The Skinny: Gm 6 Islanders 6, Boston 2

Second Round Game 6Isles 6, Boston 2Isles win Best-of-7 series, 4-2
Brock Nelson scored two second period goals, including the game-winner as the Isles eliminated the Boston Bruins in six games with a 6-2 victory before a sellout crowd of 12,000 at Nassau Coliseum.
The Isles scored three times in a period for the fourth time in this series as they built a 4-1 lead through two periods. Brad Marchand's second power play goal cut the lead to 4-2 in the third period, but the Isles held Boston without a shot for the next 13 minutes and later got a pair of empty-net goals to seal the series.
The Isles will face Tampa Bay in the semi-finals; it will be the second straight match-up of the teams in the Final 4. The Lightning won the series last summer in six games.

The Scoring:
1st Period
Travis Zajac (1) Noah Dobson (7), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (9) 08:52 BOS 0,NYI 1
Brad Marchand (7) David Pastrnak (8), David Krejci (6) 17:36 BOS 1,NYI 1 PPG
2nd Period
Brock Nelson (5) Josh Bailey (5), Nick Leddy (5) 05:20 BOS 1,NYI 2
Brock Nelson (6) Josh Bailey (6) 12:39 BOS 1,NYI 3
Kyle Palmieri (7) 16:07 BOS 1,NYI 4
3rd Period
Brad Marchand (8) David Krejci (7), Charlie McAvoy (11) 05:38 BOS 2,NYI 4 PPG
Cal Clutterbuck (3)EN Jean-Gabriel Pageau (10), Casey Cizikas (2) 19:01 BOS 2,NYI 5
Ryan Pulock (3)EN 19:12 BOS 2,NYI 6
The Series (Isles win, 4-2)
Game 1: Boston 5, Isles 2
Game 2: Isles 4, Boston 3 (OT)
Game 3: Boston 2, Isles 1 (OT)
Game 4: Isles 4, Boston 1
Game 5: Isles 5, Boston 4
Game 6: Isles 6, Boston 2
The Isles will face Tampa Bay in the Semi-Finals.
The Skinny
The Isles are 2-2 in game 5's under Barry Trotz… The Isles have played 42 playoff games under Barry Trotz; only Boston (48) has played more in that span…The home team outscored the visitors 13-2 in the third period in this series (Boston 8, Isles 7). Boston outscored their opponents 14-10 in the third period… The Isles have outscored opponents 18-8 in the second period (including 11-3 in this series)… Semyon Varlamov made 40 saves to earn his 27th career playoff win… Kyle Palmieri extended his point streak to five games; Palmieri now has seven goals in his first 12 Islander playoff games after scoring twice for the Isles in 17 regular season appearances. Palmieri is now tied-4th in goal-scoring in this year's playoffs… The Isles had come-from-behind to record their prior five wins (2 vs Pittsburgh and 3 vs. Boston); they have yet to lead after one period in this year's playoffs but are 7-1 when tied through 20 minutes… The Isles scored six goals for the first time since Game 4 vs. Pittsburgh in 2013; they are 33-1 all-time in the playoffs when scoring at least six goals…Over the last two years, only Andrei Vasilevskiy (26) has won more playoff games than Semyon Varlamov (15)…Travis Zajac is the oldest forward to score a playoff goal for the Isles since Ed Westfall did so as a 38-year-old… The Isles are now 13-1 in 14 series they have taken a 3-2 lead. They are 12-2 in game 6's with a series lead (losing only to Toronto in 1978 and to Philadelphia in the Bubble). The Isles are 8-0 at the Coliseum in potential- clinching game 6's…The Bruins are 4-22 in game 6's when trailing three games to two…Brad Marchand tied Brayden Point for the Stanley Cup lead in power play goals (5)… Scott Mayfield now leads all NHL players with a +12 rating; J-G Pageau is second in the NHL with a +11. Both players were +4 in this game….Pageau is now 4th in the league with his 10 assists and is tied for 3rd with his 13 points…Pageau, Palmieri and Mathew Barzal shared the team lead with six points in this series; 10 players had at least three points in the six games as the Isles tallied 22 times. Boston's Perfection Line combined for 23 points and David Krejci and Charlie McAvoy each added seven points, but no other Bruins had more than 2…For the third time in this year's playoffs (Nelson -twice and Clutterbuck) an Islander scored twice in a period; that had only happened three times between 1994 and 2020..Noah Dobson has four assists in the last three games…The Isles lead the playoffs with 43 goals and are 2nd in Colorado in goals per game (3.58 to 3.89); the other four teams remaining in the playoffs all have a lower goals against per game average that the Isles' 2.75…The Isles scored four empty-net goals in this series (two in game 4 and two in game 6).
First Time in a Long Time
• The Isles have clinched consecutive series on home for the first time since 1984, when they closed out their 17th, 18th and 19th straight series wins at home.
• The Isles scored three goals in a period for the 4th time in this series; it is the first time since 1983 (Conference Final, also vs. Boston) that they scored three goals in a period in four different games in a series.
• Brock Nelson is the first Islander in the Post-Cup era to record nine goals in potential clinching games. (Bossy 23 - Bourne/Gillies 11 - Tonelli/Goring 10).
First Time for Everything
• The Isles scored empty-net goals 11 seconds apart, setting a club record for the fastest two goals. The previous record of 13 seconds was set in 1984 (Tomas Jonsson and Greg Gilbert) and tied in Game 6 vs. Pittsburgh (Brock Nelson and Ryan Pulock) two weeks ago
• Pulock is the first player in Stanley Cup history to score two goals within 13 seconds of a teammate's goal.
• Brock Nelson is the first player whose career has been played only in the 21st Century to play at least ten potential clinching games and average at least .75 goals/game (9 goals in 12 games). The Isles are 7-5 in those games. It is the highest average of any Islander in that circumstance.
• The Isles have allowed 452 shots through twelve games- it is the most shots they have allowed in the first twelve games of any playoff run in their history.
Most Wins After Allowing the First Goal (Isles)
• 8 1980
• 6 1977
• 6 1993
• 5 2021
• 5 1981
• 5 1983
• 5 1984
Best Power Play Percentage in a Playoff Year (Isles)
• 37.8% 1981
• 28.9% 2002
• 28.1% 2021
• 28.1% 1982
Brock Best
Brock Nelson has 22 playoff goals for the Islanders, more than any Isles in the 2000s:
• Brock Nelson 22
• Josh Bailey 15
• Anthony Beauvillier 14
• Jordan Eberle 12
• J-G Pageau 11
• John Tavares 11
• Mathew Barzal 10
• Cal Clutterbuck 9
Nelson's 22 goals are tied for 10th in Islander history with Duane Sutter's . Sutter and the nine players ahead of Nelson won a combined 38 Stanley Cup rings for the Isles. Nelson has scored more playoffs goals for the Isles than any other US-born player.
Most goals through 60 games (Isles)
1. Mike Bossy 41
2. Butch Goring 23
3. Brock Nelson 22
Hey, Josh Bailey!
Josh Bailey has 33 playoff assists for the Islanders, more than any Isles in the 2000s:
• Josh Bailey 33
• Mathew Barzal 23
• Jordan Eberle 19
• Brock Nelson 17
• Nick Leddy 17
• Ryan Pulock 13
• Anthony Beauvillier 13
• JG Pageau 13
Bailey's 33 assists are good for 11th in Islander history and are two assists shy of Brent Sutter's 10th place total (35). The ten players ahead of Bailey won a combined 38 Stanley Cup rings for the Isles.
Bailey also has 48 playoff points for the Islanders, more than any Isles in the 2000s:
• Josh Bailey 48
• Brock Nelson 39
• Mathew Barzal 33
• Jordan Eberle 31
• Anthony Beauvillier 27
• J-G Pageau 24
• Nick Leddy 22
• John Tavares 22
Bailey 48 points are 12th in Islander history and are four points shy of Duane Sutter's 11th place total (52). The eleven players ahead of Bailey won a combined 42 Stanley Cup rings for the Isles.
Hometown Hero
Kyle Palmieri has seven goals in 12 games this spring, matching Anthony Beauvillier's total through 12 games last summer. Only three Isles have scored more goals in the first 12 games of a playoff year (Ray Ferraro (12 in 1993), Mike Bossy (11 in 1981), and Bryan Trottier (9 in 1981 and 8 in 1982). Palmieri's 7 goals are tied for fourth in this year's playoffs.
Young Mr. Dobson
Noah Dobson is the second defenseman in Isles history to record at least seven playoff assists before his 22nd birthday. You may remember the other: Denis Potvin had nine assists in 17 games in 1975.
First Time in a Long Time!
This was the third all-time playoff meeting between the teams:
• 1980- Quarter-Finals. Isles won series 4 games to 1.
• 1983- Conference Finals. Isles won series 4 games to 2.
• 2021- 2nd Round. Isles won series 4 games to 2.
Heavy Hitters
Cal Clutterbuck leads all players in this year's playoffs with 66 hits, while Matt Martin is second with 59 and Leo Komarov is third with 53 hits. The Isles lead all teams with 504.
Hits Leaders for this Series (5-on-5)
Boston: Charlie Coyle 21, Connor Clifton 18, Charlie McAvoy 17
Isles: Cal Clutterbuck 36, Matt Martin 30, Casey Cizikas 21
Hits Taken (Received) for this Series (5-on-5)
Boston: Jeremy Lauzon 23, Charlie McAvoy 23, Connor Clifton 20
Isles: Ryan Pulock 18, Jordan Eberle 18, Kyle Palmieri 17
Barry and Al
Barry Trotz is only the 2nd coach to lead the Isles to multiple series wins, joining Al Arbour. Terry Simpson and Jack Capuano are the only other coaches to lead the Isles to a playoff series victory. Trotz has won a playoff series in seven consecutive years (four with Washington and three with the Isles). Arbour did that from 1979-1985 (all with Isles) - no one had done it since, until Trotz came along.
Lou and Bill
Lou Lamoriello's win vs. Boston was his 31st playoff series win as a General Manager, which is second all-time to Glen Sather (41). Bill Torrey is third with 28 playoff series wins.
Led/Tied/Trailed
Game 1: Led: 7:48, Tied: 37:06, Trailed: 15:06
Game 2: Led: 19:34, Tied: 30:40, Trailed: 24:34
Game 3: Led: 0:00, Tied: 48:42, Trailed: 14:54
Game 4: Led: 6:57, Tied: 50:22, Trailed: 2:41
Game 5: Led: 28:08, Tied: 14:28, Trailed: 17:24
Game 6: Led: 43:24, Tied: 16:36, Trailed: 0:00
Series: Led: 105:51, Tied: 197:54, Trailed: 74:39
Vs. Pittsburgh Led: 66:48, Tied: 158:11, Trailed: 177:22
Total: Led: 171:39, Tied: 356:05, Trailed: 252:01
Playoffs All-Time
The Isles improve to 169-137 in 305 all-time playoff games. They are 94-52 at home (86-43 at the Coliseum, 2-5 at Barclays, 5-2 in Toronto and 1-2 in Edmonton) and 75-85 on the road. In this year's playoffs, the Isles are 4-2 at home and 4-2 on the road.
Coach Trotz
Barry Trotz is second among active coaches, trailing only Joel Quenneville, in both wins and games. Trotz' NHL record is 877-635-60-158 in 1,730 games.
Most Coaching Wins
1. Scotty Bowman 1,244
2. Joel Quenneville 962
3. Barry Trotz 877
Most Games Coached
1. Scotty Bowman 2,141
2. Joel Quenneville 1,761
3. Barry Trotz 1,730
Coach Trotz (Playoffs)
Barry Trotz has now coached 155 playoff games (80-75). His 155 games is tied-10th all-time (with Alain Vigneault) while his 80 wins are two behind Toe Blake for 11th. Trotz won the Stanley Cup with Washington in 2018; Joel Quenneville (3) and Mike Sullivan (2) are the only active coaches with multiple Stanley Cups.
Most playoff wins by Islander coaches:
• Al Arbour 119
• Barry Trotz 25
• Jack Capuano 10
• Terry Simpson 9
• Peter Laviolette 4
• Ted Nolan 1
• Steve Stirling 1
Most playoff games coached (Islanders):
• Al Arbour 198
• Barry Trotz 42
• Jack Capuano 24
• Terry Simpson 20
• Peter Laviolette 12
• Steve Stirling 5
• Ted Nolan 5
Most overtime wins/overtime record:
• Al Arbour 26 (26-9)
• Barry Trotz 6 (6-6)
• Jack Capuano 4 (4-5)
• Terry Simpson 3 (3-0)
• Peter Laviolette 0 (0-1)
• Steve Stirling 0 (0-1)
Most game 7 wins/game seven record)
• Al Arbour 4 (2-2)
• Terry Simpson 2 (1-1)
• Barry Trotz 1 (1-0)
• Jack Capuano 0 (0-1)
• Peter Laviolette 0 (0-1)
Most playoff series wins:
• Al Arbour 29
• Barry Trotz 6
• Jack Capuano 1
• Terry Simpson 1
First Things First
The Isles are 3-1 when scoring first and are 5-3 when allowing the first goal in the playoffs.
The Shots
Isles 12-10-7=29
Boston 10-10-5=25
Shots by Game
• Game 1: Isles 22, Boston 40
• Game 2: Isles 39, Boston 42
• Game 3: Isles 29, Boston 41
• Game 4: Isles 34, Boston 29
• Game 5: Isles 19, Boston 44
• Game 6: Isles 29, Boston 25
• Series: Isles 172, Boston 221
• Vs: Pittsburgh: Isles 187, Pittsburgh 231
• Total Isles 330, Opponents 427
The Isles are 2-1 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-0 when the shots are even and 6-3 when they are outshot.
In the Nets
Semyon Varlamov made 23 saves to improve to 4-3 in the 2021 playoffs and 28-23 in his playoff career.

Tuukka Rask made 23 saves but falls to 6-4 in this year's playoffs and 57-46 in his career.

Power Plays
The Isles were 0-1 on the power play in 2:00 of PP time; Boston was 2-3 on the power play in 3:41 of PP time.
Power Plays by Game
• Game 1: Isles 1-3 (4:46, 4 shots), Boston 2-2 (2:01, 5 shots)
• Game 2: Isles 2-3 (5:08, 7 shots), Boston 1-2 (2:27, 1 shot)
• Game 3: Isles 0-3 (6:00, 5 shots), Boston 0-2 (4:00, 8 shots)
• Game 4: Isles 0-2 (4:00, 3 shots), Boston 1-3 (5:11, 5 shots)
• Game 5: Isles 3-4 (5:45, 4 shots), Boston 1-2 (2:24, 6 shots)
• Game 6: Isles 0-1 (2:00, 0 shots). Boston 2-3 (3:41, 3 shots)
• Series: Isles 6-16 (27:39, 23 shots), Boston 7-14 (19:44, 28 shots)
• Vs. Pittsburgh: Isles 3-16 (27:00, 15 shots), Pittsburgh 3-12 (18:54, 19 shots)
• Total: Isles 9-32 (54:39, 38 shots), Opponents 10-26 (38:38, 47 shots)
Three is a Magic Number
The Isles are 8-1 in the playoffs (5-1 in regulation and 3-0 in overtime) when they score at least three goals and 0-3 when they do not.
Shutting the Door
The Isles are 4-2 when allowing two or fewer goals in this year's playoffs.
One Goal Games
The Isles are 4-3 in the playoffs in one-goal games (1-2 in regulation and 3-1 in overtime). The Isles are 1-0 in playoff games where an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.
Ice-time Leaders
Isles: Ryan Pulock (23:21); Boston: Charlie McAvoy (25:21)
Anthony Beauvillier led Isles forwards with 19:39 of ice-time
Isles record by ice-time leader: Adam Pelech (2-0), Nick Leddy (2-2), Ryan Pulock (2-2), Scott Mayfield (2-0)
Face-offs
Isles 21, Boston 29 (42%)
Casey Cizikas won 7 of 11 for the Isles; Casey Cizikas won 7 of 8 for Boston.
Face-offs by Game
• Game 1: Isles 27, Boston 29 (48%)
• Game 2: Isles 31, Boston 30 (51%)
• Game 3: Isles 30, Boston 24 (56%)
• Game 4: Isles 30, Boston 30 (50%)
• Game 5: Isles 26, Boston 27 (49%)
• Game 6: Isles 21, Boston 29 (42%)
• Series: Isles 165, Boston 169 (49%)
• Vs. Pittsburgh: Isles 181, Pittsburgh 164 (52%)
• Total: Isles 346, Opponents 333 (51%)
Hit Count
Isles 28 (Three with 4)
Boston 33 (Charlie Coyle -5)
Hits Game by Game:
• Game 1: Isles 49, Boston 42
• Game 2: Isles 48, Boston 47
• Game 3: Isles 38, Boston 35
• Game 4: Isles 30, Boston 27
• Game 5: Isles 38, Boston 37
• Game 6: Isles 28, Boston 33
• Series: Isles 231, Boston 221
• Vs: Pittsburgh: Isles 273, Pittsburgh 224
• Total: Isles 504, Opponent 445
Blocked Shots
Isles 23 (Ryan Pulock and Adam Pelech -4)
Boston 21 (Mike Reilly -3)
For the Analytics Crowd
Corsi: All situations: Isles 54, Boston 65
Corsi: 5-on-5 Isles 50, Boston 51
5-on-5 leaders:
Isles: Anthony Beauvillier and Josh Bailey +7
Boston: Sean Kuraly and Jeremy Lauzon +10
High Danger Chances:
All situations: Isles 12, Boston 15
5-on-5: Isles 11, Boston 11
Corsi Game by Game:
• Game 1 (All) Isles 38, Boston 65; (5-on-5) Isles 30, Boston 58
• Game 2 (All) Isles 65. Boston 79; (5-on-5) Isles 53, Boston 68
• Game 3 (All) Isles 56. Boston 72; (5-on-5) Isles 45, Boston 69
• Game 4 (All) Isles 64. Boston 57; (5-on-5) Isles 56, Boston 45
• Game 5 (All) Isles 35, Boston 76; (5-on-5) Isles 30, Boston 64
• Game 6 (All) Isles 54, Boston 65; (5-on-5) Isles 50, Boston 51
• Series: (All) Isles 312, Boston 414; (5-on-5) Isles 264, Boston 355
• Vs. Pittsburgh: (All) Isles 303, Pittsburgh 411; (5-on-5) Isles 257, Pittsburgh 367
• Total(All) Isles 615, Opponents 825; (5-on-5) Isles 521, Opponents 722
High-Danger Game by Game:
• Game 1 (All) Isles 4, Boston 13; (5-on-5) Isles 2, Boston 12
• Game 2 (All) Isles 12, Boston 9; (5-on-5) Isles 7, Boston 7
• Game 3 (All) Isles 13. Boston 12; (5-on-5) Isles 9, Boston 9
• Game 4 (All) Isles 12. Boston 12; (5-on-5) Isles 11, Boston 9
• Game 5 (All) Isles 2, Boston 11; (5-on-5) Isles 2, Boston 6
• Game 6 (All) Isles 12, Boston 15; (5-on-5) Isles 11, Boston 11
• Series: (All) Isles 55, Boston 72; (5-on-5) Isles 42, Boston 54
• Vs. Pittsburgh:(All) Isles 66, Pittsburgh 72; (5-on-5) Isles 52, Pittsburgh 55
• Total (All) Isles 121, Opponents 144; (5-on-5) Isles 94, Boston 109
Scratches
(Anders Lee), (Oliver Wahlstrom), Cory Schneider, Sebastian Aho, Braydon Coburn, Kieffer Bellows, Ross Johnston, Michael Dal Colle
Playoff games lost: 20
Post-Season Late Heroes (Final Two Minutes of Regulation, or Overtime)
• Kyle Palmieri (16:30 of OT on 5/16 vs. Pittsburgh - Game 1)
• Josh Bailey (20:51 of OT on 5/24 vs. Pittsburgh - Game 5)
• Casey Cizikas (14:48 of OT on 5/31 vs. Boston - Game 2)

Post-Season Late Goals Allowed
• Brad Marchand (3:36 of OT on 6/3 vs. Boston - Game 3)
Playoff Challenges
• Isles: Lost a goalie interference challenge (6/5 vs Boston; Bruins did not score on subsequent PP)
• Opponents: None
Most Overtime Wins in a Series
• 3 vs. Washington (1993)
• 3 vs. Florida (2016)
• 2 vs. Toronto (1978)
• 2 vs. Rangers (1979)
• 2 vs. Boston (1980)
• 2 vs. Philadelphia (1980)
• 2 vs. New Jersey (1988)
• 2 vs. Pittsburgh (2021)
Overtime is Our Time
The Isles are 39-22 (.639) all-time in overtime, including 19-13 at home. The Isles are 3-1 in overtime this season; they have gone 10-9 in nineteen overtime games since 2015.
Overtime vs. Boston
The Isles are 3-2 all-time in playoff overtime games vs. Boston; all three games prior to this season were played in a six-day span in 1980. The road team has won all five games.
04/16/80 @ Clark Gillies W Bos 1:02
04/17/80 @ Bob Bourne W Bos 1:24
04/21/80 Vs Terry O'Reilly L Bos 17:13
05/31/21 @ Casey Cizikas W Bos 14:48
06/03/21 Vs Brad Marchand W Bos 3:34
Active Islander Playoff Leaders: (As NYI)Games:
Matt Martin 66
Josh Bailey 64
Casey Cizikas 62
Nick Leddy 60
Brock Nelson 60
Consecutive Games
Matt Martin 66
Nick Leddy 60
Brock Nelson 55
Goals:
Brock Nelson 22
Josh Bailey 15
Anthony Beauvillier 14
Jordan Eberle 12
J-G Pageau 11
Mathew Barzal 10
Cal Clutterbuck 9
Anders Lee 8
Kyle Palmieri 7
Assists:
Josh Bailey 33
Mathew Barzal 23
Jordan Eberle 19
Brock Nelson 17
Nick Leddy 17
Ryan Pulock 13
Anthony Beauvillier 13
J-G Pageau 13
Points:
Josh Bailey 48
Brock Nelson 39
Mathew Barzal 33
Jordan Eberle 31
Anthony Beauvillier 27
J-G Pageau 24
Nick Leddy 22
Ryan Pulock 19
Penalty Minutes:
Matt Martin 81
Cal Clutterbuck 64
Casey Cizikas 44
PP Goals
Anthony Beauvillier 4
Mathew Barzal 4
Jordan Eberle 4
Ryan Pulock 3
Josh Bailey 3
Anders Lee 3
Brock Nelson 2
Nick Leddy 1
Oliver Wahlstrom 1
Nick Leddy 1
Kyle Palmieri 1
SH Goals
Josh Bailey 1

GW Goals
Brock Nelson 7
Anthony Beauvillier 3
Jordan Eberle 3
Josh Bailey 3
Mathew Barzal 2
Ryan Pulock 2
Thomas Hickey 1
Leo Komarov 1
Andy Greene 1
Scott Mayfield 1
Kyle Palmieri 1
Casey Cizikas 1
OT Goals
Josh Bailey 2
Mathew Barzal 1
Thomas Hickey 1
Jordan Eberle 1
Kyle Palmieri 1
Casey Cizikas 1
Goaltending
Semyon Varlamov 15-10 2.27 GAA, .922 save percentage
Ilya Sorokin 4-1 2.32 GAA, .934 save percentage
(Varlamov's 15 wins place him third in club history, behind Billy Smith (88) and Chico Resch (17). Among goalies who have played at least ten post-season games, Varly has the best goals against average and the best save percentage in club history.)
UP NEXTSEMI-FINALS vs TAMPA BAY[NBCSN, WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN 98.7FM; Pre-Game and Post-Game coverage on MSG+]
The NHL has not yet released the schedule for the semi-finals, which will begin in Tampa Bay.
This will be the fourth time that the teams have met in post-season; the Lightning gave won the first three series (2004 in 5 games, 2016 in 5 games, 2020 in 6 games). Five of the games have gone to overtime, including the final two games in The Bubble, with the only Islander win coming on the Jordan Eberle goal in Game 5.
It is only the second time in the last 20 years that two teams have met in consecutive years in the final four- Chicago and Los Angeles did so in 2013 and 2014; they split those series and both teams went on to win the Stanley Cup.
This is the first time the Isles have advanced to the Semi-Finals/Conference Final in consecutive years since doing so in six straight years from 1979 to 1984.
AND FINALLY…
You are reading the 750th consecutive edition of The Skinny. The Isles made it a very, very happy edition!
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
.