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.