Eric Hornick / NewYorkIslanders.com
The Skinny - Game 42
Isles 4, Rangers 3
The Rangers outshot the Isles 17-1 in the third period, but Josh Bailey made the Isles' shot count as the Isles defeated the Rangers 4-3 at Madison Square Garden before a near-capacity crowd of 17,938.
Bailey's winning goal was the only one that Mathew Barzal (1-2-3) wasn't involved in; Barzal now has 14 points in his first seven career games against the Rangers.
Robin Lehner made 16 saves in the third period to become the fourth goalie in Islander history to record eight straight wins.
The Isles are 10-2-0 in their last twelve games; they have won five straight road games. The teams will complete the home-and-home at Barclays Center on Saturday afternoon.
The Scoring:
1st Period
Ryan Strome (6) Jimmy Vesey, Filip Chytil 01:38 NYI 0,NYR 1 PPG
Mathew Barzal (13) Johnny Boychuk 02:31 NYI 1,NYR 1
Jordan Eberle (9) Anders Lee, Mathew Barzal 08:51 NYI 2,NYR 1 PPG
2nd Period
Kevin Shattenkirk (2) Fredrik Claesson 01:11 NYI 2,NYR 2
Anders Lee (16) Nick Leddy, Mathew Barzal 03:08 NYI 3,NYR 2 PPG
3rd Period
Jesper Fast (7) Neal Pionk, Pavel Buchnevich 08:40 NYI 3,NYR 3
Josh Bailey (9) Cal Clutterbuck, Johnny Boychuk 18:34 NYI 4,NYR 3
The Skinny
One game after having a goal reversed by an offside challenge, Jordan Eberle scored his 9th goal of the season…Mathew Barzal now has 126 points in 126 career NHL games…The Isles are now eight points ahead of last season's pace through 42 games; including shootout winners they have scored 13 fewer goals and allowed 40 fewer goals than last year's first 42 games… With the win the Isles regain the top wild card spot; they remain in 4th place in the Metro, just one point behind Columbus… Captain Anders Lee recorded his 17th assist of the season on the Eberle goal. It was the 100th assist of Lee's career; Lee had career highs in both goals (40) and assists (22) last season…The Isles have won only 55% of the games they scored first (12-6-4); they have won 60% of the games they allowed the opening goal (12-8-0)…Matt Martin finished with eight hits, increasing his team-leading total to 136. It was the sixth time this season that Martin has had at least eight hits (five times in Divisional Games)…The Isles now have 29 points on the road and 23 points at home. Of the top four teams in the Metro, only Pittsburgh has more points on home ice than on the road…Kevin Shattenkirk scored for the first time in 20 games…Devon Toews saw his three-game point streak end… The Isles scored two power play goals for the third time this season (twice against the Rangers); both teams have scored four power play goals in the season series… The Isles (12-8-0) are one of three teams to have won more than half of the games they allowed the opening goal [Tampa Bay (16-6-0) and Winnipeg (13-9-0) are the others…The Isles have now earned 29 points in 23 road games this season; it's only the second time in the post-Cup era that they have had 29 points in the first 23 on the road. They had only 29 points in the first 33 road games last season…The Isles improve to 19-4-3 when they are outshot. The 19 wins lead the entire NHL when outshot…
First Time Ever
The Isles are 6-0-0 this season when they are held to 20 shots or less; it's the first time in Islander history that they have won six straight games when held to 20 shot or less.
Just Sid and The Kid (who won the Calder)
Mathew Barzal now has 14 career points against the Rangers in seven games, including three games with at least three points. Barzal and Sidney Crosby are the only players in the last 30 years to record at least three points in three games against the Rangers prior to his 22nd birthday.
Most 3+ Point Games by an Islander Before Age 22 (h/t NHL.com)
• 34 Bryan Trottier
• 18 John Tavares
• 16 Denis Potvin
• 14 Mike Bossy
• 12 Mathew Barzal
• 12 Pat LaFontaine
Streaking Lehner
Robin Lehner has won a career-high eight straight decisions. Lehner has allowed only 16 goals in his last 11 games (8-1-2, 1.50 GAA, .947 save percentage).
Lehner is the 4th Goalie in Isles history to record at least eight straight wins:
11: Jaroslav Halak (Nov-Dec 2004)
10: Billy Smith (Jan-Feb 1982)
8: ROBIN LEHNER (CURRENT)
8: Mark Fitzpatrick (Dec 89-Jan 90)
USA Hockey
Anders Lee's goal was the 140th goal of his career. He has broken a tie with Kyle Okposo for 2nd on the Islander goal-scoring list among American-born players, trailing only Pat LaFontaine (287).
Most Points Thru 42 Games (Post-Cup Era)
• 57: 2014-15
• 52: 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. ISLES 114
2. Boston 114
3. Nashville 116
Fewest Goals Allowed This Season (excluding SO goals)
1. ISLES 111
2. Boston 114
3. Nashville 115
Last 30 Seasons: Most Goals by an Islander Before 22nd Birthday:
1. John Tavares 84
2. Anthony Beauvillier 41
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 91 assists, 126 points
Barzal's 22nd birthday is not until May.
Coach Trotz
Among active coaches, Barry Trotz has coached the most games and is 2nd to Ken Hitchcock in wins. Trotz' NHL record is 786-582-60-138 in 1,566 games.
Most Coaching Wins
1. Scotty Bowman 1,244
2. Joel Quenneville 890
3. Ken Hitchcock 835
4. Barry Trotz 786
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 1,566
5. Ken Hitchcock 1,560
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: 24-14-4 (52 points), with 128 goals scored and 114 goals allowed (includes SO winners)
Last Season: 20-18-4 (44 points), with 141 goals scored and 154 goals allowed (includes SO winners)
First Things First
The Isles are 12-6-4 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 10-9-1=20
Rangers 8-5-17=30
The Isles are 5-9-1 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even and 19-4-3 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 24-14-4 overall; 10-6-3 at home (3-1-1 on Long Island and 7-5-2 in Brooklyn) and 14-8-1 on the road. The Isles will play 21 games in Uniondale and 20 games in Brooklyn this season.
The Rangers are 17-19-7 overall; 11-6-5 at home and 6-13-2 on the road.
By Division & Conference
The Isles are 11-4-1 in Division games and 13-10-3 in games versus other divisions. The Isles are 16-6-4 against the East and 8-8-0 against the West.
In the Nets
Robin Lehner made 27 saves and improves to 12-6-3 on the season and 3-5-2 in his career against the Rangers.
Henrik Lundqvist made 16 saves but falls to 12-12-7 on the season and 30-21-7 in his career against the Isles. He is 1-9-2 in his last 12 decisions against the Isles.
Power Plays
The Isles were 2-3 on the power play in 4:12 of PP time; the Rangers were 1-3 on the power play in 4:27 of PP time (including a :54 5-on-3 in the third period).
The Isles are 16-1-1 when they score at least one power play goal and 8-13-3 when they do not. The Isles are 10-10-3 when they allow at least one power play goal and 13-4-1 when they do not.
Three is a Magic Number
The Isles are 22-2-1 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 2-12-3 when they do not.
One Goal Games
The Isles are 10-3-4 in games decided by a single goal including 5-3 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
The Isles are 4-1-0 in the front half and 5-0-0 in the back half. The next back-to-back is January 12th vs. the Rangers and January 13th vs. Tampa Bay.
Tired vs. Rested
• The Isles are 2-0-0 when both teams played the night before.
• The Isles are 2-0-1 when they are rested, and their opponents are not.
• The Isles are 4-0-0 when their opponents are rested, and the Isles are not.
• The Isles are 16-14-3 when both teams are rested.
Ice-time Leaders
Isles: Nick Leddy (22:00); Rangers: Kevin Shattenkirk (24:00)
Brock Nelson led Isles forwards with 18:05 of ice-time.
Isles record by ice-time leader: Ryan Pulock (13-6-3), Nick Leddy (7-7-1), Scott Mayfield (4-1-0).
Face-offs
Isles 35,Rangers 24 (59%).
Josh Bailey won 6 of 8 for the Isles; Brett Howden won 5 of 9 for the Rangers.
Face-offs by period: 1st period 16/27; 2nd period 7/12; 3rd period 12/20.
Face-offs by strength: Even strength: 29/51, Power play 2/3, Penalty kill 4/5.
Hit Count
Isles 36 (Matt Martin - 8)
Rangers 37 (Jesper Fast- 6)
Fights
Matt Martin fought Cody McLeod in the first period. Season total -12 (Scott Mayfield -4, Ross Johnston-3, Matt Martin -2, Josh Bailey, Johnny Boychuk, Anders Lee).
Martin (88) and McLeod (158) have had more fights than any other active NHL players.
Blocked Shots
The Isles blocked 20 shots (Scott Mayfield -4)
For the Corsi Crowd
All situations: Isles 42, Rangers 64 (including 37-6 in the Rangers' favor in the 3rd period)
5-on-5 Isles 33, Rangers 48
5-on-5 leaders:
Isles: Cal Clutterbuck +5
Rangers: Frederik Claesson +12
Night and Day
The Isles are 21-13-4 in night games and 3-1-0 in matinees. The next matinee is on January 12th vs. the Rangers.
Ironmen
Anders Lee 160, Brock Nelson 137, Mathew Barzal 124
Scratches
(Andrew Ladd - IR), (Thomas Hickey- IR),Tom Kuhnhackl, Michael Dal Colle, Luca Sbisa
Total games lost: 85
Late Heroes
The Isles have scored once in the final two minutes of regulation to either tie or take the lead:
1/11- NY Rangers -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 8-1-1 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 757
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 133…
24. Mark Parrish, Matt Moulson and Steve Thomas 118 *** 27. Ray Ferraro 116 *** 28. Brock Nelson 114
Assists
1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553…
12. Pat LaFontaine 279 *** 13. Bobby Nystrom 278 *** 14. Josh Bailey 276
Points
1. Bryan Trottier 1353 *** 2. Mike Bossy 1126 *** 3. Denis Potvin 1052…
12. Patrick Flatley 488 *** 13. Billy Harris 443 *** 14. Josh Bailey 409
Games Played (Goalies)
1. Billy Smith 674 *** 2. Rick DiPietro 318 *** 3. Glenn Resch 282 …
7. Glenn Healy 176 *** 8. Thomas Greiss 143
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 74
Season Series Stats
The Isles lead the season series two games to one (and 4 points to 2).
The Isles are 9-1-0 in the last 10 games against the Rangers and are 13-2-0 in the last 15 match-ups.
On the Farm
Bridgeport is winless in their last three games, but they still have a 21-11-4-2 record for the season.
Rookie Otto Koivula leads all current Sound Tigers with 25 points on the season; he is also tied-5th among all AHL rookies in points.
The Sound Tigers return to Upstate New York to face the Utica Comets on Friday.
Leaders: Goals: Michael Dal Colle 16 ; Assists: Sebastian Aho 21; Points: Dal Colle 28. Goalies: Jeremy Smith 11-6-2 (2.70 GAA); Christopher Gibson 10-5-4 (3.06 GAA)
Up Next
SATURDAY, JANUARY 12th - RANGERS AT ISLANDERS AT BARCLAYS CENTER 1:00PM
[MSG+2(Pre-game at 12:30pm), WFAN 660/101.9FM, 88.7 WRHU-FM,WRCN 103.9FM, Radio.com]
The Isles and Rangers will complete their season series with the back-end of this home-and-home series on Saturday afternoon at Barclays Center. beginning Thursday night at Madison Square Garden.
This will be the eighth meeting between the teams in Brooklyn, and the Isles have won the first seven, outscoring the Rangers 25-12 (including one shootout winner). The seven-game home winning streak is the Isles' longest against the Rangers since they beat them eight straight times at the Coliseum in 1991 and 1992.
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.
Cory Wright / NewYorkIslanders.com
Josh Bailey broke a 3-3 tie with 1:26 to play in the third period, as the New York Islanders beat the New York Rangers 4-3 on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden.
Bailey's go-ahead goal was the Islanders first - and only - shot of the third period, but the opportunistic Isles made it count. The one shot - set up by a slick cross-ice from Cal Clutterbuck - was enough to secure two points and help the Isles to their seventh win in eight games.
"It obviously wasn't our best period, but it's about finding ways to win," Bailey said. "Just because you're not playing your best doesn't mean the game has to be thrown away. We know if we stick with it here we might be able to find a way."
Mathew Barzal had a game-high three points (1G, 2A), while Jordan Eberle and Anders Lee each scored power-play goals. Robin Lehner (27 saves) picked up a career-high eighth straight win.
BROADWAY BARZAL:
Mathew Barzal continued his mastery over the New York Rangers.
Barzal recorded three points (1G, 2A) on Thursday night upping his career totals to 14 points (4G, 10A) in seven games against the Blueshirts.
It was Barzal who evened the score 1-1 after Ryan Strome gave the Rangers an early lead 1:38 into the game. Barzal answered quickly, opening up Henrik Lundqvist on a partial breakaway before sliding home his 13th of the season at 2:31.
Barzal picked up two more points before the night was done, recording the secondary assist on both Eberle's goal to make it 2-1 in the first and on Lee's deflection to make it 3-2 in the second.
"He played the right way. He had the puck all night and lots of legs and all that," Trotz said. "His line was really good. You look at the scoresheet, you could see his line and linemates, that's where all the points are."
SPECIAL TEAMS KEY WIN:
Barry Trotz credited his special teams with the win on Thursday night, as the Isles rode their power play and a key penalty kill to the victory over the Rangers.
After struggling to produce in the previous four games, the Islanders power play scored on their first two opportunities Thursday, ultimately finishing the night 2-for-3. The first two power plays looked crisp, with the Isles moving the puck well around the zone while creating traffic in front.
Eberle scored his ninth of the season to put the Isles up 2-1 in the first period, snapping a cross-ice feed past Henrik Lundqvist at 8:51, while Lee deflected a Nick Leddy point shot at 3:08 of the second.
The Islanders penalty kill may have given up an early goal, but held the fort during a critical juncture in the third period. With Adam Pelech and Leo Komarov in the box, the Isles shorthanded unit killed off the Rangers' two-man advantage, holding the Blueshirts without a shot.
"To me we won the game on special teams," Trotz said. "We won it on the power play and a huge penalty kill five-on-three when the game was on the line. Robin played well for us and we found a way in the third period."
ONE SHOT, ONE GOAL IN THE THIRD:
The Islanders were outshot 17-1 in the third period of Thursday's win, but despite jokes about a perfect 1.000 shooting percentage, the Isles acknowledged it was not a sustainable way to win.
"It was pretty ugly on our part. We all know that. Our coaches know that," Barzal said. "But hey, Clutter [Cal Clutterbuck] makes a good play there to Bails [Josh Bailey] and we have an opportunistic team."
The Isles relied a lot on Lehner, who stopped 16 of 17 shots in a busy final frame. The lone shot to beat the Isles goaltender was a fluky play where Jesper Fast whacked a puck out of the air, off the ice and up high.
"With them travelling a lot lately, we should have had that push in the third and it felt like we couldn't get out of our zone, so we definitely have to tune some things up," Lehner said. "Obviously it wasn't a good game from us and we need to play better, but still, to squeeze out a win in this building-we have to take some positives away from that."
JOHNSTON IN, DAL COLLE OUT:
Ross Johnston drew back into the lineup for Michael Dal Colle, playing his first game since Dec. 28. Trotz said he wanted Johnston in the lineup, as he anticipated some rough stuff from the Rangers, though it wound up being Matt Martin who dropped the gloves with Cody McLeod.
NEXT GAME:
The teams reconvene on Saturday afternoon at Barclays Center. Puck drop is at 1 p.m.
Cory Wright / NYIslanders.com
NEW YORK ISLANDERS (23-14-4) AT NEW YORK RANGERS (17-18-7)
7 PM | MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
WATCH: MSG+2, MSG, MSG GO, NHL.TV
LISTEN: 660AM/101.9FM WFAN | 88.7FM WRHU | 103.9FM LI NEWS | RADIO.COM/ISLANDERS
SEASON SERIES: SERIES TIED 1-1-0
The home team has won each of the first two meetings between the Islanders and Rangers this season. The Islanders won the first meeting 7-5 at Barclays Center on Nov. 15, while the Rangers won the rematch 5-0 on Nov. 21.
ISLANDERS NOTES:
- The Islanders six-game winning streak was snapped on Tuesday night against Carolina. The Isles are looking to get back on track on Thursday.
- Thursday's game kicks off a home-and-home set against the Rangers, with the two teams meeting again on Saturday afternoon at Barclays Center. These are the final two meetings of the season between the crosstown rivals.
- The Islanders (50 points) are one point back of the Montreal Canadiens (51 points) for the second wild card berth, and one point back of the Columbus Blue Jackets (51 points) for third in the Metropolitan Division.
- Robin Lehner is currently on a career-high, seven-game winning streak. Lehner has allowed only 13 goals in his last 10 games (7-1-2, 1.34 GAA, .952 save percentage).
- The Islanders power play is 1-for-9 over the team's past four games.
- Brock Nelson has six points (3G, 3A) in his last five games, including a three-point night on Tuesday vs Carolina.
- Mathew Barzal has 11 points (3G, 8A) in six career games vs the Rangers. Anthony Beauvillier has 12 points (6G, 6A) in eight games vs the Rangers.
RANGERS NOTES:
- The Rangers have lost four straight games by a combined score of 22-5. Overall the Rangers are 3-5-2 in their last 10 games.
- Mika Zibanejad leads the Rangers with 35 points (12G, 23A) in 42 games this season. Zibanejad and Kevin Hayes are tied for the team lead in assists (23).
- Henrik Lundqvist was pulled in each of his last two starts after allowing six and five goals, respectively. Lundqvist, the Rangers all-star representative, is 12-11-7 this season with a 3.04 GAA and a .909 SV%.
- The Rangers (41 points) are 10 points back of a playoff spot, while also trailing behind the Florida Panthers (41 points), Carolina Hurricanes (45 points) and the Islanders (50 points).
- The Rangers are 1-1-5 on home ice since the start of December.
Cory Wright / NYIslanders.com
Valtteri Filppula was activated off injured reserve on Tuesday afternoon, clearing the way for a possible return to action against the Carolina Hurricanes. Filppula is officially a game-time decision per Head Coach Barry Trotz.
The Islanders center missed two games with an upper-body, suffered on Dec. 31 against the Buffalo Sabres. Filppula has 19 points (9G, 10A) in 38 games this season.
In a corresponding move, Josh Ho-Sang was loaned to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Ho-Sang was recalled by the Islanders on Dec. 9 and played 10 games with the team. The 22-year-old scored his first goal of the season on Dec. 18 against Arizona.
Ho-Sang had 22 points (2G, 20A) in 26 games with the Sound Tigers this season.
Cory Wright / NYIslanders.com
NEW YORK ISLANDERS (23-13-4) VS CAROLINA HURRICANES (19-17-5)
7 PM | NYCB LIVE | BUY TICKETS
WATCH: MSG+ | MSG GO | NHL.TV
LISTEN: 88.7FM WRHU | 103.9FM LI NEWS | RADIO.COM/ISLANDERS
SEASON SERIES: NYI LEAD 3-0-0
The Islanders are 3-0-0 against the Carolina Hurricanes this season and are looking for a season sweep for their Metropolitan Division rivals. The Isles have held the Canes to one goal in all three wins, out-scoring Carolina 8-3, despite being outshot 112-59. The Islanders have won seven of their last nine games against the Hurricanes.
ISLANDERS NOTES:
- The Islanders have won a season-high six straight games - tied for the longest active streak in NHL - and nine of their last 10 games overall. The Islanders are looking for their first seven-game winning streak since the 1989-90 season.
- The Islanders (50 points) enter Tuesday's game in a playoff position, occupying the first wild card berth in the Eastern Conference. The Islanders are one point back of the Columbus Blue Jackets (51 points), two back of the Pittsburgh Penguins (52) and four back of the Metropolitan Division-leading Washington Capitals (54).
"We just want to keep going here," Robin Lehner said. "We look at the standings, we keep climbing and I think we're in a good position. It's incredibly close, so every game is going to matter. We can't take our foot off the gas, we have to keep going."
- Robin Lehner was named the NHL's third star of the week on Monday after posting a 3-0-0 record with a 1.99 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage. Overall, Lehner has won a career-high seven straight games.
"It definitely feels good, something to build on," Lehner said. "[When] the team does good, individual success happens also. I'm just happy we're winning right now to be honest. It's nice, sure it is, but every win right now feels incredible, we just have to keep winning."
Tuesday's game poses an interesting dilemma. While Lehner is red-hot, Thomas Greiss has dominated the Carolina Hurricanes this season. Greiss is 3-0-0 vs the Canes this season, stopping 109-of-112 shots. Greiss, who hasn't played since Dec. 28, has won six straight games against Carolina, dating back to the 2016-17 season.
- Valtteri Filppula and Thomas Hickey both joined the Islanders during practice on Monday at Northwell Health Ice Center. Monday marked the return to a team skate for both of the Islanders injured players, though Hickey practiced in a non-contact jersey.
Filppula has been out since Dec. 31 with an upper-body injury, while Hickey has been out since Dec. 17, also with an upper-body injury. Both players are currently on IR and need to be activated prior to returning.
- The Islanders are 3-0-1 in four games at NYCB Live - Nassau Coliseum - this season.
HURRICANES NOTES:
- The Hurricanes have won four straight games and are 6-4-0 in their last 10.
- Carolina (43 points) is trying to keep pace in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, as they sit seven points back of the Buffalo Sabres (50 points) for the second wild card berth.
- Sebastian Aho leads the Hurricanes with 45 points (16G, 29A) in 41 games this season. Aho has six points (1G, 5A) in his last three games.
- Defenseman Dougie Hamilton has four points (3G, 1A) on a three-game point streak.
- Jordan Staal was placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury on Jan. 4.
- The Hurricanes are 12-2-2 in their last 16 games at Nassau Coliseum and are 24-7-0-4 at the Coliseum since relocating from Hartford to Raleigh.
NEW YORK – New York Islanders center Mathew Barzal, who led all rookies with 12 assists and 15 points in 13 games (3-12—15), has been named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for January.
Barzal edged Tampa Bay Lightning center Yanni Gourde (6-2—8 in 12 GP), Islanders teammate Ryan Pulock (2-6—8 in 13 GP), Pittsburgh Penguins center Dominik Simon (4-3—7 in 11 GP) and Chicago Blackhawks right wing Alex DeBrincat (4-3—7 in 12 GP) for the honor.
Barzal registered at least one point in eight of his 13 January appearances, highlighted by 2-3—5 Jan. 13 at NYR – his second five-point performance of the season (also Nov. 5 vs. COL: 0-5—5). Only four other rookies have posted multiple five-point games within a single season during the League’s expansion era (since 1967-68); Barzal became the first to do so since 1981-82 (Marian Stastny).
The 16th overall selection in the 2015 NHL Draft, Barzal paces all rookies with 35 assists and 51 points through 52 contests this season. The 20-year-old Coquitlam, B.C., native joins Arizona Coyotes center Clayton Keller (October) and Vancouver Canucks right wing Brock Boeser (November and December) as a Rookie of the Month winner in 2017-18.
Associated Press
TORONTO
(AP) -- Justin Holl walked into Air Canada Centre on his own a couple
hours before Wednesday night's game, with his minor league equipment bag
and a bundle of sticks in his hands.
He originally expected to have the day off. He was sure glad he played.
Holl
scored in his NHL debut and Travis Dermott got his first goal in his
ninth career game, leading the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 5-0 victory over
the New York islanders.
"It's almost surreal," Holl said. "You're like `Wait did that really happen?' And you're like, `Nice, it did.'"
The
26-year-old Holl joined the Toronto organization on an AHL contract in
2015-16 before earning a two-way deal last season. He played in 239
minor league games before suiting up against New York.
"I have
confidence in my abilities, sometimes you have to work a little harder
for the things you want," said Holl, who was selected by Chicago in the
second round of the 2010 draft. "You have faith it's all gonna turn out
all right."
Holl and Dermott spent parts of the last two seasons
together on the Toronto Marlies, making the evening that much more
special for the blue-line duo.
"Crazy, you can't put it into
words," the 21-year-old Dermott said. "You can't write it up any more
perfect with (Holl) up here as my partner.
"It all came together perfect tonight."
Kasperi
Kapanen, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner also scored for the Maple
Leafs (29-18-5), and Frederik Andersen made 28 saves for his fourth
shutout of the season.
Thomas Greiss stopped 45 shots for the Islanders (25-22-5), who also lost 4-1 at home against Florida on Tuesday.
"Just
really unacceptable the level we're playing at," captain John Tavares
said. "Not gonna win too many hockey games the way we've played the last
couple nights."
Toronto had three rookie defensemen in the
lineup after scratching regulars Morgan Rielly (upper body), Roman Polak
(viral infection) and Ron Hainsey (illness). Holl made his NHL debut
alongside first-year skaters Andreas Borgman and Dermott. Defenseman
Nikita Zaitsev returned to Toronto's lineup after missing 17 games with a
foot injury.
The Maple Leafs scored twice in each of the first two periods.
"When
you play a fast team like that it's always a challenge," Islanders
coach Doug Weight said. "They came at us hard and looking back we had
some really good chances we missed.
"Our guys battled, we just have to find a way to be better."
Kapanen opened the scoring 5:37 into the game by jamming in a loose puck near the goal line.
Matthews
doubled the lead when he picked up a Zach Hyman rebound in the slot and
sent a wrist shot by Greiss at 13:39. Jake Gardiner started the play
with a long outlet pass and picked up the other assist to extend his
point streak to six games.
New York appeared to be gaining some
traction before Marner skated into the slot and re-directed a Nazem
Kadri pass to make it 3-0 at 10:32.
Tavares had a great chance to
put his team on the board on the power play, but he juggled the puck at
the side of an open net before getting off a weak shot that Andersen
had no trouble with despite being on his back.
Dermott finished
off a pass from William Nylander with 1:01 to play in the second.
Matthews skated right to the Islanders net to pick up the puck as a
keepsake for Dermott.
"He gets excited any time anybody scores a
goal. You can hear him probably up in the press box," Matthews said.
"Him scoring his first, he was pretty pumped up."
Holl made it
5-0 with a wrist shot from an off angle that slipped through Greiss'
legs at 3:42. This time it was Hyman who collected the puck for his
teammate.
"Obviously, good for those kids," Leafs coach Mike
Babcock said. "You don't get to score your first NHL goal very often -
one time."
NOTES: Toronto F Matt Martin was a healthy scratch for
a third straight game. ... Islanders F Andrew Ladd was activated from
injured reserve and inserted into the lineup after missing nine games
with an upper-body injury.
UP NEXT
Islanders: Host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night.
Maple Leafs: Visit the New York Rangers on Thursday night.
