Saturday, December 6, 2008

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.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

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.

Monday, December 1, 2008

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.