The Skinny: Canadiens 6, Isles 2

Game 65
Montreal 6, Isles 2
Brendan Gallagher scored a goal and added an assist to spur a three goals in 5:13 outburst in the first period and the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Isles 6-2 before a crowd of 12,788 at Barclays Center.

The loss extended the Isles winless streak to four games (0-2-2); it's the first Isles loss in regulation time on Barclays Center ice since January 12, 2019 (12-0-3) and their first in eleven games this season.
With the loss, the Isles drop four points behind the third place Penguins and remain five points behind second place Philadelphia. The Isles remain in the top wild card with 78 points (same as Columbus, but in two fewer games). Only nine points separate 2nd place and 7th place in the Metro.
The Scoring:
1st Period
Brendan Gallagher (22) Ben Chiarot (12), Phillip Danault (33) 13:31 MTL 1,NYI 0
Jeff Petry (11) Brendan Gallagher (21), Phillip Danault (34) 15:43 MTL 2,NYI 0
Charles Hudon (1) 18:34 MTL 3,NYI 0
2nd Period
Paul Byron (4) Joel Armia (14) 12:35 MTL 4,NYI 0 SHG
3rd Period
Brock Nelson (24) Josh Bailey (28) 06:14 MTL 4,NYI 1
Jordan Weal (8) Artturi Lehkonen (14) 15:28 MTL 5,NYI 1
Ryan Pulock (8) Brock Nelson (28), Jordan Eberle (23) 16:21 MTL 5,NYI 2 PPG
Joel Armia (16)EN 17:10 MTL 6,NYI 2 SHG
The Skinny
The Isles are 6-7-3 since the All-Star Break; they have scored 35 goals in the nine games that they earned points but only five goals in their seven regulation losses….Brock Nelson's third period goal ended an Isles scoreless streak at 154:03; after taking a 2-0 lead in St. Louis on Thursday, the Isles allowed 11 consecutive goals for the first time since 2011 before scoring twice in the third period. …Mathew Barzal played at least 20 minutes for the 30th time this season (and 59th time in his career); he has played at least 20 minutes in 11 straight games…The Isles allowed two shorthanded goals for the first time since October 24, 2017 in Minnesota; they had allowed only two SHG's this season entering the game…It's the first time since April 9, 2016 (OTT vs BOS) that an NHL team scored two shorthanded goals but did not have a power play…Charles Hudon scored for the first time in the NHL since November 2018…Nelson, who earned points on both Islander goals is now one point shy of his career high and tied his career high in assists (both from last year)…J-G Pageau finished -5; he is the first Islander to do so since Brendan Witt did so in an overtime loss to Washington on December 16, 2008… New dad Anders Lee had a goal disallowed in the opening seconds of the third period when it was ruled that he kicked the puck in….The Canadiens have outscored their opponents 69-53 in the first period; Thomas Greiss has allowed 30 goals in the first period and only 40 goals in the rest of the game.
The Injuries
Tomas Tatar left the game in the first period and did not return. Johnny Boychuk suffered an upper body injury on an errant skate blade in the third period and did not return.
Last Season vs. This Season
The Isles are 35-22-8 thru 65 games this season; they were 37-21-7 thru 65 games last season. Their 78 points in 65 games is the 4th-highest in the Post-Cup era (85 points in 2014-15, 82 points in 2015-16, and 81 points last season).
It's Good to be Home(s)
The Isles are playing 28 of their 41 home games this season at the Coliseum. The Isles are 13-8-2 on Coliseum ice where they have sold out six straight games (and ten games this season). The Isles are 7-1-3 at Barclays Center this season and 12-1-3 in their last 16 regular season home games); the remaining Brooklyn games are on March 17th vs. Calgary, and March 22nd vs. Carolina.
Governor Cuomo announced before the February 29th game that all home playoff games this season and all home regular season and playoff games next season will be played at the Coliseum.
On the Road
The Isles are 15-13-3 on the road this season but are only 3-7-2 in the last 12 games.
Lots of Home Cooking
The Isles are in a stretch in which they play six of eight games at home. The Isles are 2-2-2 in this stretch.
Following these eight games, the Isles will play nine of the next twelve on the road before ending the season with three games at the Coliseum.
Coach Trotz
Barry Trotz is second among active coaches, trailing only Joel Quenneville, in both wins and games. Trotz' NHL record is 845-617-60-149 in 1,671 games, and he is now five wins shy of supplanting Ken Hitchcock as the 3rd-winningest coach in NHL history.
Most Coaching Wins
Most Games Coached
First Things First
The Isles are 23-7-4 when scoring first and are 12-15-4 when allowing the opening goal. They are 1-9-3 in the last 13 games that they have allowed the opening goal.
The Shots
Isles 7-7-8=22
Montreal 12-5-10=27
The Isles are 13-7-5 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even and 22-14-3 when they are outshot. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 53-25-9 when outshot; the 53 wins are the most in the NHL.
Home and Road
The Islanders are 35-22-8 overall: 20-9-5 at home (13-8-2 on Long Island and 7-1-3 in Brooklyn) and 15-13-3 on the road.
Montreal is 31-28-9 overall: 14-16-6 at home and 17-12-3 on the road.
By Division & Conference
The Isles are 11-7-3 in Division games and 24-15-5 in games versus other divisions. The Isles are 25-12-4 against the East and 10-10-4 against the West.
In the Nets
Thomas Greiss made nine saves before being replaced after the first; he is 16-9-3 on the season and 4-6-1 in his career against Montreal. Semyon Varlamov made 12 saves in relief.
Carey Price made 20 saves; he is 27-23-6 on the season and 14-6-4 against the Isles.
Power Plays
The Isles were 1-4 in 6:110 of power play time as they converted :26 into a 5-on-3. However, the Isles allowed two shorthanded goals (one into an empty net). Montreal did not have a power play; the also did not have a power play in the first meeting.
The Isles are 13-6-3 when they score at least one power play goal and 22-16-5 when they do not. The Isles are 14-9-2 when they allow at least one power play goal and 21-13-6 when they do not.
The Isles are 7-8-5 when they have more power plays than the opposition, 4-6-0 when the power plays are even, and 24-8-3 when the opposition has more power plays.
First 2 / Last 2
The Isles have scored 15 goals and allowed 14 goals in the first two minutes of regulation periods.
The Isles have scored 13 goals and allowed 20 goals (excluding ENGs) in the last two minutes of regulation periods.
Three is a Magic Number
The Isles are 31-2-4 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 4-20-4 when they do not. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 67-4-6 when scoring three or more, with two of the four regulation losses coming against Nashville.
One-Goal Games
The Isles are 16-6-8 in games decided by a single goal including 5-6 in regulation. They are 8-6 in games decided in overtime and are 3-2 in shootouts. The Isles are 5-3 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.
Tired vs. Rested
Ice-time Leaders
Isles: Ryan Pulock (23:20); Montreal: Brett Kulak (23:30)
Jordan Eberle led Isles forwards with 20:40 of ice-time.
Isles record by ice-time leader: Adam Pelech (9-2-0), Ryan Pulock (13-8-3), Devon Toews (3-6-2), Scott Mayfield (2-1-0), Nick Leddy (5-3-3), Brock Nelson (1-0-0), Mathew Barzal (2-2-0).
Highest Ice-Time by Isles Forwards Under Trotz
Face-offs
Isles 34, Montreal 18 (65%)
Mathew Barzal won 6 of 8 for the Isles; no Canadien who took multiple draws won more than he lost.
Hit Count
Isles 32 (Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck -6)
Montreal 34 (Two with 5)
Fights
Anders Lee fought Christian Folin in the first period. Season total:16 - Johnston-6 (vs. FLA, vs PHL, vs TB, vs NYR, vs WAS, vs VGK), Cizikas-3 (vs. OTT, vs SJ, vs. LA), Lee-3 (vs FLA, vs VGK, vs MON), Martin-2 (vs NYR, vs NAS), Mayfield (vs ANA), Pageau (vs NYR).
Blocked Shots
Isles 13 (Devon Toews -3)
Montreal 9 (Two with 2)
The Isles lead the NHL with 1,118 blocked shots.
For the Analytics Crowd
Corsi: All situations: Isles 44, Montreal 55
Corsi: 5-on-5 Isles 38, Montreal 50
5-on-5 leaders:
Isles: Devon Toews +7
Montreal: Two with +21
High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)
All situations: Isles 13, Montreal 9
5-on-5: Isles 10, Montreal 8
Back-to-Backs
The Isles are 5-3-0 in the front-half and 6-1-1 in the back-half. The next back-to-back will be March 12th in Calgary and March 13th in Edmonton. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 17-2-2 in back-ends.
Night and Day
The Isles are 31-19-6 in night games and 4-3-2 in matinees. The next matinee will be on March 7th vs. Carolina.
200 Game Club
The Isles have three players who have active consecutive game streaks of at least 200 games, and they are three of just 25 players in the NHL who have played every game since the start of the 2017-18 season. It's the first time since November 25, 1978 that the Isles have had three players with streaks of at least 200 games.
Ironman Streaks: Anders Lee 265, Brock Nelson 242, Mathew Barzal 229, Ryan Pulock 192, Josh Bailey 150, Anthony Beauvillier 140, and Devon Toews 113. No other Islander has played every game this season.
Iron Man
Anders Lee has passed Denis Potvin for the fourth-longest consecutive game streak while Brock Nelson and Mathew Barzal have also moved into the top 10:
(\) Start of NHL career.
(\\) Entire career with Islanders
Iron D
Ryan Pulock has the fourth-longest consecutive game streak of any defenseman in Islander history:
(\) Start of NHL career.
(\\) Entire career with Islanders
Scratches
(Adam Pelech-INJ), (Casey Cizikas-INJ), Ross Johnston, Noah Dobson, Tom Kuhnhackl, Andrew Ladd, Otto Koivula
Total games lost: 149.
Late Heroes
The Isles have scored five times in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or take the lead:
10/14 vs. STL - Mathew Barzal scored at 19:33 and the Isles won in OT.
11/19 @ PIT - Ryan Pulock scored at 18:38 and the Isles won in OT.
2/1 vs VAN - Brock Nelson scored at 19:34, but the Isles lost in OT.
2/11 vs PHI - Ryan Pulock scored the winning goal at 19:19.
2/26 vs NYR - Brock Nelson scored at 19:42, but the Isles lost in OT.
Late Goals Allowed
The Isles have allowed five goals in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or win a game:
11/21 vs. PIT - Patric Hornqvist scored at 19:30, but the Isles won in OT.
12/14 vs. BUF -Jack Eichel scored at 18:14, but the Isles won in OT.
1/16 vs. NYR- Chris Kreider scored the winning goal at 19:35.
2/11 vs. PHI - Sean Couturier scored at 18:28, but the Isles won in regulation.
2/27 vs. STL - Vince Dunn scored at 18:16, and the Blues won in OT.
Challenges
Isles: 4 successful, 2 failures (offside-11/19 vs. PIT), (offside-12/9 vs. TBL), (no goalie Interference 12/21 vs, ANA), (offside-1/6 vs. COL), (offside 1/21 vs NYR), (no goalie interference 2/25 vs NYR)
The Isles are 4-0-0 in games that they are successful and 0-0-2 in games that they are unsuccessful.
Opponents: 4 successful, 3 failures (Nelson-kick 10/8 vs. EDM), (Lee- no high stick 11/1 vs. TB), (Cizikas- no goalie interference 11/23 vs. SJ), (Komarov-goalie interference 1/2 vs. NJ),(no offside 1/18 vs WSH), (Lee-goalie interference 2/4 vs. DAL), (offside- 2/9 vs TBL)
The Isles are 1-1-1 in games where opponents' challenges go their way and 1-3-0 in games that go the opponent's way.
All-time Islander Leader Boards:
Games Played (skaters)
5. Josh Bailey 862…
17. John Tonelli 594 \\\ 18. Matt Martin 557 \\\ 19. Ken Morrow 550 \\* 20. Duane Sutter 547 \\* 21. Brock Nelson 545 \\* 22. Lorne Henning 543 \\* 23. Claude Lapointe 535 \\* 24. Casey Cizikas 534
Goals
12. Billy Harris 184 \\* 13. Anders Lee 171 \\* 14. Ziggy Palffy 168 \\* 15. Patrick Flatley 160 \\* 16. Josh Bailey 153 \\* 17. Brock Nelson 148
Assists
6. John Tonelli 338 \\* 7. Pat Flatley 328 \\* 8. Brent Sutter 323 \\* 9. Josh Bailey 321 …
20. Ed Westfall 181 \\* 21. Kenny Jonsson 175 \\* 22. Duane Sutter and Alexei Yashin 171\\* 24. Nick Leddy 168
Points
11. Derek King 499 \\* 12. Patrick Flatley 488 \\* 13. Josh Bailey 474 …
20. Ziggy Palffy 331 \\* 21. Anders Lee 297 \\\22. Mariusz Czerkawski 295 \\\ 23. Brock Nelson 293
Games Played (Goalies)
Wins (Goalie)
5. Thomas Greiss 101
Shutouts (Goalie)
5. Jaroslav Halak 12 \\* 6. Thomas Greiss 10
Games Coached
1. Al Arbour 1,500 \\* 2. Jack Capuano 483 \\* 3. Mike Milbury 192 …
6. Peter Laviolette 164 \\* 7. Ted Nolan 163 \\* 8. Butch Goring 154 \\* 9. Barry Trotz 147
Coaching Wins
Season Series Stats
Montreal leads the season series 2 games to 0 (and 4 points to 0). The teams will conclude the season series in Montreal on March 28th.
The Isles are 1-5-1 in their last seven games with Montreal and have scored only 13 goals in the seven games.
On the Farm
The Sound Tigers dropped a 1-0 decision to Binghamton on Sunday. Bridgeport is off until Friday when they begin a 3-in-3 weekend that starts and ends in Lehigh Valley, with a trip to Wilkes Barre-Scranton in between.
THURSDAY, MARCH 5th - ISLANDERS AT OTTAWA -7:30 PM
*@ehornick on Twitter & on his blog www.nyiskinny.com.