Esoteric NHL Standings 12 / 22 / 2008

EASTERN CONFERENCE (37)
1. Boston - 52 [33] ------- vs. 8. Buffalo - 37 [34]
2. NY Ranjerks - 46 [36] -- vs. 7. Pittsburgh - 40 [33]
3. Washington - 43 [34] --- vs. 6. New Jersey - 41 [31]
4. Philadelphia - 43 [33] - vs. 5. Montreal - 42 [33]
OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Carolina - 37 [34] -0
10. Florida - 34 [32] -3
11. Toronto - 34 [33] -3
12. Ottawa - 29 [31] -8
13. Atlanta - 26 [33] -11
14. Tampa Bay - 23 [32] -14
15. NY Islanders - 23 [33] -14
WESTERN CONFERENCE (35)
1. San Jose - 55 [33] --- vs. 8. Nashville - 35 [32]
2. Detroit - 48 [32] ---- vs. 7. Phoenix - 36 [34]
3. Vancouver - 41 [34] -- vs. 6. Anaheim - 39 [34]
4. Chicago - 43 [31] ---- vs. 5. Calgary - 40 [33]
OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Minnesota - 34 [32] -1
10. Edmonton - 33 [32] -2
11. Colorado - 33 [33] -2
12. Columbus - 32 [33](14W) -3
13. Los Angeles - 32 [33](13W) -3
14. Dallas - 31 [32] -4
15. St. Louis - 29 [33] -6
493 games played - 125 into OT - 25.4%.
125 OT games - 69 end in shootout = 55.2% OR 14.0% of ALL games end
in shootout.
Yesterday - 28 goals scored in 4 games = 7.00 goals per game.
Total - 2,887 goals scored in 493 games = 5.86 gpg.
2,887 goals minus 69 SO goals = 2,818 = 5.72 gpg minus shootout.
There have been 57 shutouts = 1 per 8.65 games.
The eastern conference is 48-51-15 for 111 out of a possible 228
points against the western conference. That equates to 48.7%.
The Isles have scored 81 goals = 2.45 gpg.
The Isles have allowed 120 goals = 3.64 gpg.

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The Captain's Coliseum Report

Game Report

Capitals 5 Isles 4 ( OT )

Halfway decent crowd for a snowy night. Positive Bruce was there
with his son - and my son enjoyed sitting with them.

Brashear chickened out of a fight vs. Mitch Fritz. I remember
Brashear getting suspended for inferring that one of the Isles who
did not fight him a few years back ( Cairns?) was a nasty
term........and made a gesture which was quite vulgar.

As far as the game went - the Isles could have won this one. Nice
comeback effort. THe Caps have a pretty good team. they should have
won big.

Both goalies had goals they might want back. Especially Laich's goal

Getting to the important part

* State Farm Agent of the game - Victoria Van De Ven of Seaford -
named so at 7:28 PM.

* 50 / 50 raffle = $ 783.00

I got a lot in the third - when everyone thought they were done.

# of times - "Everybody clap your hands" = three

Song highlights - " Way-O" - "I like it like that" - "Dance Dance
Dance"

Song voted by the fans for the Isles to skate onto the ice in period
three - I forgot - but it was by Nickelback

I am not sure on the last sequence if Ovie had scored twice on the
same sequence - like Campoli did or not.

Anthem Singer - NONE - This was my 4th game in a row with out a
singer. Is this a cost cutting move - no one want to do it ?

End of report

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Esoteric NHL Standings

EASTERN CONFERENCE (33)
1. Boston - 46 [30] ------- vs. 8. Buffalo - 33 [30]
2. NY Ranjerks - 42 [33] -- vs. 7. New Jersey - 34 [27]
3. Washington - 39 [31] --- vs. 6. Pittsburgh - 36 [30]
4. Philadelphia - 38 [29] - vs. 5. Montreal - 37 [29]
OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Florida - 31 [30](14W) -2
10. Carolina - 31 [30](13W) -2
11. Toronto - 28 [29] -5
12. Ottawa - 27 [28] -6
13. Atlanta - 22 [29] -11
14. NY Islanders - 22 [30](10W) -11
15. Tampa Bay - 22 [30](7W) -11
WESTERN CONFERENCE (31)
1. San Jose - 50 [29] --- vs. 8. Minnesota - 31 [29]
2. Detroit - 44 [29] ---- vs. 7. Nashville - 33 [29]
3. Vancouver - 37 [31] -- vs. 6. Calgary - 35 [30]
4. Chicago - 37 [28] ---- vs. 5. Anaheim - 37 [31]
OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Phoenix - 31 [30] -0
10. Edmonton - 30 [28] -1
11. Los Angeles - 30 [29] -1
12. Colorado - 29 [29] -2
13. Columbus - 29 [30] -2
14. St. Louis - 27 [29] -4
15. Dallas - 26 [29] -5
443 games played - 108 into OT - 24.4%.
108 OT games - 63 end in shootout = 58.3% OR 14.2% of ALL games end
in shootout.
Yesterday - 18 goals scored in 3 games = 6.00 goals per game.
Total - 2,580 goals scored in 443 games = 5.82 gpg.
2,580 goals minus 63 SO goals = 2,517 = 5.68 gpg minus shootout.
There have been 52 shutouts = 1 per 8.52 games.
The eastern conference is 40-48-14 for 94 out of a possible 204
points against the western conference. That equates to 46.1%.
The Isles have scored 76 goals = 2.53 gpg.
The Isles have allowed 110 goals = 3.67 gpg.

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Esoteric Stuff

We gave up 9 goals last night and the Rangers gave up 8 tonight. HaHa!!!

The Rangers have fallen to 7th place in the Esoteric Standings

Another lose by the Rangers and a win by the Sabres, Canes, and the Kitty Cats and the Rangers fall to 10th place in the Esoteric points attainable standings.

The Islanders on the other hand are now tied with TB for last in the entire league. Only problem is we have more wins to their ties, thus TB gets the tiebreaker.

100 Years Ago Today

I know I bust on Shaman a lot but a big part of this year he spent dealing with saying goodbye to his Grandmother. I know what he was going through as I was really close with mine as well. There were a bunch of reasons from a family perspective why but one of the other big reasons was that she allowed myself and Pat the ability to nurture our Islander Fandom when we were kids. Every now and then you may catch a glimpse of those great times spent with my grandmother, times of Stanley Cups and Victory Iced Tea.

.

She past away 8 years ago in October and it still feels like yesterday. One of the things that she was most proud of was that she was a resident of East Meadow for her whole life. I also suppose that is why I am so supportive of the Lighthouse project in making our home a better place to live.

.

I bring this all up because if she were alive today, we would be celebrating her 100th birthday.

.

Happy Birthday Grandma and to all the grandmas out there that were always there with a 50 pound pocket book full of those pink mint candies that were always covered in fuzz that you only see at a discount drug store on the bottom shelf. It has been 8 years since I had one.

Esoteric - I've got issues with the Rangers

I have talked about this before and I will talk about it again. Can the Rangers stop laying waste to extra points where ever they go?

It is really screwing with my esoteric predictions.

The Rangers have now played in 31 games. They have played in 10 "extra-inning" games. That is 10 extra points they have given because they couldnt just win or simply lose. 10 games of 31 is about a third of all ranger games have been 3-point games.

Another way to look at it is that 31 rounds up to 32 games and of the 10 games that went to OT or SO, 8 of them had conference implications. Simply stated, a quarter of all Ranger games have strewn extra points across the conference.

I for one don't like it. Especially when the rangers have won 8 of those 10 decisions again showing how they have given away extra points.

Tonights game versus the Thrashers they helped our quest in the Tavares Sweepstakes by giving Atlanta that point before the Blueskirts went on to win.

I still don't like it though. Am I the only one that this bothers?

Esoteric Standings 12/09/2008

EASTERN CONFERENCE (29)
1. Boston - 42 [27] ------- vs. 8. Buffalo - 29 [27]
2. NY Ranjerks - 38 [30] -- vs. 7. New Jersey - 30 [24]
3. Washington - 33 [28] --- vs. 6. Philadelphia - 34 [27](14W)
4. Montreal - 37 [27] ----- vs. 5. Pittsburgh - 34 [27](15W)
.

OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Carolina - 29 [28] -0
10. Florida - 27 [27] -2
11. Toronto - 26 [28] -3
12. Ottawa - 25 [25] -4
13. NY Islanders - 22 [28] -7
14. Atlanta - 21 [26] -8
15. Tampa Bay - 20 [27] -9
.

WESTERN CONFERENCE (30)
1. San Jose - 46 [27] ----- vs. 8. Nashville - 30 [27]
2. Detroit - 40 [26] ------ vs. 7. Minnesota - 31 [26]
3. Vancouver - 35 [29] ---- vs. 6. Chicago - 31 [25]
4. Calgary - 33 [28](16W) - vs. 5. Anaheim - 33 [28](15W)
.

OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Colorado - 29 [28] -1
10. Edmonton - 28 [26] -2
11. St. Louis - 27 [26] -3
12. Phoenix - 26 [27](12W) -4
13. Los Angeles - 26 [27](11W) -4
14. Columbus - 25 [27] -5
15. Dallas - 24 [26] -6
.

405 games played - 101 into OT - 25.1%.
101 OT games - 58 end in shootout = 57.8% OR 14.4% of ALL games end
in shootout.
Yesterday - 23 goals scored in 4 games = 5.75 goals per game.
Total - 2,363 goals scored in 405 games = 5.84 gpg.
2,363 goals minus 58 SO goals = 2,305 = 5.67 gpg minus shootout.
There have been 46 shutouts = 1 per 8.71 games.
The eastern conference is 38-45-14 for 90 out of a possible 194 points
against the western conference. That equates to 46.4%.
The Isles have scored 73 goals = 2.61 gpg.
The Isles have allowed 98 goals = 3.50 gpg.

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Esoteric Situation

Tomorrows rags vs atlanta game is pretty big.

We need atlanta to beat the rags for sure.

So you know, with tonights loss we are now tied for last place in points attainable with TB. We have 22 points and have played 28 games. They have 20 points but have played 27 games. Thus we can achieve the same point total as of right now which is 130 points.

130 points is all we can score for the total of the rest of the season. Get it? One hundred thirty. If you need a conservative 94 points to make the playoffs. (I normally say 90 but with the rags giving away 3 points games like Christmas candy I say 94 will be a safe bet to make the playoffs this year). That means we can only give up 36 points or lose 18 more games.

To put this in perspective, we have played 28 games so far this season. In those 28 games we have won 10 games. That means we have lost 18 games.

If we extrapolate this out we will be mathematically eliminated during game #57 on Feb 18th at MSG. Blech!!!!!

For this reason I say we let all our injured players stay out and heal. There is no reason why Ricky should come back at all. I also think that keeping Bailey up was a mistake as well.

Take a Moment to Remember

Stolen from Forever1940's Stat trick

Visit Forever1940's blog at forever1940.blogspot.com


Ten days and one period ago, all the Isles had to do was hold off the Penguins in the third period to get back to NHL .500. Four losses in five games suggest that NHL .500 may be a long ways off. On to the trick:

1. The Thrashers have outscored the Isles 8-1 in the last 4 periods, and 5-0 in the third period this season.

2. Atlanta has beaten the Isles in regulation in consecutive games for the first time since winning the first two games between the franchises in 1999.

3. Bill Guerin' first minute pp goal was the 397th goal of his NHL career.

and a few more....

4. The Isles have won consecutive home games only once since February.

5. The penalties started early and ended late. The Isles earned a power play only 19 seconds into the game; there was a scrum that produced 42 minutes of penalties with 19 seconds to play.

6. Ilya Kovalchuk had a goal and two assists for Atlanta.

7. The Isles have allowed 24 goals in their last five games -- they haven't allowed more in a five-game stretch since December 2005.

8. Blake Comeau had three shots and three assists in his NHL season debut. He played Friday night for Bridgeport, where his game was reffed by Jamie Koharski. Jamie's dad, Don, was one of tonight's refs.

9. Josh Bailey led the Isles forwards in first period ice-time (7:16) but played only 9:20 the rest of the way.

10. Brendan Witt had eight hits and five blocked shots. Three of the blocks came on one shift, all on shots by Kovalchuk.

Up next: The Isles begin a 4-game trip in Toronto. The Isles won the series last year, 5 points to 4. They went 5-3-0 against the Leafs under Nolan; the Leafs are the only Eastern Conference team that the Isles have not played this season.

The Captain's Nassau Coliseum report.

Atlanta 5 NY Islanders 1 FINAL SCORE

Nassau Coliseum report.

Brought my son to the game - suffering his second loss of the year -
and is now 0-2 since his return from college in Chicago.

We texted our daughter for her analysis of the game and she wrote back

"A team that just lost 5 games in a row skated into our building and
just wanted it more than our team did."

The game -as anticipated - had a physical edge to it. Jackman and
Thorburn had a fight early on that was asked for by Thorburn and
accepted by Jackman - who held his own.

The better fight was towards the end - when Chris Campoli and Joe
Crabb dropped em. The Isles took a bunch of penalties which did not
help them get back in the game - Andy Sutton just took major whacks
at people with the express purpose of hurting them.

Just a game that was not in the cards for us - we had one disallowed
when Sim and some ATL guy knocked the net off the mooring and one
sequence when Comeau and I think Park hit the post and then ATL comes
back the other way and Perrin scored from Kovy.

Kovalchuk did not dominate in this game - but sure made some plays.
A game we could have won - but got both unlucky and became unglued
and took undisciplined penalties ( like Sim getting in trouble with
his big mouth)

The most fun I had was texting the scoreboard and making note of the
return of some songs to the roster ( "Let's Get Loud" by J-Lo
and "Unchained" by Van Halen.)

Positive Bruce studied Comeau. says "He has to play Right Wing" -
Comeau played good. Went to the net and had 3 shots on goal - two
were tough - he went to the net and played well.

Adam Okula of Albertson, NY = State Farm Agent of the game.

$ 1,367 was the amount of the take on the 50/50 raffle.

Also, before the game - we were accosted by an Isles photographer.
Picture of me, Kevin and his friend Nick is in group 7 - pic 12 of
the "Photo store" icon on the Isles web page. Its like DISNEY or
Universal on a ride - when they take your picture and then try to
sell it to you.

NY Rangers in 6th Place in the Islanders Esoteric

Normally I do the Points attainable standings in the column on the right but I didnt feel like dealing with it so I just cut & pasted from my spreadsheet. With the loss the other night I noticed that there were teams that scored 5 plus goals.

The Islanders were not one of them.

Nor, for that matter, were the Rangers.

Both the "lowly" Islanders and the "unstoppable" Rangers scored 2 goals apiece.

Fo me part of being am Islander fan is my unadulterated pure hatred of the NY Rangers. Having come to grips with our station in life as Islander Fans as being the whipping block of the league and the media, I have taken solace in the trust I have for the vision of this rebuilding process. Since the last major memorable playoff event happened almost a decade and a half ago I have grown to also take solace in the futility of the NY Rangers.

It is something that I really don't understand but we have both really have done nothing spectacular for years and years. The difference is that the Islanders & their fans have done it by being dragged over the hot burning coals of Milbury, Spano, Muller, and Malonet (ETC.). The Rangers have done it by outspending everyone, losing nearly as much and still being the darlings of the league.

Blech!

For this is why I posted the above chart. Yes the Rangers are doing very well sitting atop the division and the conference. However, looks are decieving. My chart takes into consideration "Games Left". This makes my hockey world a little brighter.

The Rangers are in reality tied for 6th and are 4 ponts from ** NOT ** making the playoffs.

Esoteric Standings

EASTERN CONFERENCE (26)
1. Boston - 38 [25] ------- vs. 8. Carolina - 26 [26]
2. NY Ranjerks - 38 [29] -- vs. 7. New Jersey - 28 [23]
3. Washington - 31 [26] --- vs. 6. Philadelphia - 30 [25]
4. Pittsburgh - 34 [25] --- vs. 5. Montreal - 34 [25]
OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Florida - 25 [25] -1
10. Buffalo - 25 [25] -1
11. Toronto - 24 [26] -2
12. Ottawa - 22 [23] -4
13. NY Islanders - 22 [25] -4
14. Tampa Bay - 20 [25] -6
15. Atlanta - 19 [25] -7
WESTERN CONFERENCE (28)
1. San Jose - 45 [26] --- vs. 8. Nashville - 28 [25]
2. Detroit - 38 [25] ---- vs. 7. Chicago - 28 [23]
3. Minnesota - 31 [24] -- vs. 6. Calgary - 29 [25]
4. Anaheim - 31 [27] ---- vs. 5. Vancouver - 30 [26]
OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Phoenix - 26 [25] -2
10. Columbus - 25 [25] -3
11. Edmonton - 24 [24] -4
12. Colorado - 24 [25] -4
13. Los Angeles - 23 [23] -5
14. St. Louis - 22 [23] -6
15. Dallas - 22 [25] -6
375 games played - 92 into OT - 24.5%.
92 OT games - 54 end in shootout = 58.7% OR 14.4% of ALL games end
in shootout.
Yesterday - 64 goals scored in 10 games = 6.40 goals per game.
Total - 2,193 goals scored in 375 games = 5.85 gpg.
2,193 goals minus 54 SO goals = 2,139 = 5.70 gpg minus shootout.
There have been 42 shutouts = 1 per 8.93 games.
The eastern conference is 37-44-14 for 88 out of a possible 190 points
against the western conference. That equates to 46.3%.
The Isles have scored 67 goals = 2.68 gpg.
The Isles have allowed 85 goals = 3.40 gpg.

Esoteric NHL Standings for 12/01/2008

EASTERN CONFERENCE (26)
1. Boston - 36 [24] ---------- vs. 8. Carolina - 26 [25]
2. NY Ranjerks - 36 [27] --- vs. 7. New Jersey - 26 [22]
3. Washington - 29 [24] --- vs. 6. Philadelphia - 27 [23]
4. Pittsburgh - 31 [23] ----- vs. 5. Montreal - 30 [23]

OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Buffalo - 25 [24] -1
10. Toronto - 24 [24] -2
11. NY Islanders - 22 [24] -4
12. Florida - 21 [23] -5
13. Ottawa - 20 [22] -6
14. Atlanta - 19 [23](8W) -7
15. Tampa Bay - 19 [23](6W) -7

WESTERN CONFERENCE (26)
1. San Jose - 41 [24] ----- vs. 8. Nashville - 26 [24]
2. Detroit - 36 [24] ------- vs. 7. Chicago - 26 [22]
3. Vancouver - 30 [25] --- vs. 6. Calgary - 29 [24]
4. Anaheim - 31 [26] ----- vs. 5. Minnesota - 29 [23]

OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Columbus - 25 [24] -1
10. Colorado - 24 [24] -2
11. Los Angeles - 23 [22] -3
12. St. Louis - 22 [22] -4
13. Phoenix - 22 [23] -4
14. Edmonton - 22 [23] -4
15. Dallas - 20 [23] -6

354 games played - 89 into OT - 25.1%.
89 OT games - 53 end in shootout = 59.6.0% OR 15.0% of ALL games end in
shootout.
Yesterday - 25 goals scored in 5 games = 5.00 goals per game.
Total - 2,060 goals scored in 354 games = 5.82 gpg.
2,060 goals minus 53 SO goals = 2,007 = 5.67 gpg minus shootout.
There have been 41 shutouts = 1 per 8.63 games.
The eastern conference is 37-42-14 for 88 out of a possible 186 points
against the western conference. That equates to 47.3%.
The Isles have scored 65 goals = 2.71 gpg.
The Isles have allowed 80 goals = 3.33 gpg.

Esoteric NHL Standings for 11/30/2008

How this is read: The Islanders are in 11th place. They have 22 Points. [Played in 24 Games]. And they are a minus 4 points out of the final playoff spot.

EASTERN CONFERENCE (26)
1. Boston - 36 [24] ---------- vs. 8. Carolina - 26 [25]
2. NY Ranjerks - 36 [27] --- vs. 7. New Jersey - 26 [22]
3. Washington - 29 [24] --- vs. 6. Philadelphia - 27 [23]
4. Pittsburgh - 31 [23] ----- vs. 5. Montreal - 30 [23]

OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Buffalo - 25 [23] -1
10. Toronto - 22 [23] -4
11. NY Islanders - 22 [24] -4
12. Florida - 21 [23] -5
13. Ottawa - 20 [22] -6
14. Atlanta - 19 [23](8W) -7
15. Tampa Bay - 19 [23](6W) -7

WESTERN CONFERENCE (24)
1. San Jose - 41 [24] ----- vs. 8. Nashville - 24 [23]
2. Detroit - 34 [23] ------- vs. 7. Chicago - 26 [22]
3. Vancouver - 30 [24] --- vs. 6. Calgary - 29 [24]
4. Anaheim - 31 [25] ----- vs. 5. Minnesota - 29 [22]

OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Los Angeles - 23 [22] -1
10. Columbus - 23 [23] -1
11. St. Louis - 22 [22] -2
12. Colorado - 22 [23](11W) -2
13.Phoenix - 22 [23](10W) -2
14. Edmonton - 22 [23](10W) -2
15. Dallas - 20 [23] -4

349 games played - 89 into OT - 25.5%.
89 OT games - 53 end in shootout = 59.6.0% OR 15.2% of ALL games end in
shootout.
Yesterday - 22 goals scored in 4 games = 5.50 goals per game.
Total - 2,035 goals scored in 349 games = 5.83 gpg.
2,035 goals minus 53 SO goals = 1,982 = 5.68 gpg minus shootout.
There have been 40 shutouts = 1 per 8.73 games.
The eastern conference is 36-41-14 for 86 out of a possible 182 points
against the western conference. That equates to 47.3%.
The Isles have scored 65 goals = 2.71 gpg.
The Isles have allowed 80 goals = 3.33 gpg.

Esoteric NHL Attendance Breakdown

There has been talk about the NHL attendance and how it will relate to the upcoming seasons. We have been breaking down attendance numbers here at the esoteric for some time.

When working with numbers and stats, trends just seem to jump out at you. For example, when I do the "On Pace For" stats it appears that a good point number this year will be in the 55 point range. With the attendance, the number of 2,000 empty seats stood out. One of the issues is that no two arenas are the same. What we believe is that by setting a quantifiable seat amount as opposed to a percentage shows the overall state of a given hockey market. If a community wanted 20,000 seats as opposed to 13,000 then that is their problem they never get sell outs. Lastly, it is after all just a gauge of how well things are going.

*****************************************************************
THE ATTENDANCE ESOTERIC
*****************************************************************

Last night, there were 2 out of 4 games played with more than 2,000 empty
seats, or 50.0%.
Out of 349 games played, there have been 96 played with MORE than 2,000
empty seats, or 27.5% of all games played.
There have been 26 east vs. west games out of 91 played on this list, for a
28.6%.
There have been 23 divisional games played on this list, or 6.6%.
There have been 31 games played at less than 75% capacity, or 8.9%.
Out of 96 games, the Islanders appear 8 times on this list, or 8.3% and 2.3%
out of 349 games.
** = new statistic.

Team leaders at more than 2,000 HOME empty seat games (91):
11- Atlanta, Carolina.
10 - Tampa Bay, Phoenix.
9 - Columbus.
8 - New Jersey, Nashville, NY Islanders.
7 - Los Angeles, Florida.
6 -
5 - Colorado.
4 -
3 -
2 - Boston.
1 -

Team leaders at less than 75% capacity games (31):
5 - Atlanta.
4 - Tampa Bay, NY Islanders, Columbus, Carolina, Florida.
3 - New Jersey.
2 - Nashville.
1 - Los Angeles.

Team leaders at more than 2,000 TOTAL (home and away) empty seat games
(182):
16 - Carolina.
15 -
14 - Atlanta,
13 - Columbus, Tampa Bay, Florida, Phoenix.
12 - Nashville.
11 - New Jersey, NY Islanders.
10 -
9 -
8 - Los Angeles.
7 - Colorado.
6 - Minnesota, San Jose, Edmonton.
5 - Dallas, Ottawa.
4 - Philadelphia, Calgary.
3 - Anaheim, Vancouver, Toronto, Buffalo, St. Louis.
2 - Montreal, Washington, Boston, Chicago, Pittsburgh, NY Ranjerks.
1 -
0 - Detroit.

smallest crowd:
15. 10/23 - I-Dallas @ NY Islanders - 16,234 - 10,183 = 6,051 = 62.7%.
lowest % of attendance:
41. 11/2 - D-Florida @ Atlanta - 18,545 - 10,584 = 7,961 = 57.1%.

Here are all the games played with MORE than 2,000 empty seats.
96. 11/30 - I-Anaheim @ Carolina - 18,639 - 14,191 = 4,448 = 76.1%.
95. 11/30 - I-St. Louis @ Atlanta - 18,545 - 14,078 = 4,467 = 75.9%.
94. 11/29 - D-San Jose @ Phoenix - 17,799 - 14,007 = 3,792 = 78.7%.
93. 11/29 - Minnesota @ Nashville - 17,113 - 13,990 = 3,123 = 81.8%.
92. 11/29 - Ottawa @ NY Islanders - 16,24 - 13,108 = 3,126 = 80.7%.
91. 11/28 - Colorado @ Phoenix - 17,799 - 14,031 = 3,768 = 78.8%.
90. 11/28 - I-Nashville @ Atlanta - 18,545 - 15,022 = 3,523 = 81.0%.
89. 11/26 - St. Louis Blues @ Colorado - 18,007 - 14,568 = 3,439 = 80.9%.
88. 11/26 - NY Ranjerks @ Tampa Bay - 19,758 - 16,991 = 2,767 = 86.0%.
87. 11/26 - New jersey @ Florida - 19,250 - 14,932 = 4,318 = 77.6%.
86. 11/26 - Philadelphia @ Carolina - 18,639 - 15,057 = 3,582 = 80.8%.
85. 11/26 - Phoenix @ Columbus - 18,144 - 14,569 = 3,575 = 80.3%.
84. 11/25 - D-St. Louis @ Nashville - 17,113 - 13,825 = 3,288 = 80.8%.
83. 11/24 - D-Carolina @ Florida - 19,250 - 11,117 = 8,133 = 57.8%.
82. 11/23 - New Jersey @ Tampa Bay - 19,758 - 14,222 = 5,536 = 72.0%.
81. 11/23 - I-Nashville @ Carolina - 18,639 - 13,042 = 5,597 = 70.0%.
80. 11/22 - I-Columbus @ Atlanta - 18,545 - 15,561 = 2,984 = 83.9%.
79. 11/21 - I-Nashville @ Tampa Bay - 19,758 - 16,444 = 3,314 = 83.2%.
78. 11/21 - I-Phoenix @ Carolina - 18,639 - 14,848 = 3,791 = 79.7%.
77. 11/20 - D-Calgary @ Colorado - 18,007 - 14,536 = 3,471 = 80.7%.
76. 11/20 - Pittsburgh @ Atlanta - 18,545 - 13,391 = 5,154 = 72.2%.
75. 11/20 - Florida @ New Jersey - 17,625 - 14,291 = 3,334 = 81.1%.
74. 11/18 - Chicago @ Phoenix - 17,799 - 14,682 = 3,117 = 82.5%.
73. 11/18 - D-Florida @ Tampa Bay - 19,758 - 16,176 = 3,582 = 81.9%.
72. 11/18 - Montreal @ Carolina - 18,639 - 12,164 = 6,475 = 65.3%.
71. 11/18 - Edmonton @ Columbus - 18,144 - 12,689 = 5,455 = 70.0%.
70. 11/17 - I-Vancouver @ NY Islanders - 16,234 - 11,299 = 4,935 = 69.6%.
69. 11/17 - San Jose @ Nashville - 17,113 - 13,312 = 3,801 = 77.8%.
68. 11/16 - D-Tampa Bay @ Carolina - 18,639 - 13,781 = 4,858 = 73.9%.
67. 11/15 - Nashville @ Los Angeles - 18,118 - 14,135 = 3,983 = 78.0%.
66. 11/15 - D-Dallas @ Phoenix - 17,799 - 15,508 = 2,291 = 87.1%.
65. 11/15 - Ottawa @ NY Islanders - 16,234 - 13,722 = 2,512 = 84.5%.
64. 11/14 - D-Carolina @ Atlanta - 18,545 - 16,128 = 2,417 = 87.0%.
63. 11/12 - D-Washington @ Carolina - 18,639 - 14,261 = 4,378 = 76.5%.
62. 11/12 - Phoenix @ Columbus - 18,144 - 11,350 = 6,794 = 62.6%.
61. 11/12 - D-Tampa Bay @ Florida - 19,250 - 12,104 = 7,146 = 62.9%.
60. 11/11 - D-Dallas @ Los Angeles - 18,118 - 13,823 = 4,295 = 76.3%.
59. 11/11 - D-Philadelphia @ NY Islanders - 16,234 - 13,447 = 2,787 = 82.8%.
58. 11/09 - D-Atlanta @ Carolina - 18,639 - 12,398 = 6,241 = 66.5%.
57. 11/09 - D-San Jose @ Phoenix - 17,799 - 15,056 = 2,743 = 83.7%.
56. 11/09 - I-Edmonton @ New Jersey - 17,625 - 14,193 = 3,432 = 80.5%.
55. 11/08 - Calgary @ Columbus - 18,144 - 14,088 = 4,056 = 77.7%.
54. 11/08 - I-Florida @ Phoenix - 17,799 - 14,807 = 3,192 = 83.2%.
53. 11/07 - Ottawa @ Carolina - 18,639 - 15,206 = 3,433 = 81.6%.
52. 11/07 - I-Montreal @ Columbus - 18,144 - 14,603 = 3,541 = 80.5%.
51. 11/06 - I-Florida @ Los Angeles - 18,118 - 11,267 = 6,851 = 69.9%.
50. 11/06 - D-Minnesota @ Colorado - 18,007 - 14,562 = 3,445 = 80.9%.
49. 11/06 - D-Toronto @ Boston - 17,565 - 15,391 = 2,174 = 87.6%.
48. 11/06 - NY Islanders @ Atlanta - 18,545 - 14,122 = 4,423 = 76.2%.
47. 11/05 - Edmonton @ Columbus - 18,144 - 11,228 = 6,916 = 61.9%.
46. 11/05 - Tampa Bay @ New Jersey - 17,625 - 11,619 = 6,006 = 65.9%.
45. 11/04 - D-Anaheim @ Los Angeles - 18,118 - 14,327 = 3,791 = 79.1%.
44. 11/3 - Buffalo @ New Jersey - 17,625 - 10,567 = 7,058 = 60.0%.
43. 11/3 - I-Columbus @ NY Islanders - 16,234 - 10,184 = 6,050 = 62.7%.
42. 11/2 - San Jose @ Colorado - 18,007 - 15,452 = 2,555 = 85.8%.
41. 11/2 - Toronto @ Carolina - 18,639 - 15,635 = 3,004 = 83.9%.
40. 11/2 - D-Florida @ Atlanta - 18,545 - 10,584 = 7,961 = 57.1%.
39. 11/1 - Ottawa @ Tampa Bay - 19,758 - 16,104 = 3,654 = 81.5%.
38. 11/1 - I-Florida @ Nashville - 17,113 - 14,909 = 2,204 = 87.1%.
37. 11/1 - Minnesota @ Phoenix - 17,799 - 14,817 = 2,982 = 83.3%.
36. 11/1 - Atlanta @ New Jersey - 17,625 - 14,958 = 2,667 = 84.9%.
35. 11/1 - D-Chicago @ Columbus - 18,144 - 14,680 = 3,464 = 80.9%.
34. 11/1 - I-Dallas @ Boston - 17,565 - 14,576 = 2,989 = 83.0%.
33. 11/1 - I-Edmonton @ Carolina - 18,639 - 15,016 = 3,623 = 80.6%.
32. 10/30 - Vancouver @ Los Angeles - 18,118 - 13,652 = 4,466 = 75.4%.
31. 10/30 - I-Pittsburgh @ Phoenix - 17,799 - 15,178 = 2,621 = 85.3%.
30. 10/30 - Ottawa @ Florida - 19,250 - 13,567 = 5,683 = 70.5%.
29. 10/30 - Edmonton @ Nashville - 17,113 - 11,294 = 5,819 = 66.0%.
28. 10/29 - Toronto @ New Jersey - 17,625 - 14,119 = 3,506 = 80.1%.
27. 10/28 - Philadelphia @ Atlanta - 18,545 - 13,207 = 5,338 = 71.2%.
26. 10/27 - Anaheim @ Columbus - 18,144 - 10,494 = 7,650 = 57.8%.
25. 10/26 - Calgary @ Phoenix - 17,799 - 15,038 = 2,761 = 84.5%.
24. 10/26 - Los Angeles @ Nashville - 17,113 - 14,704 = 2,409 = 85.9%.
23. 10/26 - I-San Jose @ Tampa Bay - 19,758 - 16,831 = 2,927 = 85.2%.
22. 10/26 - Carolina @ NY Islanders - 16,234 - 11,219 = 5,015 = 69.1%.
21. 10/24 - I-San Jose @ Florida - 19,250 - 15,232 = 4,018 = 79.1%.
20. 10/24 - D-Philadelphia @ New Jersey - 17,625 - 15,529 = 2,096 = 88.1%.
19. 10/24 - I-NY Ranjerks @ Columbus - 18,144 - 14,724 = 3,420 = 81.2%.
18. 10/23 - I-Washington @ Phoenix - 17,799 - 14,722 = 3,077 = 82.7%.
17. 10/23 - D-Edmonton @ Colorado - 18,007 - 14,898 = 3,109 = 82.7%.
16. 10/23 - Calgary @ Nashville - 17,113 - 12,042 = 5,071 = 70.4%.
15. 10/23 - I-Dallas @ NY Islanders - 16,234 - 10,183 = 6,051 = 62.7%.
14. 10/22 - I-Dallas @ New Jersey - 17,625 - 12,101 = 5,524 = 68.7%.
13. 10/21 - D-Atlanta @ Tampa Bay - 19,758 - 13,922 = 5,836 = 70.5%.
12. 10/21 - Vancouver @ Columbus - 18,144 - 12,057 = 6,087 = 66.5%.
11. 10/20 - Colorado @ Los Angeles - 18,118 - 13,891 = 4,227 = 76.7%.
10. 10/18 - D-Columbus @ Nashville - 17,113 - 13,259 = 3,854 = 77.5%.
9. 10/18 - I-Minnesota @ Tampa Bay - 19,758 - 15,191 = 4,567 = 76.9%.
8. 10/18 - Buffalo @ Atlanta - 18,545 - 14,091 = 4,454 = 76.0%.
7. 10/18 - NY Islanders @ Florida - 19,250 - 16,087 = 3,163 = 83.6%.
6. 10/17 - I-Carolina @ Los Angeles - 18,118 - 14,194 = 3,924 = 78.3%.
5. 10/16 - NY Islanders @ Tampa Bay - 19,758 - 14,420 = 5,338 = 73.0%.
4. 10/16 - I-Minnesota @ Florida - 19,250 - 12,106 = 7,144 = 62.9%.
3. 10/16 - New Jersey @ Atlanta - 18,545 - 11,293 = 7,252 = 60.9%.
2. 10/14 - I-Minnesota @ Atlanta - 18,545 - 11,843 = 6,702 = 63.9%.
1. 10/13 - Buffalo @ NY Islanders - 16,234 - 13,523 = 2,711 = 83.3%.

Arena Capacities:
Anaheim - 17,174, Atlanta - 18,545, Boston - 17,565, Buffalo - 18,690,
Calgary - 19,289, Carolina - 18,639, Chicago - 20,500, Colorado - 18,007,
Columbus - 18,144, Dallas - 18,532, Detroit - 20,066, Edmonton - 16,839,
Florida - 19,250, Los Angeles - 18,118, Minnesota - 18,064, Montreal -
21,273, Nashville - 17,113, New Jersey - 17,625, NY Islanders - 16,234, NY
Rangers - 18,200, Ottawa - 19,153, Philadelphia - 19,536, Phoenix - 17,799,
Pittsburgh - 16,940, San Jose -17,496, St. Louis - 19,022, Tampa Bay -
19,758, Toronto - 18,819, Vancouver - 18,630, Washington - 18,277.

NY Islanders Esoteric #2,820 or #24-08

****** Esoteric Notes ******


I think I put together a really great esoteric tonight. We'll take a look at a bunch of different stats.


Have to thank Adam over at Growing Up Islanders Blog for "taunting" me to look at the Isles versus Rangers Numbers. Check out Adam's blog at www.mvn.com/growingupwiththeisles.

Multiple Point Games

We had 4 players have a multi-point game tonight. For only the second time this season we had a player score 3 points. For only the third time this season we have had someone score 2 goals in a game. No Hat Tricks yet this year for the New York Islanders.

To put this all in perspective let me spell it out for you.

4 players with multi-point games equates to 1% of all the opportunities this season. 7.6% is defined as the 33 players to have multi-point games out of all the 432 possible opportunities for it to have happened so far this year. You come up with 432 possibilities by taking 18 spots per game multiplied by 24 games played. In other words, 92.4% of the time players have had a single point game or less so far this season.

Here is the break down:

3G - 0A - 3Pts
None

2G - 1A - 3Pts
Meyer

1G - 2A - 3 Pts
Streit

2G - 0A - 2 Pts
Hunter
Streit

1G - 1 A - 2 Pts
Hilbert x 4
Hunter x 3
Nielsen x 2
Guerin
Sim
Weight
Park
Meyer
Streit
Comrie

0G - 2 A - 2 Pts
Weight x 3
Sutton x 2
Hunter x 2
Streit x 2
Bailey
Comrie
Gervais
Nielsen


****** ESOTERIC LOG ******

Luongo Versus MacDonald - New York Islander Stats
------------------GP -- Min. Played -- GA -- GAA -- Win -- Loss
LUONGO ------- 24 ----- 1,292 ------ 70 --- 3.25 ---- 7 ---- 14
MACDONALD -- 23 -----1,364 ------ 66 --- 2.90 --- 10 ----10

GF versus GA per game; New York Islanders versus the Rangers.

This will be broken down by removing all shootout goals.

The NY Islanders are up on the Rangers in the GF per game category 2.63 Goals scored per game to the Rangers 2.54 Goals per game. Where the Rangers do real better is the 1 less goal per game against. Isles give up 3.30 goals per game and the Rangers give up 2.30 goals per game.


*** Pace ***
Guerin is on pace to go 31-24-55
Streit is on pace to go 17-41-58
Hunter is on pace to go 34-31-65
Hilbert is on pace to go 17-24-41
Weight is on pace to go 17-58-75
Meyer is on pace to go 25-26-41
Sutton is on pace to go 0-32-32

*** The Esoteric ***

HILBERT had a 2-point night tonight. He has played in 175 games and is now in the top 100 all-time in games played, tied with Ken Baumgartner. His Goal is his 21st which ties him at #84 with Bill Berg. His Assist is his 35th and ties him with Bill MacMillian at #104. He is now firmly in the top 100 all-time for points with 56 Points. He is tied at #97th with Mathieu Schneider and Billy Carroll.

MEYER is the second person with a 3 point game this season and the third to score 2 goals. Tonight was his 97th Game and ties him with the younger Tambellini at #145th overall. His 2 goals gives him a total of 6 with the Islanders and jumps him from #193rd overall to tied for #163rd. His 14th Assist ties him with 11 others including SUTTON for the #158th spot. His 3 point night gives him 20 total points for #161st tied with Terry Crisp, Dave Fortier, Garry Galley, Robert Nillson, and Reed Larson.

HUNTER also had a 2 point night in his 350th game with the team. He is 31 games behind Randy Wood to take over the #38th spot. His 83 Goals ranks him #33rd a mere goal behind Tomas Jonsson. Trent now has 102 Assists for the #44th spot only 3 assists behind Jude Drouin. He is in sole possession of the #38th ranking on the all-times points list with 185 Points. He breaks a tie with Lorne Henning (543 GP) and 3 Points behind Jeff Norton (282 GP).

SIM had a single point game. This being his 26th game with the team ties him at #270th with Troy Loney, eric Manlow, and Neal Coulter. His 3rd Assists for #267th ties him with a bunch of others. His 8th point ties him for #232nd, again with a bunch of others. His game misconduct tonight got him 10 PIMs and a total of 30 PIMs as an Islander, tying him at #212th with Butch Goring and 4 others. He is the 217th player with at least 30 PIMs.

SUTTON is another that had a 2 point game tonight. His 74th game ties him at #183rd all time with Mathieu Biron, Rob DiMaio, and Aris Brimanis. His 2 Assist night ties him with Meyer and 11 others at #158th with 11 Assists. The 2 Assists also means 2 Points for a total of 15 points on Long Island. This ties him at #186th with Ryan Smyth, Kirk Muller, Blake Comeau, Doug Rombough, and Michel Bergeron. His 2 PIMs tonight gives him a total of 110 Pims for #78th tied with Sean Hill.

CAMPOLI only had a single point game. Chris has now played in 196 games for the #89th spot. he is 3 games behind Ralph Stewart and 4 games behind Billy Carroll. His Assist is his 55th. He is in sole Possession of #73rd and breaks the tie with Rich Pilon (509 GP) and is 3 Assists behind Aaron Asham (300 GP). His 72 Points gets him to the #78th spot, 2 points behind Martinek and 3 points behind Tim Connolly (103 GP).

Stolen From Forever1940 Blog

Please visit forever1940.blogspot.com

Perhaps the Isles could get Great Adventure to sponsor them. This season is looking like a terrific roller coaster ride... high, high highs, and low, low lows. Just like you'll find in today's tricks:

Isles v Boston.

1. The Isles allowed 7 goals for the first time since Columbus Day as they suffered their most one-side loss to the Bruins in 17 years. THe Bruins scored five times in the third period.

2. Peter Mannino made his NHL debut, mopping up for Joey Mac Donald. His NHL numbers after allowing 3 goals in 13:02. GAA of 13.85, save percentage of .625 He was returned to the Sound Tigers after the game and lost to Worcester on Saturday, allowing a goal to Claude Lemieux. It was Lemieux' first AHL goal since the 1985-86 season. (Mannino turned two during that season.)

3. Team effort: Seven Bruins had two points.

4. The Isles scored a pp goal for the fourth straight game, but scoring only once on the pp ended a streak of three straight 2-pp goal games.

Isles vs. Ottawa

1. Never say never. The Isles beat the Senators for a third straight time, and for a third time in a season, for the first time ever.

2. The Isles are 4-0-0 on the back-end of two in two days (also beating St. Louis, the Rangers and Buffalo) this season. They've won the back-end of 6 straight, going back to last season. (The Isles won their first six back-ends in 2006-07).

3. Trent Hunter's empty-netter gives him 10 goals on the season to lead the team. He scored only 12 last season and didn't score his 10th until March 4th. Hunter has 3 goals in the last 4 games, and finishes November with 6 goals. Hilbert and Hunter each had a goal and an assist.

4. Frederic Meyer IV recorded the first two-goal and first three-point game of his career. Isles defenders combined for 2 goals and 4 assists.

5. Heatley, Spezza, Alfredsson combined for 5 points on Ottawa's two goals.

6. According to the official stats, the Isles were credited with 24 blocked shots. They began the night with the most in the NHL. The Sens were credited with 38 hits, but only 4 in the final period -- the question is, "Did the Sens stop hitting? or did the off-ice officials just stop counting"?

7. Farewell to my font coordinator, Steve Daily, who's leaving MSG+ to join MLB-TV.

8. The Isles finished November 8-6-1, despite losing 7 points (0-3-1) on games that they led going to the third period. The Isles have put together 8 wins in consecutive November (8-5-1 last season); matching their most wins in November since 1987-88. The Isles have strung together winning records in 4 consecutive November for the first time since 5 straight winning Novembers from 1983 to 1987.

9, Josh Bailey went +1 in 17:41 of ice time. It was his tenth game, triggering the first year of his entry contract.

10. Up next: the Isles visit Washington on Wednesday. After losing their first match-up last season, the Isles beat the Caps three straight times, including once in overtime and once in a shootout. After going winless in 15 games in DC, the Isles are 5-1-1 in their last 7 trips to the nation's capital.

NY Islanders Esoteric - abbreviated

Esoteric Notes

Please know that I strive hard to get the numbers as accurate as possible. If you see any errors please point them out to me. I use a variety of sources and some of them are wrong. Never use the Media Guide to settle a bet, you might lose. Sometimes I may have formula errors built in my spreadsheets.

I am looking for some positive numbers or positive trends out there but I just asked my Magic Eight Ball and it says, “Outlook not so good.” I hate doing the esoteric after a loss and today’s was a beauty. I really want to be positive about this season but as you will see it doesn’t look good for us. I keep saying to my self, “We are investing in our future.” It still is miserable to have to go through it especially when the Rangers are playing so well. Arggghhh!

Esoteric Log

The Islanders have 20 points in 23 Games so far this season. This leaves us with 138 points available. This means that we have only have about 45 points left to lose before we are no longer in playoff contention. That is about 23 games to lose. We have 59 games left. That means we would have to win 36 games and finish the season with 45 wins and 35 losses. Can we go 36 and 23 to end the season?

3 more loses until franchise loss number 1,200.

107 Pims until franchise penalty minute number 48,000.

MacDonald surpasses Luongo for #22 with 1,305 minutes played. Roberto has 1,292 minutes with the Islanders. Speaking of Luongo, did you know he had 14 losses with the Islanders having played in 24 games? Joey has 10 losses in 22 games. Which means he can reach Roberto’s loss total but will need at least 2 more games to do it.

Peter Mannino becomes the 431st player to strap on skates for the Islanders. He becomes the 36th Goalie to man the net. He does now rank #35th in all-time minutes played since Goran Hogosta only played 9 minutes, 4 fewer than Peter has played.

Becasue this team doesn't deserve an real Esoteric after the last two games, I bring the Esoteric Category Leaders aka Trent Hunter:

Games Played

Trent Hunter has played in 349 games for the #39th spot on the all-time GP list. He only has to play in 32 more games to reach Randy Wood at #38th all-time.

Goals

Trent Hunter has 82 Goals and is leader amongst active players. He is at #32, only a pair of goals behind Tomas Jonsson, who did it in 532 games.

Assists

Hunter again is the leader amongst active players with 101 Assists for #44th all-time. Only 4 Assists behind Jude Drouin.

Points

Trent’s 183 Points gets him the #39th rating a mere point behind Lorne Henning.

Penalty

Martinek has 205 Pims.

Witt has 204 Pims.

They are #68th & #69th as well as, 4 & 5 Pims, respectively, behind Todd Bertuzzi.

PPG

Hunter has 32 for #19th. 2 PPGs behind Travis Green who did it in 388 Games.

SHG

Park has 7 for a tie at #16th with Marty McInnis (337 GP), Ralph Stewart (199 GP) and Brad Lauer (259 GP).

GWG

Hunter’s 10 ties him at #29th with Shawn Bates, Randy Wood, and Mikko Makela.

PACE
Guerin 32-25-57
Streit 18-43-61
Hunter 32-29-61
Weight 18-60-78

Seth's New York Islanders Esoteric NHL Standings as of 11/28/2008!

EASTERN CONFERENCE (26)
1. NY Ranjerks - 36 [26] --- vs. 8. Carolina - 26 [24]
2. Boston - 34 [23] -------- vs. 7. New Jersey - 26 [21]
3. Washington - 29 [23] --- vs. 6. Philadelphia - 27 [22]
4. Pittsburgh - 29 [22] ---- vs. 5. Montreal - 28 [22]

OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Buffalo - 25 [22] -1
10. Ottawa - 20 [21] -6
11. Toronto - 20 [22] -6
12. NY Islanders - 20 [23] -6
13. Florida - 19 [22](8W) -7
14. Atlanta - 19 [22](8W) -7
15. Tampa Bay - 19 [22](6W) -7

WESTERN CONFERENCE (24)
1. San Jose - 39 [23] ----- vs. 8. Nashville - 24 [22]
2. Detroit - 34 [22] ------- vs. 7. Chicago - 26 [21]
3. Vancouver - 30 [23] --- vs. 6. Calgary - 27 [23]
4. Anaheim - 29 [24] ----- vs. 5. Minnesota - 27 [21]

OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Phoenix - 22 [22] -2
10. Los Angeles - 21 [21] -3
11. Columbus - 21 [22] -3
12. St. Louis - 20 [20] -4
13. Edmonton - 20 [21] -4
14. Colorado - 20 [22] -4
15. Dallas - 18 [22] -6

333 games played - 89 into OT - 26.7%.
89 OT games - 53 end in shootout = 59.6.0% OR 15.9% of ALL games end in shootout.
Yesterday - 64 goals scored in 11 games = 5.82 goals per game.
Total - 1,946 goals scored in 333 games = 5.84 gpg.
1,946 goals minus 53 SO goals = 1,893 = 5.69 gpg minus shootout.
There have been 38 shutouts = 1 per 8.76 games.
The eastern conference is 35-37-14 for 84 out of a possible 172 points
against the western conference. That equates to 48.8%.
The New York Islanders have scored 61 goals = 2.65 gpg.
The New York Islanders have allowed 78 goals = 3.39 gpg.

The Esoteric Rule of Three, Flip-flopping & the Dow Jones

CURRENT EVENTS - Politics and the Dow Jones!!!

Over the past few years the term "flip-flopper" has entered the venacular of American Society.

It is exactly how I feel I am being after every game now. For one game these guys look like they could go all the way and the next game they look like they could go all the way to Tavares. Today, I flip-flopped back from yesterday, I am rooting for the cellar regardless of what the standings say.

Why do I say this?

Josh Bailey.

This kid is fun to watch. I would rather send him back down for a few more months of development & bring him back up when we get Tavares. This will ensure time for the other youngsters in our system are ready to play. I am very excited about our future.

We need to stay the course to use this year as a true "rebuilding" year. Rebuilding as a hockey team should be rebuilt and not "in the image" of Milbury, rebuilding us every year for a decade. Call me selfish but I don't want to get my hopes dashed later in the year when we go on the annual 10-game losing streak but only end up at the 5th or 6th pick overall.

In the esoteric, you will find the many different statistics. Many of these are presented in a way that many people have never seen before and a way you won't find on the sports page of your local newspaper.

One of the Esoteric Stats is the NY Islanders Esoteric NHL Standings. This is your normal standings laid out as if the playoffs started tomorrow, pitting the two teams who would end up going head-to-head in the 1st-round.

Part of the NHL Standings Esoteric are numbers that break down the game from a more macro standpoint. With all the numbers that you get to deal with on a day-to-day basis, trends start to stand out. Some more than others and some you have to look for them. On of the stat's trend that stuck out was the Goals For (GF) and Goals Agasinst (GA) numbers.

Before I talk about the GF/GA per game (PG) average let me talk about this NHL phenomenom I like to call, "The Rule of Three." The rule states that in about 80% of games if you score 3 goals or more you are likely to win or in the era of the tie, not to lose. I came up with this idea years ago because the Islanders would generally only score a goal or two and lose many, many games. Go ahead and watch. You will see. Yes, the "law" doesn't always hold true but it is a good rule of thumb and will make you go, "Hmmmmmm?"

This rule of thumb idea got me seeing the GF/GA PG average in a way similar to the Dow Jones Average chart that we have been seeing everday since the financial collapse.

The Line Chart.

I knew the GF & GA numbers were improving but I wanted to see it in a visual representation. Thus I made the New York Islanders Esoteric GF/GA PG Average Chart you have been seeing on IslandersEsoteric.com.

As I analyze the numbers and trends indicated on the chart, do you know what stands out?

"The Rule of Three."

We are averaging 2.68 Goals per game and giving up 3.23 goals per game. I can't make this up, the numbers stand for themselves. If we get our GF average above 3.00 and the opponent below 3.00 GA, we would be doing a heck of a lot better.

Another trend the chart shows is that our team improved about the 10-game mark. Since about this time, the GA average has steadily been decreasing and we have been holding steady to our GF average.

On the chart, we appear to be scoring barely enough goals to win if we were able to keep the other team from scoring "TOO" many goals against us. There is the thought process of, "yes, of course, if you score more than your opponent, you win." However, the esoteric is showing where the threshold of that thought is held and where we need to draw the line in the sand. In this way it doesn't seem to be such a daunting mission.

If you don't believe me just look at last nights collapse.

Lastly, as much of a flip-flopper that I am, I still want to do well. In order to do that we have to do something unlike the Ghostbusters, who never wanted to "cross the streams". I hope that someday we can cross our streams and make our GF Average Line cross over and be above our GA Average line.

CROSS THE STREAMS!!!!

Stolen from Forever1940 - Stat Trick Pens 5, Isles 3

Please visit Forever1940's blog at forever1940.blogspot.com

For the better part of two periods, the Islanders beat the stuffing out of the Pens, but in the end it was the Islanders who were the turkeys. On to the trick:

1. Josh Bailey had his first 2-assist game. At one point he had credit on the third goal as well, but this was later changed.

2. Bill Guerin scored for the third straight game; he's 4 goals shy of 400. Guerin however was -4 and also did a bad penalty in the third period when he came to the defense of Doug Weight.

3. Weight did not play in the final 7 1/2 minutes. He did score on the power-play earlier in the game -- it was career goal # 270 (and point 991). Robert Gordon Orr also scored 270 NHL goals. Weight now has a seven-game point streak -- his longest since a 10-game streak in 2003-04.

4. Malkin and Crosby did it the Islanders again. Malkin recorded his third career hat trick and added an assist while Crosby had a goal and three assists. It was Malkin's third career hat trick

5. John Curry replaced Dany Sabourin in goal after Guerin's goal gave the Isles a 3-0 lead. He stopped all 11 shots and earned a win in his NHL debut.

6. The Isles have now lost 3 games in regulation that they led after two periods (6-3-1). They lost only two games in regulation that they led after 40 minutes in the past two seasons combined. No other team has lost more than 2.

7. The Isles scored two pp goals for the third straight game (6-14, 42.9%). They have 10 pp goals in the last 7 games after connecting for only 9 pp goals in the first 15 games. It's the first time since Jan/Feb 2006 that the Isles have connected for at least two pp goals in three straight games.

8. The Isles won 42 of 74 faceoffs, including 35 of the final 54. Jeremy Colliton won 13 of 18, while Bailey won 7 of 10.

9. The Isles fall to 4-7-1 at home, equaling their worst 12-game home start since 1999-2000.

10. Up next: a Friday MATINEE in Boston (faceoff at noon). It's the 8th straight season that the Isles have played on the day after Thanksgiving, and their second straight in Boston. They've gone 2-5-0 and have been outscored 21-11, including last year's 2-1 loss in Beantown.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!

Esoteric...

...Sorry there is no esoteric tonight.

Why should I?

Yeah Josh got 2 Assists.

Yeah Weight is hot too.

But two players does not make a team.

I guess what goes around comes around and tonight its name is Sutton.

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!!!

GFPG / GAPG Average

Seth's NY Islander's Esoteric NHL Standing - 11/25/2008

EASTERN CONFERENCE (24)
1. Boston - 32 [21] ---------- vs. 8. Carolina - 24 [22]
2. NY Ranjerks - 32 [24] --- vs. 7. Philadelphia - 24 [20](10W)
3. Washington - 25 [21] --- vs. 6. New Jersey - 24 [20](11W)
4. Pittsburgh - 27 [20] ----- vs. 5. Montreal - 26 [20]

OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Buffalo - 21 [20] -3
10. NY Islanders - 20 [21] -4
11. Toronto - 19 [21] -5
12. Atlanta - 18 [20](8W) -6
13. Ottawa - 18 [20](7W) -6
14. Tampa Bay - 18 [20](6W) -6
15. Florida - 17 [20] -7

WESTERN CONFERENCE (22)
1. San Jose - 35 [21] ----- vs. 8. Nashville - 22 [21]
2. Detroit - 32 [20] -------- vs. 7. Calgary - 25 [22]
3. Vancouver - 30 [22] --- vs. 6. Chicago - 25 [19](10W)
4. Anaheim - 27 [23] ------ vs. 5. Minnesota - 25 [19](12W)

OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Columbus - 21 [20] -1
10. St. Louis - 20 [19] -2
11. Edmonton - 20 [20] -2
12. Los Angeles - 19 [20] -3
13. Colorado - 18 [20](9W) -4
14. Phoenix - 18 [20](8W) -4
15. Dallas - 16 [20] -6

308 games played - 82 into OT - 26.7%.
82 OT games - 50 end in shootout = 60.8% OR 16.3% of ALL games end in
shootout.
Yesterday - 18 goals scored in 3 games = 6.00 goals per game.
Total - 1,809 goals scored in 308 games = 5.88 gpg.
1,809 goals minus 50 SO goals = 1,759 = 5.71 gpg minus shootout.
There have been 36 shutouts = 1 per 8.77 games.
The eastern conference is 34-36-13 for 81 out of a possible 166 points
against the western conference. That equates to 48.8%.
The Isles have scored 56 goals = 2.67 gpg.
The Isles have allowed 66 goals = 3.14 gpg.

Tavares Sweepstakes

We are 5 points from last place in the league, with 11 teams fighting for that last place spot.

We are 5 points from 6th place in the division, with 4 teams fighting for 3 playoff spots.

Which do you prefer? 30th or 6th?

NY Islanders Prospect Donovan signs LOI with Denver

George Gwozdecky announced his recruiting class of 2012-13 today.

DENVER – Two-time national coach of the year George Gwozdecky has announced that Matt Donovan (Edmond, Okla) has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend the University of Denver and play hockey for the Pioneers.

“We are pleased to announce another outstanding recruiting class,” Gwozdecky said. “(This) young man is a talented hockey player and a quality young man, who will fit nicely into the Pioneer hockey family next fall.”

Donovan is a standout defenseman for the Cedar Rapids Roughriders of the United States Hockey League. The 6-0, 190-pound blueliner has netted seven points on one goal and six assists, and a +6 plus/minus rating in 12 games for Cedar Rapids this season. Donovan earned all-tournament honors for Team USA en route to gold medal honors at the 2008 World Junior A Challenge in Camrose, Alberta, on Nov. 2-9. Donovan totaled 12-18—30 and a team-leading +19 plus/minus rating last season for the Roughriders. Donovan was selected in the fourth round (96th overall) by the New York Islanders in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. He is the son of Larry and Kathryn Donovan.

(edited for brevity)

Seth's Esoteric NHL Standings 11/24/08

EASTERN CONFERENCE (24)
1. Boston - 32 [21] ---------- vs. 8. Carolina - 24 [22]
2. NY Ranjerks - 32 [24] --- vs. 7. Philadelphia - 24 [20](10W)
3. Washington - 25 [21] --- vs. 6. New Jersey - 24 [20](11W)
4. Pittsburgh - 27 [20] ----- vs. 5. Montreal - 26 [20]

OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Buffalo - 21 [20] -3
10. NY Islanders - 20 [21] -4
11. Toronto - 19 [20] -5
12. Ottawa - 18 [20](7W) -6
13. Tampa Bay - 18 [20](6W) -6
14. Florida - 17 [20] -7
15. Atlanta - 16 [19] -8

WESTERN CONFERENCE (21)
1. San Jose - 35 [21] ----- vs. 8. Nashville - 21 [20](10W)
2. Detroit - 32 [20] -------- vs. 7. Calgary - 23 [21]
3. Vancouver - 30 [22] --- vs. 6. Chicago - 25 [19](10W)
4. Anaheim - 27 [23] ------ vs. 5. Minnesota - 25 [19](12W)

OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Columbus - 21 [20](9W) -0
10. Edmonton - 20 [20] -1
11. Los Angeles - 19 [19] -2
12. St. Louis - 18 [18] -3
13. Colorado - 18 [20](9W) -3
14. Phoenix - 18 [20](8W) -3
15. Dallas - 16 [20] -5

305 games played - 81 into OT - 26.6%.
81 OT games - 49 end in shootout = 60.5% OR 16.1% of ALL games end in
shootout.
Yesterday - 41 goals scored in 7 games = 5.86 goals per game.
Total - 1,791 goals scored in 305 games = 5.87 gpg.
1,791 goals minus 49 SO goals = 1,742 = 5.71 gpg minus shootout.
There have been 34 shutouts = 1 per 8.97 games.
The eastern conference is 34-36-13 for 81 out of a possible 166 points
against the western conference. That equates to 48.8%.
The Isles have scored 56 goals = 2.67 gpg.
The Isles have allowed 66 goals = 3.14 gpg.

NY Islanders Esoteric #2417 or #21-08

*** SCORE **
New York Islanders 4
Habs 3

Wayne Merrick, Gord Deinnen and Lorne Henning are all part of tonight's Esoteric.

As are Ozzie, Berard, Hubie, Bill Berg, Brian, Spender, Craig Cameron, Tom Fitzgerald, Viktor Kozlov, Trevor Linden, Scatch, Blake, Denis Grebeshkov, Ron Stewart, Ken Sutton, Tank, Jorgen Jonsson, Roger Kortko, Marc Bergevin, Erne Hicke, Olli Jokinen, Volek and Parry.

*** ESOTERIC LOG ***

Congrats to Trent hunter for breaking into the top 40 all-time in Games Played and the top 20 in all-time Power Play Goals.

*** ESOTERIC NOTE ***

[1.] I was talking to Forever 1940 about who gets the Game Winning Goal last night and he said, "Nobody. Park gets credit for the game deciding goal, which counts only in shootout stats. Isles have 9 wins, yet only 7 game winning goals. Such is life in the NHL."

[2.] I am so confused. I am being pulled back in to root for our boys to do well because they are fighting so hard. I know statistically speaking our annual 10-game losing streak is right around the corner in December/January. If that happens we are right in the middle of the Tavares sweepstakes again.

On the other hand though, if you look at the Esoteric Standings and the Points Attainable Standings you will see that if the Isles stay the course and the Rangers go on a multi-game losing streak we are in the mix of things actually fighting for the top spot in the Division. The NY Rangers seem to be doing so well because they have 3 games in hand.

What is most positive in the Tavares/Playoff argument is that for the bottom spot in the league we are 4-points out but there are 10 teams that seprate us from last place. When vying for a playoff spot, we are 3 points out of 7th and 8th place. Three teams are fighting us for those two spots.

3 Points out of 7th place? Today, I say we fight for the playoffs!!!!

*** ESOTERIC PACE CLOCK - The Quest for 55 Points ***

Guerin is on pace to go 31-27-58
Streit is on pace to go 20-35-55
Hunter is on pace to go 31-27-58
Weight is on pace to go 16-66-82

*** Esoteric Streaks ***

Guerin is 2-1 in last 2 Games Played
Hunter is 1-1 in last 2 Games Played
Weight is 2-9 in last 11 Games Played
Weight has 3 two-point games in last 8 games
Bailey is 0-3 in his first 7 Games Played
Bailey is 0-2 in his last 2 Games Played
Tambellini is 0-0 in his last 6 Games Played

*** Goalie Esoteric ***

Joey MacDonald is the 24th player to play in 20 Games or more with the New York Islanders. This breaks a tie with Mike Dunham. Joey also broke the 2,000 NHL minutes played plateau during this game. He now stands at 2,025 MPs.

***The Esoteric ***

Guerin
GP = 102GP for #142nd. 1GP behind Chris Osgood
G = 31 for #66th. Tied with Berard and Hubie McDonough
A = 28 for #120th. Tied with Bill Berg
Pts = 59 for #97th. Tied with Brian Spencer

Park
GP = 185 for #93rd. Tied with Craig Cameron
G = 25 for #77th. Tied with Tom Fitzgerald and Viktor Kozlov
Pts = 64 for #89th. Tied with Gord Dineen and Trevor Linden
PPG = 2 for #102. 133rd player to score 2 or more Power Play Goals

Hunter
GP = 347 for #39th. Teid with Scatchard
G = 81 for 36th. Tied with Wayne Merrick
Pts = 181 for #42nd. 3 points behind Lorne Henning
PPG = 32 for #19th. Breaks tie with Jason Blake. 2 Behind Travis Green

Weight
GP = 21 for #284th. Tied with Streit, Grebeshkov, Stewart, and K. Sutton
(2)A = 17 for #147 (Up from #159th). Tied with Tank, Jonsson, Kortko, and Bergevin
Pts = 21 for #161st. Tied with Erne Hicke and Olli Jokinen

Bailey
GP = 7 for #358th. 363rd player to play in 7 Games
A = 3 for #269th. 285th player to get 3 Assists
Pts = 3 for #289th. 300th player to get 3 Points

Martinek
PIMs = 205 for #68th. Breaks tie with David Volek

Bergenheim
PIMs = 121 for #103rd. 1 PIM behind Mark Parrish

Stolen from Forever1940's Stat Trick

Visit Forever1940's blog at forever1940.blogspot.com

A stat trick delayed is a stat trick denied. On to the trick.

1. The Isles went 2-7-1 in their opening 10 games, but are 6-3-1 in their second 10. They were outscored 37-25 in the first 10, but have outscored their opponents 27-26 in the second 10.

2. The Isles improve to 4-4-1 on the road; it's their second best 9-game road start since going 7-2 in the first year under Laviolette. (The Isles were 5-3-1 in their first nine on the road two seasons ago.

3. The Isles won the middle period, 1-0, despite being outshot 18-2.

...and a few more.

4. Andy Hilbert scored for the second straight game and now has five goals on the season. Hilbert last scored in consecutive games on April 15-17, 2006, when he tallied in both ends of a home and home for Pittsburgh AGAINST THE ISLANDERS. Hilbert has 5 goals on the season (on pace for 20); he's never scored more than 12 goals in an NHL season.

5. Jon Sim is becoming a regular Cy Young. He's 5-1 on the season (goals/assists) and is 57-47 in his career.

6. Mark Streit also recorded his fifth goal of the season, giving the Isles five players with at least five goals. Streit's goal was a pp-empty netter. All five of his goals have come on special teams (4pp, 1 sh). Among NHL defensemen, only Mike Green has more pp goals (6) and special teams goals (6). Ten of Streit's 14 points have come on special teams.

7. The Isles were outshot 37-26; all but two Sabres had at least one shot on goal. One of the two who didn't, Andrew Peters, took a shot to his head.

8. Jeremy Colliton had a good season debut. Recalled to replace the injured Frans Nielsen, Colliton won eight of 12 draws and was credited for a team-high five hits. Colliton has gone 18 straight games without an NHL point (since earning an assist on April 18, 2006).

9. It was the Isles second win in their last seven trips to Buffalo (2-5-0).

10. Up next: the road trip concludes Monday in Montreal. The Isles will be looking to win consecutive road games for the first time this season. The Isles have lost 6-straight to Montreal, beginning with the loss in the game DiPietro suffered a concussion in a collision with Steve Begin in 2007. Of all the losses, perhaps the latest was the most memorable, as Les Habitants erased a 4-1 deficit and beat the Isles 5-4 on November 1. Plekanac and Kovalev each had two goals and two assists in that game.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick. Eric has worked the Stanley Cup Finals four times, and celebrated his 26th anniversary as the statistician on Islander home telecasts on January 21, 2008.

Islanders Esoteric #2816 or #20-08

Overall a good stats night.

*** ESOTERIC NOTES ***

We are 4 points out of a playoff spot.
We are 6 points out of a playoff spot when viewed via the Esoteric Standings
We are 3 points out of the Tavares Sweepstakes.

Speaking of playoffs. I would like you to take a look at the Points Attainable Standings in the right column of the Esoteric Blog. Your normal contemporary standings tells you who is in the lead. As of this morning the Rangers were in the lead. Them and their 2 extra games with 23 Games Played had 30 points. Tonight, the Bruins take the top spot with only 21 Games Played.

The esoteric standings tell you the true status - leveling the playing field by addressing the issue of games played and games in hand. Yes the Rangers have 30 points. You will see that when you look at the standings on Islanders Esoteric you will find a much more palatable Rangers tied for the 8th spot in the standings with 148 Points Attainable.

*** Esoteric Log ***

2 players had 2 points.

There were only 10 players in all of last season that had more Points than Doug Weight does right now. There were only 8 plyers that had more Assists than Doug has right now.

3 out of 5 of Sim's Goals with the Islanders have been on the power play.

John Tucker shows up in 3 places in tonight's Esoteric. John who went on to play in Italy, came back to join Tampa Bay, then back to Europe and retired after playing 86 games in Japan.

Fan favs Don Maloney & Luongo pop up in the Esoteric.

*** ESOTERIC SCORING LINE ***
Hilbert (5) Hunter Bailey
Sim (5) PPG Streit Campoli
Guerin (7) GWG Hilbert Weight
Streit (5) PPG/EN Weight

*** FACEOFFS ***
Weight - won 7 of 19
Park - won 11 of 17
Colliton - won 8 of 12
Bailey - won 6 of 14

*** ESOTERIC PACE CLOCK ***
Hunter is on pace to go 29-29-58
Weight is on pace to go 16-62-78
Streit is on pace to go 20-37-57
Guerin is on pace to go 29-25-54

*** MILESTONES ***
Hilbert gets his 50th NHL Assit
Hunter gets his 100th NHL and Islanders Assist
Streit has played in 30 NHL games

*** THE ESOTERIC ***

HILBERT had a two-point night with a goal and an assist. He scored his 20th Goal with the Islanders and gains the #85th position tied with 5 others to include Gerry Hart, Paul Boutilier, Mats Lindgren, Gagnon Germain, and Alex Semak. His 32nd Assist ties him with Don Maloney at #110th. He did this in 171 Games Played which lands him in sole possession of the #101st spot.

SIM playing in his 22nd Game with the Islanders ties Martin Straka and Chris Taylor at #283rd overall in games played. His Goal, a Power Play Goal, was his 5th with the Islanders and ties him with 12 others to include STREIT and Luongo - Chris Luongo at #178th. It is his 3rd PPG tying him with 10 others at #92. He is the 101st player to get at least 3 Power Play Goals.

GUERIN ties Doug Houda, Mike Kaszycki and Mike Comrie tonight in the main esoteric categories. He ties Houda in Games Played at #142nd with 101 games played. He ties Mike Kaszycki with his 30th Goal at #65th overall. Bill Ties Comrie with 57 Points and the #97th spot overall in this category. This is Bill's sixth Game Winning Goal. He is the 55th person to get 6 Game Winning Goals. He is tied again with Mike Kasycki as well as Bryan Berard and Brad Dalgarno.

STREIT also had a 2-point night with a Goal and an Assist as well. He ties Sim and 12 others with 5 Goals at #178th overall. The 2nd Point tonight was an Assist and it was his 9th Assist with the Isles to get him into the top 200 at the 199th spot overall tued with 6 others. His 13th and 14th Points tonight gives him 14 Points in his Islander Lifetime so far. It ties him at #190th with Frans Neilsen, Bob Beers and Daniel Marois. Tonight was his 20th game. This is good enough for the #287th spot to rank him as an equal with Weight, Giles Thibaudeau, and John Tucker.

HUNTER scored his 100th Assist tonight. This gets him up to the #44th spot overall tied with Bryan Berard. He is 4 Points behind Lorne Henning with 180 Points at the #39th spot. Trent has played in 346 Games with the Islanders. This is the same amount of games that bought out player Alexi Yashin had for the shared ranking of #40th overall.

BAILEY has played in 6 Games for 363rd overall tued with a bunch of others. His 2nd Assist makes him the 304th player to score an Assist. He is the 317th player to score 2 points with the Islanders.

CAMPOLI
Games Played - 192; #89th Overall Ranking: Tied - Bertuzzi and Tom Kurvers
Assists - 54; #73rd overall tied with Rich Pilon
Points - 71; Sole Possession of #78th overall

WEIGHT has played in 20 Games for #287th overall tied with Streit, Giles Thibaudeau, and John Tucker. His 15th Assist ties him with Cliff Ronning and Jeff Tambellini at #155th overall on the all-time Assist lsit. His 19th points with the team gets him the #165th spot tied with Marc Bergevin, Dick Tarnstrom and Jeff Tambellini.

Islanders Esoteric #2815 or 19-08

Can you believe that we are only 5 points out of a playoff spot and 1 point out of the Tavares sweepstake. What an emotional roller coaster ride this is. I don't know which way I should root? The future of the franchise or the winning right now that I crave so much?

Tonight the Islanders gave up their 8,996th; 8.997th; 8,998th; 8,999th & 9,000th Franshise Goals Against. Great milestone. The other night we scored out 9,300th Goal. After tonight we stand at 9,307GF & 9,000GA.

Have to congratulate Bergenheim for his 40th and Bergenheim for his 50th Islander Points.

*** ESOTERIC SCORING LINE ***
Hilbert (4) Witt
Bergenheim (4) Sutton Weight

*** ESOTERIC STREAKS ***
HUNTER on pace for 30-26-56
WEIGHT on pace for 17-56-73

*** ESOTERIC TAVARES SWEEPSTAKES ***
The Goat - Doug Weight for being 2-5-7 in his last 7 games.
The Eagle - Richard Park for his being scoreless in his last 7 games

Way to go Richard in the fight to get the #1 overall draft pick.

*** THE ESOTERIC ***

HILBERT played in his 170th Game with the Isles and lands at the #101th spot after breaking a tie with Steve Konroyd. His 19th Goal, ties him at #90th overall with Billy Carroll, Bergenheim, Brian Spencer and Mike York. His 50th Point ties him, Ken Leiter and Hubie McDonough all at the 103rd spot on the all-time points list.

BERGENHEIM is 1 Game behind Sergei Nemchinov in Games Played with 140GP and the #114th ranking. In Goals you should read HILBERTS entry above. His 40th Point with the Islanders gives him and Alexi Zhitnick the #123rd spot. Sean jumps Chris Simon to 119 PIMs and the 103rd spot in all-time penalty minutes.

WITT has played in 147 Games. He is at the #110th spot overall. This ties him with the Islanders 1987 First-Round draft pick, Dean Chynoweth, whose father was just inducted in to the Hall of Fame. WITT's 19th Assist is good for the #135th spot tied with 5 others including Wendel Clark, who is being honored tonight at the Leafs/Hawks game. WITT has 22 points with the Islanders good enough to catch Gino Odjick at the #156th spot overall.

SUTTON in his 69th Game ties 6 others for the #191st slot. His 12th Assist joins him at the #176th spot with Goalie Billy Smith, Bob Beers and 5 others. His 13th Point ties him and Goalie Rick DiPietro at the #197th spot.

WEIGHT has played in 19 Games with the team. Along with Streit, Doug is tied at the #289th spot in Games Played. His Assist, his 13th with the Islanders ties him with a bunch of others to include Rick DiPietro. Doug's 17 Points ties him with 9 others at the #174 ranking.

HUNTER playing in his Mark Parrish tying 345th Game has reached #41 overall. His 17PIMs tonight gives him sole possession of the 80th spot with 162 PIMs. These 17 jumps him from 89th overall and lands him ahead of Brett Lindros, Dave Fortier, Anders Kallur, Claude Loiselle, Bill Berg, Ray Schultz, Brian Spencer and JP Parise.

CAMPOLI has now played in 191 Games and is 1 game behind Bertuzzi and Tom Kurvers at #91st. His 70th PIM ties him with Sir Pierre at 144th overall.

Stolen From Forever1940's Stat Trick

Visit Eric's blog at forever1940.blogspot.com

The stars were all aligned for an Isle win in Newark tonight; 3 straight wins, 3 straight days off, and going against a Devil team that had played last night. So much for the stars. On to the trick:

1. After earning points in 7 of 8 game slast season, the Isles drop to 0-2-0 against New Jersey, with both losses on the road, this season.

2. Jamie Langenbrunner and Zach Parise each had three assists. Parise leads the Devils in both goals (12) and points (23).

3. Frans Nielsen suffered apparent head and lower body injury when he was elbowed by Mike Mottau in the third period. It will be interesting to see whether Mottau is suspended, and if so, for how long.

... a few more

4. The Devils scored five goals against the Isles for the first time in 36 games, covering over 5 1/2 years (Devils 6, Isles 0 -- March 30, 2003).

5. Mitch Fritz was in the line-up, replacing the injured Okposo. Fritz saw only 2:30 minutes of ice-time, including only one shift in the 2nd --the 23 second shift in which the Devils responded to the Isles' goal -- and did not play in the third.

6. The Isles lost 32 of 50 faceoffs; rookie Josh Bailey had an awful night in the circle, losing 9 of 10. Travis Zajac won 14 of 17 for New Jersey.

7. Part of it may reflect a difference in how "hits" are accounted for in different buildings, but the Isles were credited with only 3 for the entire game. (NJ had 11.)

8. Ex- Isle Kevin Weekes picked up the 100th win of his career; 10 of those wins came for the Islanders.

9.Joey Mac Donald made his 9th straight start (Peter Mannino dressed for the first time, as his back-up.) He allowed five goals in a game for only the second time this season (Columbus Day vs. Buffalo was the first).

10. Looking ahead: the Isles face the struggling Sabres in Buffalo on Saturday; the Isles have lost five of their last six games in Buffalo.

Seth's Esoteric NHL Standings 11/20/1008

EASTERN CONFERENCE (20)
1. NY Ranjerks - 30 [22] --- vs. 8. New Jersey - 20 [18]
2. Boston - 28 [19] ---------- vs. 7. Buffalo - 21 [18]
3. Washington - 25 [19] --- vs. 6. Carolina - 22 [19]
4. Pittsburgh - 27 [19] ----- vs. 5. Montreal - 24 [18]

OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Philadelphia - 18 [17] -2
10. Toronto - 18 [19] -2
11. NY Islanders - 16 [18](7W) -4
12. Atlanta - 16 [18](7W) -4
13. Tampa Bay - 16 [18](5W) -4
14. Ottawa - 16 [19] -4
15. Florida - 15 [18] -5

WESTERN CONFERENCE (20)
1. San Jose - 33 [20] ----- vs. 8. Edmonton - 20 [20]
2. Detroit - 29 [18] -------- vs. 7. Anaheim - 22 [20]
3. Vancouver - 26 [20] --- vs. 6. Calgary - 23 [20]
4. Minnesota - 23 [17] -----vs. 5. Chicago - 23 [18]

OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Nashville - 19 [18] -1
10. Columbus - 19 [19] -1
11. Los Angeles - 18 [18] -2
12. Phoenix - 17 [17] -3
13. Colorado - 16 [18] -4
14. Dallas - 15 [18] -5
15. St. Louis - 14 [16] -6

278 games played - 73 into OT - 26.3%.
73 OT games - 45 end in shootout = 61.6% OR 16.2% of ALL games end in
shootout.
Yesterday - 43 goals scored in 8 games = 5.38 goals per game.
Total - 1,633 goals scored in 278 games = 5.87 gpg.
1,633 goals minus 45 SO goals = 1,588 = 5.71 gpg minus shootout.
There have been 32 shutouts = 1 per 8.69 games.
The eastern conference is 29-31-12 for 70 out of a possible 144 points
against the western conference. That equates to 48.6%.
The Isles have scored 46 goals = 2.56 gpg.
The Isles have allowed 56 goals = 3.11 gpg.

Who Killed Duncan MacPherson?

Originally Posted on Thursday, November 1, 2007

Who Killed Duncan MacPherson?

News Report: http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/iceman/

Video: http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/iceman/video.html

Timeline: http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/iceman/timeline.html

***************************************************

A letter from Duncan's Parents

Hi Roger,

We have no problem with the headline you chose; and please don't feel you are out of line in asking us anything. We appreciate your interest, and your support; and, as far as we are concerned, the more people that hear the story, the better. It is not a mater of IF someone else dies on this ski slope in similar circumstances; it is only a matter of WHEN, if indeed, it has not already occurred, while authorities turn a blind eye, and allow the ski operator to operate a summer ski operation, with seemingly no restrictions.

For fourteen years, the ski operator, fully supported by police, insisted that "absolutely nothing could happen to Duncan on the licensed ski slope"; the ski operator, fully supported by police, insisted the rented snowboard and boots had been returned, but could not provide supporting evidence.

For fourteen years, we were forced to live with their lies. When Duncan's body was found in 2003, we were relieved, because we believed that finally, with the body as evidence, authorities would have to conduct an effective investigation of death, and we would learn how/why Duncan died. We were wrong to make that assumption, and we were wrong to place our trust in authorities. Police lied about the location of the death site (placing Duncan outside the controlled ski area), and lied about the circumstances ("plunged with his snowboard into the free skiing area"). They refused to conduct an autopsy, but then falsified the death certificate, stating an autopsy had been conducted. Then, four days after we had been notified of the death, and just hours before our arrival in Innsbruck, they ordered the removal of his upper and lower jaws, for what they said was identification purposes. Thank goodness the pathologist refused to do this unnecessary and unethical procedure. As a parent, there is not much left after your child is dead, other than to be with them to say goodbye. I think if they had have succeeded in their attempt to mutilate Duncan's body, I would probably have killed someone!

The ski operator buried Duncan in 1989; police, coroner, prosecutor, and Minister of Justice buried the facts in 2003. In fact, there was NO investigation of death.

Inasmuch as it is a tragedy Duncan lost his life while innocently snowboarding on a ski slope which is licensed and regulated by state authorities, equally as tragic, and unjust, is the fact his death was not investigated. As bad as it is for the ski operator to have covered up the accident, in our view, it is far more serious when state authorities are complicit in the cover up.

In May 2006, we sent a detailed appeal to the Minister of Justice, requesting a re-opening of the investigation of death. As you know, she refused, defending the actions of authorities in carrying out the investigation of death, and defending the ski operator.

I have spent the past year, putting together an application to the European Court of Human Rights (Strasbourg, France), claiming violation of Article 2 (Right to Life), and Article 13 (Right to Effective Remedy. I was unable to research Austrian law because of my inability to communicate in German. However, I did do quite a lot or research through the UK website on Human Rights issues. It seems the ECHR gives a wide interpretation of "Right to Life", and includes in it the right to an effective investigation of death which occurs in suspicious circumstances in a regulated setting. In my mind, there is no question Duncan's death was "suspicious"; no question his death occurred in a state-regulated setting; and no question that his death was not investigated. So I am hopeful that I am able to convince the Court that the case needs to be heard. I understand it could take a while before the Court examines our documentation - - the wheels of justice turn slowly! Once they have reviewed it, they rule on whether it is admissible, and then whether it has merit. I hope it is before I am in a nursing home!

Some people ask why we do this, why we put ourselves through the work, frustration, stress, etc. I would say as much as anything, it is Duncan's spirit that drives it. I remember during his hockey-playing days, and how I'd always tell him that I wished he would not get into fights. His response was that I did not understand that there were times when you had to fight - to stand up for yourself, or your teammates; and that whether you "won" the fight was irrelevant, but it was important that you "show up".

So, while I recognize I am taking on the entire Austrian tourist industry, and my chances of "winning" against these formidable forces are slim, I feel it is important to "show up". As Duncan used to say, "The only time you fail, is if you don't try".

As to your question as to what we want - we don't want Duncan's death covered up; he has a right to an effective investigation of his death. We don't want anyone else to needlessly lose their life on this ski slope, all for the sake of "business". I wish there was a way to hold the ski operator accountable for Duncan's death, but, when he has the entire system covering for him, that is just not possible. As we see it, our only hope for any justice is to attempt to hold authorities to account for their complicity in the cover up of the facts related to Duncan's death.

The hockey community, and the media, have been our sole source of support throughout the eighteen years. I don't know if you know, but without the help of the hockey community, it is questionable as to if, or when, we would have located Duncan's car.

By the way, Roger Kortko lives here (has four daughters). He was interviewed for the Fifth Estate program (he lived with Duncan in Springfield in 1986-1987); I guess his interview was very good, but there just wasn't time within the program to air it. Duncan spent his last night with Roger and Donna in Fussen, Germany.

I have thought about contacting American media - "60 Minutes, and/or Dateline. Any thoughts on this?

No, we don't have any snow yet - in fact, it is the warmest Halloween I can remember - 11C! Our son lives in Vancouver, and usually rubs it in about how much better weather they have, but this year, he hasn't been able to do that! But, I'm sure that we will get the sow, and te cold weather soon enough!

We welcome any suggestions, advice, input you may be able to offer.

Thank you for contacting us, and for caring,

later,

lynda and bob

Seth's Esoteric NHL Standings 11/19/2008

EASTERN CONFERENCE (18)
1. NY Ranjerks - 30 [22] --- vs. 8. New Jersey - 18 [17](8W)
2. Boston - 28 [19] ---------- vs. 7. Buffalo - 21 [18]
3. Washington - 25 [18] --- vs. 6. Carolina - 22 [19]
4. Pittsburgh - 25 [18] ----- vs. 5. Montreal - 22 [17]

OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Philadelphia - 18 [17](7W) -0
10. Toronto - 18 [19] -0
11. Atlanta - 16 [17] -2
12. NY Islanders - 16 [18](7W) -2
13. Tampa Bay - 16 [18](5W) -2
14. Florida - 15 [17] -3
15. Ottawa - 15 [18] -3

WESTERN CONFERENCE (20)
1. San Jose - 33 [20] ----- vs. 8. Edmonton - 20 [19]
2. Detroit - 27 [17] -------- vs. 7. Calgary - 21 [19]
3. Minnesota - 23 [16] --- vs. 6. Chicago - 21 [17]
4. Vancouver - 24 [19] --- vs. 5. Anaheim - 22 [20]

OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Nashville - 19 [18] -1
10. Columbus - 19 [19] -1
11. Phoenix - 17 [17] -3
12. Colorado - 16 [17](8W) -4
13. Los Angeles - 16 [17](7W) -4
14. Dallas - 15 [17] -5
15. St. Louis - 14 [16] -6

270 games played - 72 into OT - 26.9%.
72 OT games - 44 end in shootout = 61.1% OR 16.3% of ALL games end in
shootout.
Yesterday - 30 goals scored in 3 games = 10.00 goals per game.
Total - 1,590 goals scored in 270 games = 5.89 gpg.
1,590 goals minus 44 SO goals = 1,546 = 5.73 gpg minus shootout.
There have been 31 shutouts = 1 per 8.71 games.
The eastern conference is 29-30-12 for 70 out of a possible 142 points
against the western conference. That equates to 49.3%.
The Isles have scored 46 goals = 2.56 gpg.
The Isles have allowed 56 goals = 3.11 gpg.

Seth's Esoteric NHL Standings for 11/18/2008

EASTERN CONFERENCE (18)
1. NY Ranjerks - 30 [21] --- vs. 8. New Jersey - 18 [17](8W)
2. Boston - 26 [18] ---------- vs. 7. Buffalo - 21 [17]
3. Washington - 23 [17] --- vs. 6. Carolina - 22 [19]
4. Pittsburgh - 25 [18] ----- vs. 5. Montreal - 22 [17]

OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Philadelphia - 18 [17](7W) -0
10. Toronto - 18 [19] -0
11. Atlanta - 16 [17] -2
12. NY Islanders - 16 [18](7W) -2
13. Tampa Bay - 16 [18](5W) -2
14. Florida - 15 [17] -3
15. Ottawa - 15 [18] -3

WESTERN CONFERENCE (20)
1. San Jose - 33 [20] ----- vs. 8. Edmonton - 20 [19]
2. Detroit - 27 [17] -------- vs. 7. Calgary - 21 [19]
3. Minnesota - 23 [16] --- vs. 6. Chicago - 21 [17]
4. Vancouver - 22 [18] --- vs. 5. Anaheim - 22 [19]

OUT OF PLAY-OFFS
9. Nashville - 19 [18] -1
10. Columbus - 19 [19] -1
11. Phoenix - 17 [17] -3
12. Colorado - 16 [17](8W) -4
13. Los Angeles - 16 [17](7W) -4
14. Dallas - 15 [17] -5
15. St. Louis - 14 [16] -6

267 games played - 72 into OT - 27.0%.
72 OT games - 44 end in shootout = 61.1% OR 16.5% of ALL games end in
shootout.
Yesterday - 32 goals scored in 6 games = 5.33 goals per game.
Total - 1,560 goals scored in 267 games = 5.84 gpg.
1,560 goals minus 44 SO goals = 1,516 = 5.68 gpg minus shootout.
There have been 31 shutouts = 1 per 8.61 games.
The eastern conference is 28-29-12 for 68 out of a possible 138 points
against the western conference. That equates to 49.3%.
The Isles have scored 46 goals = 2.56 gpg.
The Isles have allowed 56 goals = 3.11 gpg.