Game of Numbers: New York Islanders Edition

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The Game of Numbers is an exclusive THW series looking at upcoming milestones around the NHL. Each team will be looked at individually in three parts – individual player milestones, franchise player milestones, and players that rank in the top 100 in NHL history in any big statistical category.

It’s their last season at Nassau Coliseum, and the New York Islanders are showing just how good they’ve become. Sure, it’s been a long road since their glory years, but the team is among the best in the Eastern Conference heading to the end of the season.

Kyle Okposo, John Tavares, NHL, Milestones, New York Islanders
Led by Kyle Okposo and John Tavares, the New York Islanders have been a resilient bunch, and it has helped them become one of the most successful teams in the NHL. (Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports)

Now led by the likes of John Tavares and a strong defensive team, the Islanders have a solid core to build off of for the coming years. While Jaroslav Halak may not be the goalie of the future, he’s certainly the goalie of now. And while the team isn’t plastered with a major veteran presence, the young guys are on leaving their mark on the game each and every night.

New York Islanders Individual Milestones

Games Played:

  • 900 games played: Lubomir Visnovsky (878)
  • 500 games played: Nikolay Kulemin (498), Cal Clutterbuck (491), Mikhail Grabovski (476), Tyler Kennedy (474), Josh Bailey (471)
  • 400 games played: Johnny Boychuk (388), Matt Martin (356)
  • 200 games played: Thomas Hickey (197), Michal Neuvirth (168)
  • 100 games played: Anders Lee (95), Matt Donovan (67), Harry Zolnierczyk (59), Kevin Poulin (50)

Goals:

  • 200 goals: John Tavares (170)
  • 100 goals: Frans Nielsen (99), Nikolay Kulemin (97), Michael Grabner (94), Tyler Kennedy (86), Josh Bailey (81), Cal Clutterbuck (81)

Assists:

  • 400 assists: Lubomir Visnovsky (364)
  • 200 assists: Frans Nielsen (197), Kyle Okposo (186), Mikhail Grabovski (155)
  • 100 assists: Nick Leddy (94), Travis Hamonic (91), Johnny Boychuk (81), Cal Clutterbuck (63), Michael Grabner (60)

Points:

  • 500 points: Lubomir Visnovsky (492)
  • 400 points: John Tavares (392)
  • 300 points: Frans Nielsen (296), Mikhail Grabovski (271)
  • 200 points: Tyler Kennedy (198), Michael Grabner (154)
  • 100 points: Eric Boulton (77), Brock Nelson (67), Matt Martin (69), Ryan Strome (66), Anders Lee (55), Casey Cizikas (51)

Wins:

  • 200 wins: Jaroslav Halak (180)
  • 100 wins: Michal Neuvirth (66)

New York Islanders Franchise Milestones

The late 1970s saw some of the Islanders most successful players in terms of statistical numbers. Bryan Trottier, Mike Bossy and Denis Potvin all sit atop some of the franchises all-time statistical lists, but there are players on the verge of leaving their marks on the Islanders. With that in mind, the current players are pushing their way to the top – earning a spot in Islanders’ history.

Games Played:

  • Jaroslav Halak (54) needs 3 games played to pass Jamie McLennan (56) for 18th on the team’s all-time goalie list.

Goals:

  • John Tavares (170) needs 15 goals to pass Bill Harris (184) for 11th on the team’s all-time list.

Assists:

  • John Tavares (222) needs 28 assists to pass Tomas Jonsson (249) for 14th on the team’s all-time list.
  • Frans Nielsen (197) needs 26 assists to pass John Tavares (222) for 15th on the team’s all-time list.
  • Kyle Okposo (186) needs 8 assists to pass Pierre Turgeon (193) for 17th on the team’s all-time list.

Points:

  • John Tavares (392) needs 52 points to pass Bill Harris (443) for 12th on the team’s all-time list.
  • Kyle Okposo (301) needs 31 points to pass Ziggy Palffy (331) for 17th on the team’s all-time list.
  • Frans Nielsen (296) needs 6 points to pass Kyle Okposo (301) for 18th on the team’s all-time list.

Powerplay Goals:

  • John Tavares (56) needs 24 powerplay goals to pass Pat LaFontaine (79) for 7th on the team’s all-time list.

Game-Winning Goals:

  • John Tavares (30) needs 1 game-winning goal to pass Derek King (30) for 9th on the team’s all-time list.
  • Kyle Okposo (17) needs 2 game-winning goals t0 pass Alexei Yashin (18) for 17th on the team’s all-time list.

Wins:

  • Jaroslav Halak (36) needs 9 wins to pass Garth Snow (44) for 11th on the team’s all-time list.
  • Kevin Poulin (18) needs 1 win to pass Al Montoya (18) for 17th on the team’s all-time list.

Shutouts:

  • Jaroslav Halak (5) needs 2 shutouts to pass Chris Osgood and Kelly Hrudey (6) for 6th on the team’s all-time list.

    Jaroslav Halak, New York Islanders, NHL, Hockey
    Jaroslav Halak has been one of the biggest pieces to the turnaround of the New York Islanders. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)

‘Top 100’ Milestones

No one would have guessed that a ninth-round pick out of the 2003 draft could make it as far as Jaroslav Halak has. But as the 271st pick in that draft, the 29-year-old has been a big part of two teams since his breakout with the Montreal Canadiens in 2009-10. During that time, he’s also found his way to a spot among the game’s best.

  • Halak (180) needs 3 wins to pass Robert Sauve and Craig Anderson (182) for 88th on the NHL’s all-time list.
  • Halak (35) needs 1 shutout to pass Patrick Lalime, Olaf Kolzig and Ryan Miller (35) for 45th on the NHL’s all-time list.

More from the ‘Game of Numbers’ series:

Eastern Conference: BOS | BUF | CAR | CLB | DET | FLA | MTL | NJD | NYI | NYR | OTT | PHI | PIT | TBL | TOR | WSH
Western Conference: ANA | ARZ | CAL | CHI | COL | DAL | EDM | LAK | MIN | NSH | SJS | STL | VAN | WPG

NOTE: The ‘Game of Numbers’ series is subject to updates as the 2014-15 season progresses. Individual marks will only appear if the player is within 50 of the specific statistical milestone, while franchise marks only recognize the top 20 in club history.

For more, follow Andrew on Twitter at @AndrewGForbes or his THW column at @Tape2TapeTHW.