Game 23

Isles 6, Montreal 3

Radek Martinek scored his first goal for the Islanders in nearly two years and it turned out to be the game-winning goal as Evgeni Nabokov made 29 saves and the Islanders ended Montreal’s 11-game point streak (8-0-3) with a 6-3 win over the Canadiens before 9,498 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The Islanders now have a three-game point streak (2-0-1) on home ice as they improve to 4-8-1 at the Coliseum.

The Scoring:

1st Period

05:21 MTL T. Plekanec (10) Snap - ASST: A. Galchenyuk (10) AND M. Ryder (10) 1 - 0 MTL

2nd Period

01:23 NYI PPG - M. Moulson (11) Snap - ASST: M. Streit (9) AND F. Nielsen (9) 1 - 1 TIE

12:10 NYI PPG - M. Martin (2) Snap - ASST: B. Boyes (12) AND J. Tavares (13) 2 - 1 NYI

12:58 NYI M. Grabner (9) Wrist - ASST: T. Hickey (1) AND C. McDonald (4) 3 - 1 NYI

16:49 MTL PPG - P. Subban (5) Slap - ASST: A. Markov (9) AND M. Ryder (11) 3 - 2 NYI

3rd Period

06:07 MTL PPG - B. Gionta (7) Deflected - ASST: P. Subban (8) AND M. Ryder (12) 3 - 3 TIE

07:56 NYI R. Martinek (1) Snap - ASST: K. Okposo (7) AND T. Hickey (2) 4 - 3 NYI

18:53 NYI J. Tavares (14) Wrist - ASST: B. Boyes (13) 5 - 3 NYI

19:43 NYI EN - C. McDonald (4) Snap - ASST: M. Martin (1) AND C. Cizikas (6) 6 - 3 NYI

The Skinny:

Matt Moulson’s goal came with John Tavares on the bench, ending a streak of 39 consecutive Moulson goals that Tavares was on ice … It was his seventh power play goal of the season; only Pittsburgh’s James Neal (8) has more … Mark Streit extended his assist streak to three games on that goal … Matt Martin’s goal was his first in 21 games, and his first career power play goal … Martin had seen only 2:05 of power play time this season prior to tonight … Thomas Hickey had his first two career assists, and first multi-point game … All three of his points have come against Montreal … Brian Gionta’s goal was the 20,000th in Canadiens history … They are the first NHL team to reach that mark … Martinek’s last goal for the Islanders came on March 31, 2011 against the Rangers; that was also the last time the Isles scored six goals in a game at home … Five of Martinek’s 23 career goals have been game winners…Tavares had a goal and an assist, stopping a three-game pointless streak … Martin matched a career high with two points; it’s the first time in his career he had a goal and an assist in the same game … It was Martin’s first assist since January 24, 2012 (55 games ago)… It was Montreal’s first regulation loss when leading after one period (8-1-1) ... Michael Ryder had three assists; he has two three assist-games in his 654-game career, and both have come in the last 10 days … Okposo’s assist on the winning goal was his 100th career assist; he is the 49th player in Isles history with at least 100 assists … Tavares now has 229 career points, tying Benoit Hogue and Trent Hunter for 28th place in Isles history … The Isles scored six goals against Montreal for the first time since March 20, 2003 … PK Subban had seven shots on goal for Montreal, matching a career high … The Isles improve to 5-1-0 when leading after two periods … Tavares how has an NHL-leading 91 shots on goal … He is tied for second in the league in goals with 14, behind only Steven Stamkos (17).

The Shots:

Isles 6-9-9=24

Canadiens 9-14-9=32

Home and Road

The Islanders are 10-11-2 overall, 4-8-1 at home and 6-3-1 on the road. The Isles have won consecutive games, both on Coliseum ice, for the first time since December 29-31, 2011.

The Canadiens are 14-5-4 overall, 8-3-2 at home and 6-2-2 on the road. This was their first regulation loss on the road since January 30 at Ottawa, ending a 5-0-2 streak.

In the Nets

Evgeni Nabokov made 29 saves as he improved to 10-7-2.

Carey Price made 18 saves for Montreal but falls to 11-4-3 on the season. Price has allowed 12 goals (plus an empty net) in his last two starts (0-1-1).

Power Plays

The Islanders were 2-for-5 while the Canadiens were also 2-for-5. The Isles had gone 0-for-16 in their previous five home games with the extra man; but they now have 9 PP goals in their last eight games at the Coliseum (with all nine goals coming in three games).

The Isles are 8-2-1 when they score at least one power play goal and 2-9-1 when they do not.

Offense from Defense

The Isles defense combined for a goal and three assists. It was the third time this season that the Isles defense has combined for four points. On the season, the Isles defense has 10 goals and 29 assists for 39 points.

Team Effort

The Isles had 14 players with a plus-rating, with Thomas Hickey leading the way at plus-22.

In (Almost) Every Game

The Isles have been tied or ahead in the third period in 18-of-23 games this season (10-6-2).

They Said It

Matt Martin: "It felt good. It was a hard-working play out there. Boyes picked the puck up and made a great feed to me.”

They Tweeted It

@CerowB: Matt Martin, definitely the first star of the game. Goal, assist, energy, physicality...he brought it all tonight.

The Coach

"Cizikas-Martin-McDonald line played really well....Matt Martin gave us good net presence (on PP)."

As Tavares Goes…

The Isles are 1-0-0 when Tavares has four points, 1-0-1 when he has three points, 4-2-0 when he has two points, 3-2-0 when he has one point, and 1-7-1 when Tavares is pointless.

What a Pair!

John Tavares and Matt Moulson each scored a goal. They have combined for 25 goals this season. Among teammates, only Pittsburgh’s James Neal and Chris Kunitz (26) have more.

Moulson has assisted on 10 Tavares goals this season after assisting on 12 of his 31 goals last season.

Head of the Class

John Tavares has 229 career points; he is 62 points ahead of Matt Duchene for most among 2009 draft picks. No other player in that draft is anywhere close. Tavares also has more goals and more assists than any other player in that draft.

Friends, Friends, Friends

Matt Moulson has 11 goals this season; John Tavares has earned an assist on seven of them. Tavares was not on for Moulson’s goal tonight, ending a streak of being on ice for 39 consecutive Moulson goals, earning assists on 25 of them, dating back to a Moulson goal on November 26, 2011 against New Jersey. Since November 2010, Tavares has been on ice for 69 of 71 Moulson goals, earning 47 assists.

114 NHL Goals

Moulson has 114 career goals (108 as an Islander). While 262 players were selected before the Penguins chose Moulson in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, only 17 have more goals. Moulson is one goal behind Nikolai Zherdev for 16th place.

Leading Ice Men

Mark Streit played 25:01 to lead the Isles. Andrei Markov led Montreal with 27:12. Markov earned an assist on Subban’s power play goal. All but one of his 14 points this season have come on the power play.

In the Circle

The Islanders won 32 draws; the Canadiens also won 32. Casey Cizikas won 6-of-10 for the Isles (making it 13 of 19 in the last two games); Lars Eller won 7-of-13 for Montreal.

Heavy Hitters

The Islanders out-hit Montreal 25-17; Colin McDonald and Matt Martin led the Isles with 6 hits each; Martin leads the NHL with 110. Casey Cizikas had three hits, giving that line a total of 15. There were no fights, leaving the Isles’ season total at 10.

Giving Up the Body

The Isles were credited with 18 blocked shots. Travis Hamonic led the team with six.

Back over .500

The Islanders go back over.500 all-time (1357-1356-434 in 3,147 games). The Isles were one game below .500 twice last season and four times this season. Prior to that, they had not been below .500 since they were 177-178-83 before a victory on January 16, 1978.

March to Victory

The Isles were 4-2-1 in January and 4-9-1 in February. The Isles are 2-0-0 in March.

Beating the Northeast

This was the final game of an eight game stretch in which the Islanders played seven Northeast opponents. The Isles went 4-2-1 against the Northeast in that stretch. If the season ended today, four of the five Northeast teams would make the playoffs. The Isles are 5-4-1 on the season against the Northeast, with one game remaining against each team in the division.

Tightening Up the Division

With the Isles winning, the Rangers beating Philadelphia, and New Jersey losing, three points now separate the second-place Devils and the fifth-place Islanders.

Lots of Home Cooking

This was the fifth game of a seven-game homestand, which matches the club record.

• October 7- October 28, 1972 (1-5-1 in the first seven games in club history)

• December 19, 2000- January 2, 2001 (2-5-0)

• November 21-December 4, 2001 (3-2-2)

• October 14- October 31, 2006 (4-1-2)

• February 15-March 1, 2007 (5-1-1)

• February 24-March 9, 2013 (2-2-1 with two games to play)

Ironmen

Matt Moulson, the Isles’ reigning ironman, has played in all 269 games since joining the team. Moulson’s streak is the longest for an Islander in the Post-Cup era. Billy Harris played in the first 576 games in Islander history, mark that still stands as the club record.

Three other Islanders (Frans Nielsen, John Tavares and Mark Streit) also played in every game last season. Tavares extended his streak to 182 consecutive games, while Nielsen and Streit have each played in 105.

Longest Consecutive Game Streaks, Islander History

1. Billy Harris 576

2. Bob Nystrom 301

3. Matt Moulson 269

4. Denis Potvin 262

Century Club

Mark Streit is the ninth Islander defenseman to play at least 100 consecutive games:

1. Denis Potvin 11/29/1975-1/17/1979 262

2. Bryan McCabe 10/7/95-2/4/98 220

3. Gerry Hart 3/1/75-11/22/77 198

4. Janne Niinimaa 3/13/2004-1/7/2006 136

5. Ken Morrow 3/1/1980-12/29/1981 134

6. Travis Hamonic 11/24/10 – 2/4/12 113

7. Jean Potvin 10/23/75-1/2/77 110

8. Mark Streit 10/8/11-CURRENT 105

9. Kenny Jonsson 12/26/96-2/4/98 104

Hamonic, McCabe and Morrow's streaks came at the start of their NHL careers. Both Niinimaa's streak and McCabe's streak encompassed their entire Islander careers.

Missing Men

Radek Martinek replaced Lubomir Visnovsky (personal reasons) in the lineup. Eric Boulton and Keith Aucoin were also scratched. Matt Carkner and Brian Strait are on Injured Reserve. Jesse Joensuu remains suspended after suffering an injury in Europe.

Scoring

The Isles have scored 44 goals in their 10 wins (4.40 per game) and 24 goals in their other 13 games (0-11-2; 1.85 per game). In their 11 regulation losses, the Isles have scored 16 goals (1.45 per game).

Career Wins, Active Goalies

1. Martin Brodeur 664

2. Roberto Luongo 344

3. Nikolai Khabibulin 330

4. Evgeni Nabokov 322

5. Miikka Kiprusoff 313

Career Wins

21. Sean Burke 324

22. Evgeni Nabokov 322

23. Miikka Kiprusoff 313

Career Shutouts, Active Goalies

1. Martin Brodeur 120

2. Roberto Luongo 62

3. Evgeni Nabokov 53

4. Tomas Vokoun 49

5. Nikolai Khabibulin 45

6. Miikka Kiprusoff 44

Career Shutouts

19 Bernie Parent 54

19 Ed Giacomin 54

21 Evgeni Nabokov 53

22 Rogie Vachon 51

22 Dave Kerr 51

22 Curtis Joseph 51

Career Goals as an Islander

21 Ray Ferraro 116

22 Matt Moulson 108

23 Benoit Hogue 105

23 Ed Westfall 105

25 Anders Kallur 101

26 Trent Hunter 99

27 John Tavares 98

28 Mikko Makela 95

28 David Volek 95

Career Assists as an Islander

28 Jason Blake 131

28 John Tavares 131

30 Trent Hunter 130

31 Mark Streit 127

32 Benoit Hogue 124

32 Mikko Makela 124

34 Ray Ferraro 122

35 Frans Nielsen 122

36 Garry Howatt 120

Career Games as an Islander (skaters)

26 Mariusz Czerkawski 470

27 Trent Hunter 459

28 Radek Martinek 456

29 Scott Lachance 450

39 Dave Scatchard 347

40 Alexei Yashin 346

41 Mark Parrish 345

42 Frans Nielsen 342

43 Marty McInnis 337

58 Gordon Lane 304

58 Josh Bailey 304

60 Arron Asham 300

60 Roman Hamrlik 300

62 Kyle Okposo 294

63 Gordon Dineen 287

64 Jeffrey Norton 282

65 Steve Thomas 275

66 Matt Moulson 269

67 John Tavares 266

68 Blake Comeau 261

68 Andre St. Laurent 261

68 Mark Streit 261

71 Brad Lauer 259

Career Points as an Islander

28 Benoit Hogue 229

28 Trent Hunter 229

28 John Tavares 229

31 Mikko Makela 219

38 Robert Goring 195

38 Matt Moulson 195

40 Jeff Norton 188

41 Lorne Henning 184

42 Frans Nielsen 178

43 Randy Wood 172

44 Claude Lapointe 171

44 Jean-Paul Parise 171

46 Shawn Bates 170

47 Kyle Okposo 169

47 Jude Drouin 169

49 Dave Scatchard 168

50 Miroslav Satan 166

51 Mark Streit 164

52 Oleg Kvasha 158

Season Series Stats

The Islanders lead the season series two games to none (and four points to one). The final meeting of the season will come on March 21st at Coliseum.

The Isles are 3-1-0 in their last four home games vs. Montreal and 4-2-0 in their last six home contests with the Canadiens. The Isles have beaten Montreal in three straight overall for the first time since 2002-03.

Happy Anniversary

Two years ago today (March 5, 2011): Andrew MacDonald scored twice as the Islanders defeated St. Louis 5-2 at the Coliseum. No Islander defenseman has scored two goals in a game since.

Also on this date: Mike Bossy’s 50th goal of the season (1984), Rick DiPietro’s 56-save game at MSG (2007) and a 5-2 Islander win at MSG in interim coach Lorne Henning’s return (2001).

All-time, the Isles are 9-8-2 on this date, including 5-1-1 in the last 7.

On The Farm

Bridgeport, 23-24-4-4 on the season, is eight points out of a playoff spot with 21 games to play. Bridgeport visits Manchester on Wednesday.

Up Next

THURSDAY, MARCH 7 NY RANGERS AT ISLANDERS (7:00PM)

[MSG+2 (pre-game show at 6:30), WRHU (88.7FM)]

The Islanders and Rangers meet for the third time this season, and the first time on Coliseum ice. The teams split a pair of games in New York in February, with the Islanders rallying for a shootout victory on Valentine’s Day in the teams’ last meeting.

The Isles are 3-1-0 against the Rangers in the last four at the Coliseum and 4-2-0 in their last six home games against their local rivals.

The Rangers will carry a three-game win streak to the Coliseum. If the game is close late, the Isles will have to be able to contain Rick Nash, who has scored all seven of his goals in the third period.

And Finally…

Congratulations to Islander legend and broadcaster Butch Goring on the birth of his granddaughter!

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.