The Skinny: Islanders 4, Coyotes 0

Game 33Isles 4, Arizona 0
Scott Mayfield and Austin Czarnik scored in a 2:58 span late in the first period to break a scoreless tie and Ilya Sorokin made 17 saves for his fourth shutout of the season as the Islanders blanked the Arizona Coyotes 4-0 before another sellout crowd of 17,255 at UBS Arena.
Brock Nelson scored twice in the third period, with Josh Bailey earning assists on both goal as the Isles improved to 6-1-0 in their last seven and 9-3-1 in their last 13 games. They have also earned at least a point 13 times in the last 16 games (9-3-4). With the victory the Isles are over NHL-.500 for the first time since a loss in New Jersey on November 11th dropped them to 5-4-2.
The Isles moved ahead of both Philadelphia and New Jersey in the standings with tonight's win. They also now have a better winning percentage than Detroit or Columbus as they moved into 9th place (by points percentage) in the conference.

The Scoring:1st Period
Scott Mayfield (2) Adam Pelech (8), Mathew Barzal (17) 13:51 ARI 0,NYI 1
Austin Czarnik (2) Anders Lee (3), Scott Mayfield (7) 16:49 ARI 0,NYI 2
2nd Period
No Goals
3rd Period
Brock Nelson (12) Josh Bailey (14), Adam Pelech (9) 01:22 ARI 0,NYI 3
Brock Nelson (13) Anthony Beauvillier (7), Josh Bailey (15) 09:59 ARI 0,NYI 4
The Skinny
The Isles blanked the Coyotes in both meetings this season, outscoring Arizona 7-0… The Isles have allowed only eleven goals in their last seven games…Josh Bailey has eight points in the last seven games (2-6-8)… Phil Kessel played in his 939th consecutive game (3rd all-time); he is 25 games behind Doug Jarvis' NHL record, but Keith Yandle is in line to break that record on Tuesday at UBS…The first three Islander goals included a point from a defenseman, extending a streak to seven straight goals with a d-men point; Nelson's second goal ended the streak…The Isles had only three multi-point games from defenseman all season (two from Noah Dobson and one from Scott Mayfield) before Mayfield and Adam Pelech both did so tonight; Pelech and Nick Leddy (2-25-2021 vs. Boston) were the last pair of Islander d-men with multiple points in a game… Pelech has a point in three straight games since being named to the NHL All-Star Game; it is the first time in his career he has done so; Bailey and Anthony Beauvillier also extended their point streaks to three game...Ilya Sorokin set a career high with his fourth shutout; seven of his 24 career wins have been by shutout. He joins Chico Resch as the only goalies in Isles history to earn seven shutouts in his first 45 career games…Brock Nelson has a club-leading 13 goals in only 24 games this season; he is on pace for 39 goals if he were to play the remaining 48 games. His career high of 26 was set in 2015-16 and matched in the COVID-shortened 2019-20 season….Austin Czarnik scored a goal and went +3 in his return to the lineup; Czarnik now leads all Islander forwards with a +6 rating…The Isles had a season-high 21 shots in the third period…Matt Martin fought Liam O'Brien for the second time this season; O'Brien now leads the NHL with nine fights.
First Times in a Really Long Time
• Ilya Sorokin is the first Islander goaltender to shut out the same opponent in each of his first two games against them since Tommy Salo, who blanked the Capitals in his first three games against them in 1996-97.
• The Isles outshot Arizona 21-4 in the third period; their +17 shot differential was the largest in any period since outshooting Ottawa 26-8 in the second period of their game on March 5, 2019.
Here Come the Islanders
Since Christmas, only Colorado and Florida have a higher winning percentage than Isles:
1. Colorado 10-0-1 .955
2. Florida 10-1-1 .875
3. ISLES 6-1-0 .857
4. Boston 9-2-0 .818
5. Carolina 6-1-1 .813
Lots of Home Cooking
Beginning with their return from their most recent pause, the Isles are playing ten games out of eleven games at home to get them to the All-Star Break. The Isles are 4-1-0 in that stretch, and have outscored opponents 15-8 (including SO winner):
• 1/13 vs. New Jersey W 3-2
• 1/15 vs. Washington L 0-2
• 1/17 vs. Philadelphia W 4-1
• 1/18 @ Philadelphia W 4-3 (SO)
• 1/21 vs. Arizona W 4-0
• 1/22 vs. Toronto
• 1/25 vs. Philadelphia
• 1/27 vs. Los Angeles
• 1/29 vs. Seattle
• 1/30 vs. Minnesota
• 2/1 vs. Ottawa
Including the seven games played between December 9th and January 1st, the Isles are playing 16 of 18 at home; they are 8-3-1 in that stretch, with six games remaining.
Histor-Z
Zdeno Chara played in his 1,638th NHL game, leaving him just one behind Dave Andreychuk (1,639) for 9th place on the all-time NHL list. Chara is just 14 games behind Chris Chelios' record for NHL defensemen:
• Chris Chelios 1,651
• Dave Andreychuk 1,639
• Zdeno Chara 1,638
Home and Road
The Isles are 14-13-6 overall; they are 7-6-3 at home and 7-7-3 on the road.
Arizona is 10-25-4 overall; they are 5-13-1 at home and 5-12-3 on the road.
Home is Where the Fans Are
The Isles have played sixteen home games and sold out all of them. They are the sixteen largest indoor crowds to ever see the Islanders play at home. The Isles welcomed their 250,000th fan to UBS on Monday.
Leader of the Pack
Barry Trotz has coached more games and recorded more victories than any other active coach. Trotz' NHL record is 891-648-60-164 in 1,763 games.
Most Coaching Wins
1. Scotty Bowman 1,244
2. Joel Quenneville 970
3. Barry Trotz 891
Most Games Coached
1. Scotty Bowman 2,141
2. Joel Quenneville 1,769
3. Barry Trotz 1,763
Sweet Lou
Lou Lamoriello has the second-highest win total for any general manager in NHL history:
1. David Poile 1,470
2. Lou Lamoriello 1,340
3. Glen Sather 1,319
It All Starts at the Top
Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz have 2,231 wins between them. They start each game with more than any other pair in NHL history (David Poile and Peter Laviolette had 2,036 after their last game together). Bill Torrey and Al Arbour had a then-record 1,462 at the end of the 1991-92 season, which was their last season together.
First Things First
The Isles are 12-4-4 when scoring first and are 2-9-2 when allowing the opening goal.
The Shots
Isles 8-6-21=35
Arizona 4-9-4=17
The Isles are 4-3-2 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even and 10-9-4 when they are outshot. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 75-45-17 when outshot.
In the Nets
Ilya Sorokin made 17 saves; he is 11-7-5 on the season and 2-0-0 vs. Arizona.
Scott Wedgewood made 31 saves; he is 5-9-3 on the season and 1-2-1 vs. the Isles.
Special Teams
The Isles were 0-2 on the power play (4:00); Arizona did not have a power play.
The Isles are 6-3-4 when they score at least one power play goal and 8-10-2 when they do not. The Isles are 5-6-3 when they allow at least one power play goal and 9-7-3 when they do not.
Three is a Magic Number
The Isles are 12-2-2 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 2-11-4 when they do not. Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 100-11-13 when scoring three or more.
One-Goal Games
The Isles are 3-3-6 in games decided by a single goal including 1-3 in regulation. They are 1-3 in games decided in overtime and are 1-3 in shootouts. The Isles are 0-3 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.
Back-to-Backs
Including tonight, the Isles are 4-2-1 in the front end and 2-3-1 in the back end. This back-to-back concludes on Saturday vs. Toronto. The next back-to-back is scheduled for January 29th vs. Seattle and January 30th vs. Minnesota.

Under Barry Trotz, the Isles are 23-7-5 (.729) in back-ends.
Matinee Isles
The Isles are 1-1-2 in matinees this season; the next matinee will be on January 29th against Seattle. The Isles are scheduled to play fourteen matinees this season.
Ice-time Leaders
Isles: Noah Dobson (20:52); Arizona: Janis Moser (21:26)
Brock Nelson led Isles forwards with 18:52 of ice-time.
Isles record by ice-time leaders: Ryan Pulock (2-1-1), Anthony Beauvillier (0-1-0), Mathew Barzal (0-0-1), Adam Pelech (4-2-2), Zdeno Chara (2-1-0), Sebastian Aho (0-1-0), Robin Salo (0-2-0), Scott Mayfield (0-2-0), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (0-1-0), Noah Dobson (6-2-2).
Face-offs
Isles 21, Arizona 25 (46%)
Jean-Gabriel Pageau won 9 of 12 for the Isles; Riley Nash won 10 of 15 for Arizona.
The Isles are 7-8-4 when they win more face-offs than the opposition, 0-0-1 when face-offs are even, and 5-7-1 when they win fewer.
Hit Count
Isles 19 (Cal Clutterbuck -6)
Arizona 11 (Three with 2)

Fights
Matt Martin fought Liam O'Brien in the first period. Season total: 14 (Chara 4, Martin 4, Bellows 1, Mayfield 1, Nelson 1, Palmieri 1, Pageau 1, Wahlstrom 1)

Blocked Shots
Isles 13 (Robin Salo -3)
Arizona 14 (Two with 2)
For the Analytics Crowd
Corsi: All situations: Isles 56, Arizona 36
Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 48, Arizona 36
5-on-5 leaders:
Isles: Brock Nelson +12
Arizona: Nick Schmaltz +2
High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)
All situations: Isles 11, Arizona 4
5-on-5: Isles 9, Arizona 4
Scratches
(Ryan Pulock -LTIR), (Kyle Palmieri-IR), Kieffer Bellows, Sebastian Aho, Ross Johnston
Games Lost: 92 (48 to injuries and 44 to COVID protocol)
Iron Man
Scott Mayfield played in his 122nd consecutive game. Only two other Islanders (Zach Parise and Cal Clutterbuck) have played in every game this season.
Challenges
Isles: 1 successful, 1 failure
The Isles are 1-0-0 in games that they are successful and 0-1-0 in games that they are unsuccessful.(no goalie interference 10/14 @CAR, offside 1/18 @PHI)
Opponents: 3 successful, 0 failures
The Isles are 1-1-1 in games where opponents' challenges go their way and 0-0-0 in games where challenges go the Isles' way. (goalie interference 10/16 @FLA and 10/23 @ARI; offside 12/19 vs VGK)
Last Minute Heroes:
The Isles have scored one goal and allowed two goals in the final three minutes of the third period that were either the winning goal or forced overtime:
For: 1 (Noah Dobson 19:56 - 12/5/21 vs CHI; Isles lost in SO)
Vs: 2 (Eeli Tolvanen 19:48 - 12/9/21 vs NSH; GWG, Shea Theodore 19:12 - 12/19/21 vs VGK; Isles lost in SO)
All-time Islander Leader Boards:Games Played (skaters)
1. Bryan Trottier 1,123 \\* 2. Denis Potvin 1,060 \\* 3. Josh Bailey 947…
10. John Tavares 669 \\* 11. Matt Martin 639 \\* 12. Derek King 638 \\* 13. Brock Nelson 628 \\* 14. Billy Harris 623\\* 15. Stefan Persson 622 \\* 16. Casey Cizikas 617 …
20. John Tonelli 594 \\* 21. Cal Clutterbuck 561 \\* 22. Ken Morrow 550 \\* 23. Anders Lee 549
Goals
1. Mike Bossy 573 \\* 2. Bryan Trottier 500 \\* 3. Denis Potvin 310 …
11. John Tonelli 206 \\* 12. Anders Lee 194 \\* 13. Billy Harris 184 \\* 14. Brock Nelson 181 \\* 15. Ziggy Palffy 168 \\* 16. Josh Bailey 165
Assists
1. Bryan Trottier 853 \\* 2. Denis Potvin 742 \\* 3. Mike Bossy 553 \\* 4. Josh Bailey 364…
20. Pierre Turgeon 193 \\* 21. Mathew Barzal 193…
26. Jean Potvin 167 \\* 27. Jeff Norton 166 \\* 28. Brock Nelson 164
Points
1. Bryan Trottier 1,353 \\* 2. Mike Bossy 1,126 \\* 3. Denis Potvin 1,052…
9. Bob Bourne 542 \\* 10. Josh Bailey 529 …
17. Frans Nielsen 349 \\* 18. Brock Nelson 345 \\* 19. Pierre Turgeon 340 \\* 20. Tomas Jonsson and Anders Lee 333…
26. Ed Westfall 286 \\* 27. Mathew Barzal 276
Games Coached
1. Al Arbour 1,500 \\* 2. Jack Capuano 483 \\* 3. Barry Trotz 239

Coaching Wins
1. Al Arbour 740 \\* 2. Jack Capuano 227 \\* 3. Barry Trotz 129
On the Farm
Bridgeport is 14-17-3-4 on the season following a 3-1 win in Providence on Friday night. Jakub Skarek made 35 saves for the B-Isles, who improved to 4-1-1-2 in 2022.
The Baby Islanders are home Saturday night, again vs. Providence, and at 3pm Sunday vs. Springfield.
Season Series Stats
The Isles win the season series 2 games to 0 (and 4 points to 0).
The Isles have won nine straight home games against the Coyotes, dating back to a 4-3 shootout loss on December 18, 2010. The Isles' last regulation home loss to the Coyotes came on October 29, 2002 (10-0-1); that's one of only two wins on Long Island that the Coyotes have had on Long Island since the franchise relocated from Winnipeg.
UP NEXTSATURDAY, JANUARY 22nd-TORONTO AT ISLANDERS 7:00pm [MSG+2 (pre-game at 6:30), WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN Radio]
The Isles will look to extend their winning streak to four games as they welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs back to UBS Arena on Saturday. It will be the second meeting of the teams this season as the Leafs become the first opponent to visit UBS for a second time.
The Leafs have shut out the Islanders in their last two meetings (Michael Hutchinson on January 4, 2020, and Joseph Woll on November 22, 2021); their game in November, which was the second in UBS history, was played with six Islanders on the COVID list. The Leafs won that game 3-0.
4-0 for 40
My son Adam noted that the 4-0 victory was fitting, given that the game marked my 40th anniversary on Islander telecasts. Thanks to our entire MSG Networks team for making the night so special to me and to my family for all their support (and for sneaking pictures to our crew for the pre-game feature)!
And Finally…
We received word during the game of the passing of Islander legend, Hockey Hall of Famer, and humanitarian Clark Gillies. Always a gentleman, always an Islander. May he rest in peace.
Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since January 21, 1982. Information contained in "The Skinny" has been gathered from various sources. Follow Eric @ehornick on Twitter & on his blog www.nyiskinny.com