The Skinny: Islanders 5, Lightning 1

The Skinny - Game 44Isles 5, Tampa Bay 1
Brock Nelson scored a power play goal just 81 seconds to play, the first of three Isles goals in the first 4:43, and the Islanders rode that to a 5-1 victory over the NHL-leading Tampa Bay Lightning before a crowd of 11,193 at Barclays Center.
Thomas Greiss made 38 saves to record his 13th victory of the season and first since December 17th.
The Isles handed the Lightning only their second regulation loss in the last 21 games (18-2-1) and just their 9th regulation loss of the season as the Isles remained perfect on the back-end of back-to-backs (6-0-0).

The Scoring: 1st Period
Brock Nelson (16) Jordan Eberle, Mathew Barzal 01:21 TBL 0,NYI 1 PPG
Cal Clutterbuck (3) Matt Martin, Casey Cizikas 04:27 TBL 0,NYI 2
Devon Toews (3) 04:43 TBL 0,NYI 3
2nd Period
Casey Cizikas (11) Matt Martin, Cal Clutterbuck 11:03 TBL 0,NYI 4
Ryan McDonagh (5) Steven Stamkos, Ondrej Palat 18:12 TBL 1,NYI 4
3rd Period
Josh Bailey (10) Anders Lee, Nick Leddy 19:08 TBL 1, NYI 5 ENG
The Skinny
Brock Nelson's goal ties him with Anders Lee for the team lead; it was his first power play goal of the season and the first scored by the Isles at Barclays Center since November 15th vs. the Rangers… The Isles "fourth line" each had two points in the game; Matt Martin, the game's #1 star, recorded his 4th career two assist game…Devon Toews capped the Isles' three goals in the first 4:43 with his 3rd goal in his 10-game NHL career (and third in the last six games); Vladimir Malakhov (1992-93) was the last Isles defenseman to score three times in his first 10 games…Josh Bailey extended his point streak to three games with the empty net goal; three of Bailey's 10 goals this season have been scored against the Lightning…The Isles remain six points ahead of last season's pace through 44 games; including shootout winners they have scored 19 fewer goals and allowed 43 fewer goals than last year's first 44 games… With the win the Isles move back into the top wild card spot); they also remain in 4th place in the Metro, just two points behind Pittsburgh… Anders Lee has an assist in five of the last six games….Ryan McDonagh has scored six of his 58 career goals against the Isles…The Isles have won only 54% of the games they scored first (13-7-4); they have won 60% of the games they allowed the opening goal (12-8-0)… The Isles have 29 points on the road and 25 points at home. Each of the top four teams in the Metro has earned at least as many points on home ice as they are on the road… The Isles improve to 20-5-3 when they are outshot; the 20 wins lead the entire NHL when outshot…Tampa Bay did not score on 6:00 of power play time or 5:00 of 6th attacker time; the Lightning's power play is #1 in the NHL but is 0-7 vs. the Isles…Five of the nine Lightning regulation losses have been by three goals or more…Thomas Greiss, playing on the 11th anniversary of his NHL debut, recorded his 75th win as an Islander.
The Injury
Victor Hedman left the game after colliding with an official in the second period. He did not return.
What A Start!
The Isles held a 3-0 lead at the 4:43 mark. It's the 5th time in Isles history that they have scored three goals in the first 4:43:
• 1/26/82 vs Pittsburgh (2:46)
• 10/20/05 vs. Rangers (2:47)
• 12/13/83 vs. Edmonton (4:19)
• 2/22/89 in Buffalo (4:39)
• 1/13/2019 vs. Tampa Bay (4:43)
That Fourth Line
Casey Cizikas, Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck each had two points.
Third period ice-time:
• Cizikas 5:37
• Clutterbuck 5:40
• Martin 6:07
Only the Barzal line saw more ice-time in the third period.
Back Ends
The Isles are 6-0-0 in back-ends of back-to-backs this season. It's the first time that the Isles have won six straight back-ends in a single season since 2006-07, when the Isles won the first six back-ends. Like this season, the Isles had a new Jack Adams Award-winning coach behind their bench: Ted Nolan.
This matches the longest streak since 1981, when the Isles won seven straight back-ends (over two seasons).
The club record for consecutive back-end wins is 8, and that has been done twice:
• January 22-March 14, 1976
• March 26- November 22, 1978 (over two seasons)
Strength in the Nets
Robin Lehner has allowed only 18 goals in his last 12 games (8-2-2, 1.540 GAA, .945 save percentage). In his four non-wins in that stretch he has allowed only seven goals.
Lehner was the 4th Goalie in Isles history to record at least eight straight wins:
• 11: Jaroslav Halak (Nov-Dec 2014)
• 10: Billy Smith (Jan-Feb 1982)
• 8: ROBIN LEHNER (Dec 2018-Jan 2019)
• 8: Mark Fitzpatrick (Dec 1989-Jan 1990)
Most Points Thru 44 Games (Post-Cup Era)
• 61: 2014-15
• 54: 2018-19
Most Points Thru 23 Road Games (Post-Cup Era)
• 31: 2013
• 29: 2018-19
Road Warriors
The Isles have won five straight games on the road; it's their longest road winning streak since a 7-game streak in the 2013-14 season.
The Isles are 8-1-0 in their last nine road games; the 16 points match the most ever for the club in a 9-game stretch of road games (done also in 1980-81, 1981-82 and 2013-14).
Worst to First
The Isles allowed the most goals in the NHL last season. Here's where they are this season:
Fewest Goals Allowed This Season (Including SO goals)
1. Boston 116
2. ISLES 117
3. Three with 122
Fewest Goals Allowed This Season (excluding SO goals)1. ISLES 114
2. Boston 116
3. Nashville 121
Last 30 Seasons: Most Goals by an Islander Before 22nd Birthday:
1. John Tavares 84
2. Anthony Beauvillier 42
Beauvillier's 22nd birthday is not until June.
Last 30 Seasons: Most Assists and Points by an Islander Before 22nd Birthday:
1. John Tavares 118 assists, 202 points
2. Mathew Barzal 92 assists, 127 points
Barzal's 22nd birthday is not until May.
Most 3+ Point Games by an Islander Before Age 22
• 34 Bryan Trottier
• 18 John Tavares
• 16 Denis Potvin
• 14 Mike Bossy
• 12 Mathew Barzal
• 12 Pat LaFontaine

Coach Trotz
Among active coaches, Barry Trotz has coached the most games and is 2nd to Ken Hitchcock in wins. Trotz' NHL record is 787-583-60-138 in 1,568 games.
Most Coaching Wins
1. Scotty Bowman 1,244
2. Joel Quenneville 890
3. Ken Hitchcock 835
4. Barry Trotz 787
5. Al Arbour 782
Most Games Coached
1. Scotty Bowman 2,141
2. Joel Quenneville 1,636
3. Al Arbour 1,607
4. Barry Trotz 1,568
5. Ken Hitchcock 1,561
Trotz will catch Al Arbour in games coached on Opening Night next season. If Quenneville doesn't return to coaching Trotz would pass him sometime in December 2019.
This Season vs. Last Season
This Season: 25-15-4 (54 points), with 134 goals scored and 117 goals allowed (includes SO winners)
Last Season: 22-18-4 (48 points), with 153 goals scored and 160 goals allowed (includes SO winners)
First Things First
The Isles are 13-7-4 when scoring first and are 12-8-0 when allowing the opening goal. The Isles won 12 games all last season (12-27-5) when allowing the opening goal.
The Shots
Isles 10-14-4=28
Tampa Bay 6-22-11=39
The Isles are 5-9-1 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even and 20-5-3 when they are outshot. [The club record for wins when being outshot is 25, set in 1983-84 and equaled last season.]
Home and Road
The Islanders are 25-15-4 overall; 11-7-3 at home (3-1-1 on Long Island and 8-6-2 in Brooklyn) and 14-8-1 on the road. The Isles will play 21 games in Uniondale and 20 games in Brooklyn this season.
Tampa Bay is 35-9-2 overall; 19-4-0 at home and 16-5-2 on the road.
By Division & Conference
The Isles are 11-5-1 in Division games and 14-10-3 in games versus other divisions. The Isles are 17-7-4 against the East and 8-8-0 against the West.
In the Nets
Thomas Greiss made 38 saves and improves to 13-8-1 on the season and 5-3-0 in his career against the Rangers.
Andrei Vasilevskiy made 23 saves but falls to 18-5-2 on the season and 5-3-0 in his career against the Isles.

Power Plays
The Isles were 1-1 on the power play in 1:01 of PP time; Tampa Bay was 0-3 on the power play in 6:00 of PP time.
The Isles are 17-1-1 when they score at least one power play goal and 8-14-3 when they do not. The Isles are 10-10-3 when they allow at least one power play goal and 14-5-1 when they do not.
Three is a Magic Number
The Isles are 23-2-1 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 2-13-3 when they do not.
One Goal Games
The Isles are 10-4-4 in games decided by a single goal including 5-4 in regulation. They are 3-1 in games decided in overtime and are 2-3 in shootouts. The Isles are 3-4 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.
Back-to-Backs
Including today, the Isles are 4-2-0 in the front half and 6-0-0 in the back half. The next back-to-back is Thursday vs. New Jersey and Friday at Washington.

Tired vs. Rested
• The Isles are 3-0-0 when both teams played the night before.
• The Isles are 3-0-1 when they are rested, and their opponents are not.
• The Isles are 3-0-0 when their opponents are rested, and the Isles are not.
• The Isles are 16-15-3 when both teams are rested.
Ice-time Leaders
Isles: Scott Mayfield (22:12); Rangers: Mikhail Sergachev (23:29)
Mathew Barzal led Isles forwards with 18:57 of ice-time.
Isles record by ice-time leader: Ryan Pulock (13-7-3), Nick Leddy (7-7-1), Scott Mayfield (4-1-0).
Face-offs
Isles 27, Tampa Bay 24 (53%).
Mathew Barzal won 7 of 10 for the Isles; Brayden Point won 11 of 18 for Tampa Bay.
Face-offs by period: 1st period 6/17; 2nd period 13/24; 3rd period 10/20
Face-offs by strength: Even strength: 24/42, Power play 0/1, Penalty kill 3/8.
Hit Count
Isles 18 (Matt Martin - 5)
Tampa Bay 33 (Adam Erne - 7)

Fights
There were no fights. Season total -12 (Scott Mayfield -4, Ross Johnston-3, Matt Martin -2, Josh Bailey, Johnny Boychuk, Anders Lee).
Blocked Shots
The Isles blocked 26 shots (Scott Mayfield -7)
For the Corsi Crowd
All situations: Isles 44, Tampa Bay 81
5-on-5 Isles 37, Tampa Bay 55
5-on-5 leaders:
Isles: Johnny Boychuk +1
Tampa Bay: Ondrej Palat +18

Night and Day
The Isles are 22-13-4 in night games and 3-2-0 in matinees. The next matinee is on January 20th vs. Anaheim.
Ironmen
Anders Lee 162, Brock Nelson 139, Mathew Barzal 126
Scratches
(Andrew Ladd - IR), (Thomas Hickey- IR),Tom Kuhnhackl, Luca Sbisa, Ross Johnston
Total games lost: 89
Late Heroes
The Isles have scored once in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or take the lead:
1/11- NY Tampa Bay-Josh Bailey scored the winning goal (18:34)
Late Goals Allowed
The Isles have allowed a goal four times in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or win a game:
10/4 - CAR Hurricanes - Jordan Staal tied game (18:25), but Isles won in overtime.
11/8 - TB Lightning - Tyler Johnson scored the winning goal (18:34)
11/23 - NJ Devils - Marcus Johansson tied game (19:49), but Isles won in overtime.
12/15- DET Red Wings - Thomas Vanek tied game (18:57), but Isles won in a shootout.
Offside Challenges
12/8 vs DET Red Wings - Red Wings goal overturned after successful Isles challenge.
12/20 vs VEG Golden Knights - Golden Knights goal overturned after successful Isles challenge.
1/8 vs CAR Hurricanes - Isles goal overturned after successful Hurricane challenge
Comeback Kids
The Isles are 5-3-0 when trailing in a game by a 2-0 score, defeating NYR (11/15), CBJ (12/1), DET (12/8),OTT (12/28) and STL (1/5); all five wins have been in regulation.
The Isles are 9-1-1 when scoring the game's first two goals.
All-time Islander Leader Boards:
Games Played (skaters)
1. Bryan Trottier 1123 \\* 2. Denis Potvin 1060 \\* 3. Bob Nystrom 900 \\* 4. Clark Gillies 872 \\*
5. Bob Bourne 814\\\6. Josh Bailey 759
Goals
1. Mike Bossy 573 \\\ 2. Bryan Trottier 500 \\* 3. Denis Potvin 310 …
16. Mariusz Czerkawski 145 \\* 17. Anders Lee 140 \\* 18. Kyle Okposo 139 \\\19. Josh Bailey 134…
24. Mark Parrish, Matt Moulson and Steve Thomas 118 \\\ 27. Ray Ferraro 116 \\* 28. Brock Nelson 115
Assists
1. Bryan Trottier 853 \\* 2. Denis Potvin 742 \\* 3. Mike Bossy 553…
11. Derek King 288 \\\12. Pat LaFontaine 279 \\\ 13. Bobby Nystrom 278 \\* 14. Josh Bailey 277
Points
1. Bryan Trottier 1353 \\* 2. Mike Bossy 1126 \\* 3. Denis Potvin 1052…
12. Patrick Flatley 488 \\* 13. Billy Harris 443 \\* 14. Josh Bailey 411
Games Played (Goalies)
1. Billy Smith 674 \\* 2. Rick DiPietro 318 \\* 3. Glenn Resch 282 …
7. Glenn Healy 176 \\* 8. Thomas Greiss 144
Wins (Goalie)
1. Billy Smith 304 \\* 2. Glenn Resch 157 \\* 3. Rick DiPietro 130\\* 4. Kelly Hrudey 108\\*
5. Jaroslav Halak 88 \\* 6. Rollie Melanson 77\\* 7. Thomas Greiss 75
Season Series Stats
The season series is tied one game to one (and 2 points to 2). The teams will conclude the season series at the Coliseum on February 1st.
It's only the second win for the Isles against the Lightning in the last eight meetings (2-6-0).
On the Farm
Bridgeport suffered their first regulation home-ice loss since Opening Night on Saturday, falling 4-2 to Hartford. Bridgeport is 22-12-4-2 on the season and head to Charlotte to face the Checkers on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Leaders: Goals: Michael Dal Colle 16 ; Assists: Josh Ho-Sang 22; Points: Dal Colle 28. Goalies: Jeremy Smith 12-7-2 (2.77 GAA); Christopher Gibson 10-5-4 (3.06 GAA)
*Up NextTUESDAY, JANUARY 15th - ST. LOUIS AT ISLANDERS AT BARCLAYS CENTER 7:00PM @ehornick on Twitter & on his blog www.nyiskinny.com.