Game 37
Pittsburgh 3, Isles 2
Former Islander Anthony Beauvillier scored an early goal, and the Penguins then added two power play tallies and survived a late Islander rally to earn a split of the weekend home-and-home series with a 3-2 victory over the Isles before a sellout crowd of 18,357 at PPG Paints Arena.
Marcus Hogberg made 38 saves in his first start as an Islander, including 19 in the second period, but received no support until Anders Lee and Bo Horvat scored sixth attacker goals to draw the Isles within a goal with 3:50 to play. However, the Isles could not become the second team this season to score three sixth-attacker goals in a game.
The Isles fall two games below .NHL-.500, heading into Tuesday's New Year's Eve afternoon contest in Toronto.
The Scoring:
1st Period
Anthony Beauvillier (9) Michael Bunting (10), Matt Grzelcyk (18) 03:54 NYI 0,PIT 1
2nd Period
Michael Bunting (11) Sidney Crosby (30), Philip Tomasino (3) 01:36 NYI 0,PIT 2 PPG
3rd Period
Evgeni Malkin (8) Philip Tomasino (4), Cody Glass (7) 06:57 NYI 0,PIT 3 PPG
Anders Lee (16) Alexander Romanov (6) 12:59 NYI 1,PIT 3
Bo Horvat (10) Ryan Pulock (11), Adam Pelech (5) 16:10 NYI 2,PIT 3
The Skinny
The Isles allowed the opening goal for the tenth time in twelve games… The Isles are even in the first two periods (62-62) but have been outscored 56-37 in the third period and overtime…The Isles have scored 72 goals and allowed 66 goals at 5-on-5 but have been outscored 52-27 in all other situations… The Isles have been tied or ahead at some point in the third period in 19 of the last 24 games… The Isles have outscored the opposition 36-30 in the second period this season; they were outscored 107-83 in the second period a season ago… Ilya Sorokin had started the prior twelve games, going 6-5-1; it was the longest starting streak of his career.… Anthony Duclair was held pointless for the first time in four games since his return… The Isles allowed a power play goal for the sixth straight game in which they were shorthanded; they are 0-16 on the power play in the last eight games…Anders Lee extended his team lead in goals (16) and points (30); he is seven points shy of last season's totals of 20-17-37…The Isles are 1-9-1 when trailing after two periods …Evgeni Malkin's third period power play goal was his 1,327 point, passing Gilbert Perreault for 35th place in NHL history …Pittsburgh went 2-2 on the power play; their 14 power play goals since November 30th is three more than the Isles have recorded this season…Nathan Clarman, 26, made his NHL debut for Pittsburgh…The Isles were blanked through 40 minutes for the eighth time this season (0-7-1, with the point coming in a 1-0 overtime loss in St. Louis)…The Isles allowed multiple power play goals for the sixth time this season, including three times where the opponent went 2-2 on the power play…The Isles matched their season total with two 6-on-5 goals…Pittsburgh improves to 398-90-48 when both Crosby and Malkin earn points.
First Time in a Long Time
It was the first time in 215 games that someone other than Ilya Sorokin or Semyon Varlamov started for the Isles; Cory Schnieder is the only other goalie to start for the Isles (1 game – April 3, 2022) since Sorokin joined the Isles for the shortened 2021 season.
About the New Guy
Jonas Hogberg made 38 saves in his first Isle start. He was selected 78th overall by Ottawa in 2013, one pick after Jake Guentzel (PIT) and two picks before the Rangers selected Anthony Duclair.
Weekend Warriors
The Islanders have won five straight Saturday games (four at home, and one in Toronto). The Isles are 7-9-3 in their last nineteen games (5-0-0 on Saturday; 2-9-3 on other nights). Six of their last seven wins have come on Saturday or Sunday.
Sid's Skinny
Sidney Crosby's assist was his 1,034th, breaking a tie with Mario Lemieux for the club record. He also moved into 4th place in NHL history for assists with one team (behind Ray Bourque-BOS, Wayne Gretzky-EDM, and Steve Yzerman-DET), and became the 9th player to record 900 points at home. Marcus Hogberg is the 201st goalie to allow a point (regular season/playoffs) to Crosby (6th all-time).
Milestone Men
• Anthony Duclair's next goal will be his 150th career goal.
• Mathew Barzal's next point will be his 450th career point.
• Casey Cizikas' next point will be his 250th career point.
• Ilya Sorokin's next win will be his 107th, passing Kelly Hrudey for 4th place in club history.
Top 5 Goal Scorers
Brock Nelson needs just three more goals to become the fifth-highest goal scorer in club history:
• 5. Pat LaFontaine and Brent Sutter 287
• 7. Brock Nelson 285
Third Periods
Goals: Isles 36, Opponents 50
Tying Goals: Isles 4, Opponents 10 (in 9 games)
Go Ahead Goals: Isles 6 (in 5 games), Opponents 8
Empty Net Goals: Isles 8, Opponents 11
The Isles have either been ahead or tied after two periods in 25 of their 36 games. In the eleven games that they have trailed through 40 minutes (1-10-1), they have been within one goal at some point in all but four of them (10/12 @ DAL, 12/5 vs SEA, 12/17 @ CAR, 12/23 vs BUF).
Did Somebody Say Comeback?
The Isles have six come-from behind wins this season, including one when they trailed in the third period. The opponents have come-from-behind to win eight times this season, including an NHL-high seven times in the third period.
Overtime
The Isles have played ten overtime games. They are 1-6 in games decided by an overtime goal, and they are 2-1 in shootouts. Ilya Sorokin is 1-4 in overtime and 1-0 in shootouts, while Semyon Varlamov is 0-2 in overtime and 1-1 in shootouts.
Sorokin has 34 OT/SO losses, extending his club record (Rick DiPietro had 28).
Empty Netters
The Isles have scored 8 empty-net goals and allowed 11.
Building on a Lead
The Islanders have had a two-goal lead 26 times this season:
• Score the next goal: 10 times
• Allowed the next goal: 13 times
• Game ended with 2-goal difference: 3 times
Last Year vs. This Year
• 2024-25 14-16-7 for 35 points in 37 games
• 2023-24 17-10-10 for 44 points in 37 games
Offense from Defense
• Today: 0-3-3
• Season: 11-52-63
• Last Season (Final) 33-137-170
Islander defensemen have earned 32.3% of the team's assists, which is 10th in the NHL.
Varly, Varly
Semyon Varlamov has 41 career shutouts and 289 career wins. Among active NHL goalies (and excluding Carey Price, who is technically still active), Varlamov is seventh in wins and fourth in shutouts.
All-time Goalie Wins
47. Mike Liut 293
48. Ed Giacomin 290
49. Semyon Varlamov 289
Oh Canada
The Isles are playing 17 games against Canadian-based teams this season; they are 5-0-3 so far (1-0-0 at home and 4-0-3 on the road). After opening with a home shootout win over Montreal, the Isles played four road games in November (2-0-2) and have four more road games in December (2-0-1 with one to play). Seven of the eight games scheduled for the New Year will be at home.
Going back to last season the Isles have earned points in eleven straight games against Canadian teams; the next two Canadian opponents will be a home-and home series with Toronto on December 31 and January 2nd.
Home and Road
The Isles are 14-16-7 overall; they are 7-8-2 at home and 7-8-5 on the road.
Pittsburgh is 17-16-5 overall; they are 11-7-2 at home and 6-9-3 on the road.
East and West
The Isles are 10-10-3 against the East (4-4-2 vs. Metropolitan and 6-6-1 vs. Atlantic) and 4-6-4 against the West (3-2-2 vs. Central and 1-4-2 vs. Pacific).
Sweet Lou
Lou Lamoriello has the second-highest win total for any general manager in NHL history:
1. David Poile 1,531
2. Lou Lamoriello 1,458
3. Glen Sather 1,319
Leaders of the Pack
Lou Lamoriello (1,458) and Patrick Roy (164) have combined for 1,622 career wins as general manager and coach. That is the highest in the NHL among active combinations by a wide margin.
First Things First
The Isles are 7-3-4 when scoring first and are 7-13-3 when allowing the opening goal.
The Shots
Isles 6-15-10=31
Pittsburgh 6-20-15=41
The Isles are 7-9-3 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-1-0 when the shots are even and 7-6-4 when the opposition has more shots.
In the Nets
Marcus Hedberg made 38 saves in his first start since April 28, 2021; he is 0-1-0 this season and 0-2-0 vs. Pittsburgh.
Alex Nedeljkovic made 29 saves; he is 6-5-3 this season and 4-1-2 vs the Isles.
Special Teams
The Isles were 0-2 (4:00) on the power play; Pittsburgh was 2-2 (2:59) on the power play.
The Isles are 8-1-1 when they score at least one power play goal and 6-15-6 when they do not. The Isles are 9-8-6 when they allow at least one power play goal and 5-8-1 when they do not.
Three is a Magic Number
The Isles are 14-3-4 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 0-13-3 when they do not.
One-Goal Games
The Isles are 6-4-7 in games decided by a single goal including 3-4 in regulation. They are 1-6 in games decided in overtime and are 2-1 in shootouts. The Isles are 3-5 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 3-1-1 on the front end and 2-3-0 on the back end this season. The next back-to-back will be January 24th-25th when they host division foes Philadelphia and Carolina.
Ice-time Leaders
Isles: Noah Dobson (22:55); Pittsburgh: Erik Karlsson (26:51)
Mathew Barzal led Isles forwards (20:31).
Face-offs
Isles 34, Pittsburgh 33 (51%)
Jean-Gabriel Pageau won 11 of 17 for the Isles; Blake Lizotte won 8 of 12 for Pittsburgh.
Hit Count
Isles 12 (Jean-Gabriel Pageau -3)
Pittsburgh 12 (Two with 3)
Fights
None. Season total: 3 (Mayfield, Wahlstrom, Martin)
Blocked Shots
Isles 15 (Ryan Pulock -4)
Pittsburgh 21 (Erik Karlsson -5)
For the Analytics Crowd
Corsi: All situations: Isles 66, Pittsburgh 71
Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 49, Pittsburgh 55
5-on-5 leaders:
Isles: Kyle Palmieri +11
Pittsburgh: Ryan Shea +16
High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)
All situations: Isles 14, Pittsburgh 17
5-on-5: Isles 12, Pittsburgh 11
Scratches
(Mike Reilly-IR), (Semyon Varlamov-LTIR), Matt Martin, Pierre Engvall, Dennis Cholowski
Games Lost to injury: 121. (Last season's total: 181)
The Ironmen
Brock Nelson is the Islanders' ironman, having played 203 consecutive games. Kyle Palmieri (153) has also played every game since the start of last season.
Most Overtime Goals, Season (Islanders)
1. John Tavares 4 (2014-15)
2. Bo Horvat 3 (2023-24)
Brock Nelson 3 (2019-20)
John Tavares 3 (2010-11)
Most Overtime Assists, Career (Islanders)
1. Mathew Barzal 16
2. John Tavares 12
Most Overtime Points, Career (Islanders)
1. John Tavares 23
2. Mathew Barzal 21
3. Brock Nelson 18
Barzal has a point on 21 of the 40 overtime goals that the Isles have scored since he became a regular in 2016-17.
National TV Games
The Isles are 0-2-0 in games that air on one of the NHL's US national broadcast partners, with eight games remaining. The next national game will stream on January 2nd on ESPN+/Hulu, as the Isles host the Leafs. The Isles have five national telecasts scheduled through the end of March, with the other five all scheduled in April.
Matinee Isles
The Isles are 0-3-1 in matinee games this season, with seven games remaining. The next matinee will be on December 31st in Toronto. The NHL considers games that start before 5:00 local time to be afternoon contests. Since the start of the 2019-20 season, the Isles are 13-16-11 in matinees.
Challenges
Isles: 1 successful, 2 failures (No offsides -PIT 11/5, No goalie interference – SEA 11/16, Goalie Interference 11/29)
Opponents: 4 successful, 2 failures (No Goalie Interference -UTA 10/10, Offside-VAN 11/14, Goalie Interference-STL 11/23, Offside -BUF 11/30, No Goalie Interference-CHI 12/15, Goalie Interference – PIT 12/28)
Quickies (Two goals in under a minute)
For (1): CHI 12/12
Vs (1): CHI 12/15
Quick Responses (One team scoring within a minute of other team)
Isles responses (2): BUF 11/1, CAR 12/7
Opponent responses (4): UTA 10/10 (2), SEA 11/16, CHI 12/15
Multi-Goal 3rd Period Comeback Wins
For (1): Vs. PIT 11/5 (Trailed 3-1, won 4-3 (SO))
Vs (2): Vs. NJ 11/9 (Led 3-1, Lost 4-3 (OT), Led 4-2, Lost 5-4 (SO))
Last Minute Heroes (Tying or go-ahead goals in the final three minutes of the third period):
For (2): Maxim Tsyplakov 10/10 vs. UTA (17:53, GAG but lost in OT); Anders Lee 11/12 @ EDM (17:20-GTG; EDM won in OT)
Vs (6): Josh Doan 10/10 vs. UTA (18:06- GTG; UTA won in OT); Cole Caufield 10/19 vs MTL (17:50-GTG; NYI won in SO); Jesper Bratt 10/25 at NJD (18:31-GTG; NYI won in OT); Stefan Noesen 11/9 vs NJ (19:10-GTG; NJD won in OT); Lucas Raymond 11/21 at DET (19:09-GAG); 12/15 Connor Bedard at CHI (19:06-GAG)
OT Winners
For (1): Bo Horvat 10/25 at NJD (1:09)
Vs (6): Dylan Guenther 10/10 vs. UTA (2:18); Jake Neighbours 10/17 @ STL (2:04); Jack Hughes 11/9 vs NJD (2:35); Leon Draisaitl 11/12 @ EDM (1:52); Jakub Chychrun 11/29 @ WAS (1:20); Nick Suzuki 12/3 @ MTL (2:39)
Shootout Winners
For (2): Noah Dobson 10/19 vs MTL, Bo Horvat 11/5 vs PIT
Vs (1): Andrei Kuzmenko 11/19 @ CGY
All-time Islander Leader Boards:
Games Played (skaters)
1. Bryan Trottier 1,123 * 2. Denis Potvin 1,060 * 3. Josh Bailey 1,057 *
4. Bob Nystrom 900 * 5. Brock Nelson 877 * 6. Clark Gillies 872 * 7. Casey Cizikas 852 * 8. Matt Martin 843 * 9. Bob Bourne 814 * 10. Anders Lee 796 …
28. Pat LaFontaine 530 * 29. Kyle Okposo 529 * 30. Ryan Pulock 523 \\\31. Nick Leddy 518 \\\ 32. Adam Pelech 517 * 33. Mathew Barzal 516 * 34. Dave Lewis 514 * 35. Rich Pilon and Mick Vukota 509 * 37. Scott Mayfield 505
Goals
1. Mike Bossy 573 * 2. Bryan Trottier 500 * 3. Denis Potvin 310 …
5. Pat LaFontaine and Brent Sutter 287 * 7. Brock Nelson 285 * 8. Anders Lee 276 …
20. Kyle Okposo 139 * 21. Mathew Barzal 131…
29. Ray Ferraro 116 * 30. Casey Cizikas 110
Assists
1. Bryan Trottier 853 * 2. Denis Potvin 742 * 3. Mike Bossy 553 …
8. Patrick Flatley 328 * 9. Brent Sutter 323 * 10. Mathew Barzal 318…
14. Pat LaFontaine 279 * 15. Bobby Nystrom 278 * 16. Brock Nelson 267…
19. Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo 230 * 21. Anders Lee 207…
28. Jean Potvin 167 * 29. Jeff Norton 166 * 30. Noah Dobson 165 * 30. Ziggy Palffy 163 * 32. David Volek and Ryan Pulock 154 * 34. Mariusz Czerkawski 150 * 35. Travis Green 145 * 36. Steve Thomas 140 * 37. Mark Streit and Casey Cizikas 139
Points
1. Bryan Trottier 1,353 * 2. Mike Bossy 1,126 * 3. Denis Potvin 1,052…
7. Josh Bailey 580 * 8. Pat LaFontaine 566 * 9. Brock Nelson 552 …
13. Derek King 499 * 14. Patrick Flatley 488 * 15. Anders Lee 483 * 16. Mathew Barzal 449…
28. Jason Blake and Steve Thomas 258 * 30. David Volek and Casey Cizikas 249
+/-
1. Bryan Trottier +467 * 2. Denis Potvin +456 * 3. Mike Bossy +380…
15. Bob Lorimer +105 * 16. Tomas Jonsson +76 \\\17. Garry Howatt +75 \\\ 18. Adam Pelech +71 * 19. Pat Price +70 * 20. JP Parise +67 * 21. Jude Drouin +58 * 22. Patrick Flatley +57 * 24. Ryan Pulock +56 * 24. Greg Gilbert +54 * 25. Gord Lane +48
Defense Goals
1. Denis Potvin 310 * 2. Tomas Jonsson 84 * 3. Kenny Jonsson 57…
4. Stefan Persson 52 * 5. Ryan Pulock 49 * 6. Jean Potvin 46 * 7. Nick Leddy and Noah Dobson 45…
14. Vladimir Malakhov 27 * 15. Adam Pelech, Scott Mayfield and four others 26
Defense Assists
1. Denis Potvin 742 * 2. Stefan Persson 317 * 3. Tomas Jonsson 249…
6. Jean Potvin 167 * 7. Jeff Norton 166 * 8. Noah Dobson 165 * 9. Ryan Pulock 154…
11. Travis Hamonic 120 * 12. Adam Pelech 119…
18. Vladimir Malakhov 98 * 19. Johnny Boychuk and Scott Mayfield 96
Defense Points
1. Denis Potvin 1,052 * 2. Stefan Persson 369 * 3. Tomas Jonsson 333…
6. Jean Potvin 213 * 7. Noah Dobson 210 * 8. Ryan Pulock 203…
11. Roman Hamrlik 153 * 12. Travis Hamonic 146 * 13. Adam Pelech 145 …
19. Vladimir Malakhov 125 * 20. Scott Mayfield 122
Goalie Games
1. Billy Smith 674 * 2. Rick DiPietro 318 * 3. Glenn Resch 282 …
4. Kelly Hrudey 241 * 5. Ilya Sorokin 218 * 6. Thomas Greiss 193 * 7. Tommy Salo 187 * 8. Jaroslav Halak 177 * 9. Glenn Healy 176 * 10. Semyon Varlamov 173
Wins
1. Billy Smith 304 * 2. Glenn Resch 157 * 3. Rick DiPietro 130 *
4. Kelly Hrudey and Ilya Sorokin 106 * 6. Thomas Greiss 101 * 7. Jaroslav Halak 88 * 8. Roland Melanson 77 * 9. Semyon Varlamov 76
Shutouts
1. Glenn Resch 25 * 2. Billy Smith 22 * 3. Ilya Sorokin 19 *
4. Rick DiPietro and Semyon Varlamov 16
On the Farm
Bridgeport wrapped up the 2024 portion of their schedule with a 7-19-2-2 record.
Brian Pinho leads the team with 15 goals and 24 points. Chris Terry's 19 assists pace the Baby Isles in that category.
Bridgeport is back in action on January 4th when they host Rochester. Six of their first seven games in January are at home.
Season Series Stats
The Isles lead the season series, 2 games to 1 (and 4 points to 3). The teams will complete the season series on March 18th in Pittsburgh.
The Isles are 8-3-0 in the last eleven meetings with the Penguins.
UP NEXT
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31st – ISLES AT TORONTO 1:00pm
[MSGSN (pre-game at 12:30), WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, Isles + UBS Arena App]
It is out with the old as the Islanders travel to Toronto to face the Maple Leafs to close out 2024. The Isles are 12-2-1 in their last fifteen games on New Year's Eve.
The Isles earned a 6-3 win in Toronto on December 21st, and they have won five straight games against Toronto for the first time since the mid-1980s; it is their longest active streak against any opponent.
The Isles are 9-6-0 against the Leafs in the fifteen games since John Tavares switched teams; Tavares has six goals and six assists in those games against the Isles.
This is the front-end of a multi-year home-and-home that concludes Thursday on Long Island.
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.
