in their last three trips to St. Paul, dating back to a 4-2 win in December, 2002 in Rick DiPietro's first NHL game after having spent all of the preivous season in the minors.

9.  Brendan Witt rejoined the team after missing the game in Boston due to "personal reasons" but did not play.  In a related note, the Islanders were out-hit 27-9.

10. This was the only meeting of the season between the teams.  The Isles are 0-3 against the Wild under Scott Gordon.

--St. Louis game--

11.  The Isles dropped to 6-3-3 when scoring first, meaning that they have won only half of the games in which they have grabbed a 1-0 lead. Only four teams in the NHL have won a smaller percentage of games in which they scored first. 

12.  Officially, the Isles were 0-3 on the power play, but they had only one complete power play (and 2:56 of power play time).  The Blues failed to capitalize on a 5-on-3, and finished 0-4 with the extra man.

13. Chris Mason made 23 saves to record the victory for the Blues, while Dwayne Roloson suffered his first regulation loss since October 16 (5-0-3).  Roloson finished with 22 saves.

14. Kyle Okposo led the Isles with five shots on goal, but both he and John Tavares were held off the scoresheet for the second straight game.  However, Tavares continues to lead all rookies in both goals [9] and points [19].  Tim Jackman led the Isles with 4 hits (in just 10:16 of ice-time) while David Backes led all players on both teams, with six hits.

15. Besides Perron, who had the two goals, ten other Blues figured in the scoring.  Blues Captain Eric Brewer had the other St. Louis goal--it was his first goal since October 16, 2008.

16. The Isles suffered their first regulation loss in St. Louis since December 19, 1995 (4 wins, including two in overtime, one overtime loss and two ties).  It was St. Louis' first regulation win over the Isles since March 6, 2004.

Up Next: The long road trip concludes with John Tavares' first game in Toronto as the Isles visit the Air Canada Centre (and the Maple Leafs) on Monday.  The Leafs won last season's series 3 games to 1, and 6 points to 4.  It will be the Isles 15th road game, out of 24 games played.  This marks only the second time in Islander histroy that they have opened with 15 of the first 24 on the road, having also done it in 1992-93.
Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940..blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick