2014–15 New York Islanders season

2014–15 New York Islanders
Division 3rd Metropolitan
Conference 5th Eastern
2014–15 record 47–28–7
Home record 25–14–2
Road record 22–14–5
Goals for 252
Goals against 230
Team information
General Manager Garth Snow
Coach Jack Capuano
Captain John Tavares
Alternate captains Cal Clutterbuck (Jan-Apr)
Frans Nielsen
Kyle Okposo
Arena Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Average attendance 15,334 (41 games)[1]
Minor league affiliations Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL)
Stockton Thunder (ECHL)
Team leaders
Goals John Tavares (38)
Assists John Tavares (48)
Points John Tavares (86)
Penalties in minutes Matt Martin (114)
Plus/minus (+): Ryan Strome (23)
(- −): Thomas Hickey (-12 −12)
Wins Jaroslav Halak (38)
Goals against average Jaroslav Halak (2.43)
<2013–14

The 2014–15 New York Islanders season was the franchise's 43rd season in the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise. This was the team's final season of play at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.[2] The Islanders competed in the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference (NHL) for the second season.

Jaroslav Halak entered the season as the team's new starting goaltender, leading their previous starting goaltender, veteran Evgeni Nabokov, to sign with the Tampa Bay Lightning as a free agent. Chad Johnson was brought in to be Halak's backup, however he was later traded for Michal Neuvirth who took over the role. John Tavares served as the team's captain for the second season, alongside Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen in their sixth and first seasons, respectively, as alternate captains. Around the midpoint of the season, Cal Clutterbuck was named an alternate captain after an injury sidelined Okposo.

The Islanders qualified for the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs after finishing the season in third place in the Metropolitan Division and fifth in the Eastern Conference with 101 points. The playoff berth was the team's second post-season berth in three seasons, having qualified in 2012–13 but not in 2013–14. The team was eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, losing in seven games to the Washington Capitals.

Off-season

On May 22, 2014, the Islanders signed unrestricted free agent goaltender Jaroslav Halak to a four-year extension to keep him under contract through the 2017–18 season after trading for him from the Washington Capitals for the Islanders' fourth-round pick in the 2014 Entry Draft earlier in the month.[3] The Islanders also acquired two defenseman on October 4, 2014, one week before their first regular season game—Johnny Boychuk was traded from the Boston Bruins in exchange for 2015 and 2016 draft picks, while Nick Leddy was traded from the Chicago Blackhawks along with amateur goaltender Kent Simpson in exchange for T. J. Brennan, Ville Pokka and the rights to Anders Nilsson.[4][5]

Regular season

October–December

Anders Lee was recalled to the Islanders in October.

Before the Islanders began their regular season, Matt Carkner, Calvin de Haan, Michael Grabner and Lubomir Visnovsky were placed on injured reserve (IR), while previous first round Islanders draft picks, rookies Griffin Reinhart and Ryan Strome, impressed the coaching staff enough to make the opening night roster for their first times.[6][7] The team won their first four consecutive games, including a back-to-back against the Carolina Hurricanes in games one and two.[8] de Haan and Visnovsky returned to the team during October, leading to the decision to send Reinhart back to the Islanders' minor league affiliate, the American Hockey League's Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Soon after, injuries to Mikhail Grabovski and Josh Bailey led the team to call up Anders Lee from the Sound Tigers. As Lee began to cement his place on the roster and Grabovski was set to return, coaching staff had to make a decision in order to open up a roster spot, as only 23 players maximum are allowed on a team's roster before the trade deadline. Ultimately, rather than sending Lee back, it was Colin McDonald who was placed on waivers, which he cleared on his way to the Sound Tigers.[9] Their 6–4–0 record by the end of October matched their best record in the team's first ten games since the 2001–02 season.[10]

In recent seasons, the Islanders have not had positive results in the month of November. The previous season saw them finish with a November record of 4–13–1.[11] Bailey returned from his hand injury during the month, while Eric Boulton, who had only played three games so far in the season, was placed on IR.[12] They finished the month with an 11–3–0 record, only the second time in franchise history they recorded at least 11 wins in the month of November. It was also the first time they were undefeated in home games (6–0–0) during the month since the 1984–85 season.[13] On November 28, Head Coach Jack Capuano recorded his 300th game with the team, a number not reached since Al Arbour hit the number in the team's early years, with the closest to Capuano being Terry Simpson with 81 Islanders' games coached.[13][14]

As December began, injuries provided setbacks with Michael Grabner and Lubomir Visnovsky returning to the IR, joined by Johnny Boychuk, Travis Hamonic and Casey Cizikas.[15] Visnovsky and Cizikas missed only two and three games respectively, but defenseman Boychuk and Hamonic needed the majority of the month to recover. Griffin Reinhart was recalled from the Sound Tigers at the beginning of the month, but was sent back down once the injured defenseman were set to return.[15] Joining him on the Sound Tigers would be Cory Conacher, who was waived on December 13 after recording only three points in 15 games. Conacher was originally placed on the team's top line, alongside John Tavares and Kyle Okposo, however he did not last long there as the coaching staff began trying out various other players to fill the spot.[16][17] Jaroslav Halak suffered a lower body injury on December 20, after recording his 11th consecutive win earlier in the month and passing the previous franchise record of 10 set by Billy Smith.[18] The injury led to Kevin Poulin being called up from the Sound Tigers; he only played in one game, a 3–4 shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres.[19] Halak returned the following game, in a 4–3 overtime win against the Washington Capitals.[20] The team finished the calendar year of 2014 with a share of first place in their division for the first time in 27 years.[21]

January–April

The Islanders put together a 6–3–0 January record to bring into the All-Star Game break. Near the beginning of the month, Lubomir Visnovsky was placed back on IR with an upper body injury and would later be joined by Eric Boulton with a lower-body injury, who had been taken off the list about a month prior on December 11 and only played once since. Michael Grabner returned from his lower body injury on January 6 after missing eight games.[22] On January 10, John Tavares was named to the All-Star Game as the sole representative of the Islanders. After injuries to goaltenders Jimmy Howard of the Detroit Red Wings and Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators, Halak and the Pittsburgh Penguins' Marc-Andre Fleury were named as their replacements.[23] At the All-Star Game, Tavares scored four goals, matching an All-Star Game record for an individual player's goals scored, while Halak stopped six of tens shots in the third period; their team, captained by Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks, won the game by a record-setting score of 17–12.[24][25] After the break, it was announced that alternate captain Kyle Okposo would miss six-to-eight weeks after receiving an upper-body injury, later revealed to be a detached retina that he had recently received surgery for.[26] The injury led to Cal Clutterbuck being named as an alternate captain.[27] In their first game back from the break, the Islanders defeated the rival New York Rangers, earning their third consecutive victory over the team, all by a gap of three goals; this marked the first time the Islanders won three consecutive games against the Rangers since 2007.[28]

On February 19, Halak tied a franchise record for most wins in a season after earning his 32nd against the Nashville Predators, with 30 saves against 32 shots.[29] He went on to break the record, recording his 33rd win of the season on February 27, in a 2–1 victory over the Calgary Flames.[30] Injuries continued rolling, with Casey Cizikas and Mikhail Grabovski both being placed on IR with a lower body injury and an upper body injury, respectively. Matt Carkner was removed from IR after spending the entire season sidelined from back surgery, and was sent to the Sound Tigers after clearing waivers.[31] As the team continued their push for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division standings, it was announced that defenseman Nick Leddy signed a 7-year contract worth $38.5 million on February 24.[32]

Going into it, I thought our team deserved an opportunity to build off what they started here in the first three quarters of the season. I think there's a lot of good chemistry and it's a team in that locker room. We didn't want to delete any of the players out of it if we could.

—Islanders General Manager Garth Snow, on the NHL trade deadline[33]

The NHL trade deadline on March 5 ended with the Islanders making four trades. Two of the trades involved minor league players Cory Conacher and David Leggio sent to the Vancouver Canucks and Arizona Coyotes, respectively, in exchange for Dustin Jeffrey and Mark Louis.[34][35] Halak received a new backup goaltender when Chad Johnson was sent to the Buffalo Sabres, with the Islanders picking up Michal Neuvirth in return.[36] General Manager Garth Snow cited Neuvirth's good play during the season and Johnson's relatively poor performance thus far as the reason for the trade; Johnson had attained an 8–8–1 record with a .889 save percentage with the Islanders. Outside of the goaltending change, the main roster went untouched with the exception of adding Tyler Kennedy, who was acquired from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a conditional 2015 draft pick. Snow recognized the team's chemistry as the main reason for not making any major main roster trades.[33] The first game the Islanders played after the trade deadline was set to debut Kennedy, but an upper body injury announced just before the start of the game prevented him from playing.[37] During the game, Matt Martin kneed Dallas Stars defenseman Trevor Daley, resulting in a one-game suspension.[38] With Kennedy injured and Martin suspended, Eric Boulton and Casey Cizikas were actived off of IR before the next game on March 5 against the Nashville Predators after missing 19 and eight games, respectively.[39] The following game featured the debut for Neurvirth with the Islanders, as the team fell in a shootout to the Florida Panthers.[40] Capuano chose to start him again the following game, as Neuvirth picked up his first win with the team in a 4–3 overtime victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 9.[41]

Without Nick Leddy, who was injured against the Maple Leafs, the Islanders faced the Rangers for their fourth matchup of the season on March 10, which ended in a Rangers victory for the first time of the season series.[42] The Islanders went on to drop their next three as they continued playing short of Leddy, stringing together a four-game losing streak for the first time in the season. During the stretch, Jaroslav Halak missed two games due to a lower-body injury. Halak and Leddy both returned the following game against the New Jersey Devils on March 21, as Halak shutout the Devils in a 3–0 victory.[43] The team's struggles continued as they looked to secure a playoff berth, going 2–3–2 over the next seven games before their trip to the postseason was locked in on April 9; the Florida Panthers defeated the Boston Bruins and eliminated the possibility of the ninth seeded Bruins catching the Islanders in the standings.[44] Despite having clinched, the following game against the Pittsburgh Penguins had high stakes, with the Penguins still chasing a playoffs spot and the Islanders looking to get the home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs; the Islanders ultimately won 3–1 and locked up an opening playoff series against the Washington Capitals.[45] The final game of the season, which was also the final regular season game the Islanders would play at Nassau Coliseum, was a 5–4 shootout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, as the Islanders were unable to pick up both points with home-ice advantage against the Capitals on the line.[46]

Playoffs

The New York Islanders entered the playoffs as the Metropolitan Division's third seed. They are currently facing the Washington Capitals in the first round.

Standings

Divisional standings

Metropolitan Division
Pos Team GP W L OTL ROW GF GA GD Pts
1 p – New York Rangers 82 53 22 7 49 252 192 +60 113
2 x – Washington Capitals 82 45 26 11 40 242 203 +39 101
3 x – New York Islanders 82 47 28 7 40 252 230 +22 101
4 x – Pittsburgh Penguins 82 43 27 12 39 221 210 +11 98
5 Columbus Blue Jackets 82 42 35 5 33 236 250 −14 89
6 Philadelphia Flyers 82 33 31 18 30 215 234 −19 84
7 New Jersey Devils 82 32 36 14 27 181 216 −35 78
8 Carolina Hurricanes 82 30 41 11 25 188 226 −38 71
Source: National Hockey League
p – Clinched Presidents Trophy; x – Clinched playoff spot.

Conference standings

Top 3 (Atlantic Division)
Pos Team GP W L OTL ROW GF GA GD Pts
1 y – Montreal Canadiens 82 50 22 10 43 221 189 +32 110
2 x – Tampa Bay Lightning 82 50 24 8 47 262 211 +51 108
3 x – Detroit Red Wings 82 43 25 14 39 235 221 +14 100
Source: National Hockey League
x – Clinched playoff spot; y – Clinched division.
Top 3 (Metropolitan Division)
Pos Team GP W L OTL ROW GF GA GD Pts
1 p – New York Rangers 82 53 22 7 49 252 192 +60 113
2 x – Washington Capitals 82 45 26 11 40 242 203 +39 101
3 x – New York Islanders 82 47 28 7 40 252 230 +22 101
Source: National Hockey League
p – Clinched Presidents Trophy; x – Clinched playoff spot.
Eastern Conference Wild Card
Pos Div Team GP W L OTL ROW GF GA GD Pts
1 AT x – Ottawa Senators 82 43 26 13 37 238 215 +23 99
2 ME x – Pittsburgh Penguins 82 43 27 12 39 221 210 +11 98
3 AT Boston Bruins 82 41 27 14 37 213 211 +2 96
4 AT Florida Panthers 82 38 29 15 30 206 223 −17 91
5 ME Columbus Blue Jackets 82 42 35 5 33 236 250 −14 89
6 ME Philadelphia Flyers 82 33 31 18 30 215 234 −19 84
7 ME New Jersey Devils 82 32 36 14 27 181 216 −35 78
8 ME Carolina Hurricanes 82 30 41 11 25 188 226 −38 71
9 AT Toronto Maple Leafs 82 30 44 8 25 211 262 −51 68
10 AT Buffalo Sabres 82 23 51 8 15 161 274 −113 54
Source: National Hockey League
x – Clinched playoff spot.

Schedule and results

Pre-season

Regular season

2014–15 Game Log

Legend:       Win (2 points)       Loss (0 points)       Overtime/shootout loss (1 point)

Playoffs

2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Legend:       Win       Loss

Player statistics

Islanders Captain John Tavares lead the team in goals, assists, and points.
Forward Matt Martin lead the team in penalty in minutes.
Goaltender Jaroslav Halak serves as the team's starting goaltender.

As of April 23, 2015

Skaters
Regular Season[47] Playoffs
Player GP G A Pts +/- − PIM GP G A Pts +/- − PIM
Tavares, JohnJohn Tavares 82 38 48 86 5 46 5 1 3 4 0 0
Okposo, KyleKyle Okposo 60 18 33 51 -8 −8 12 5 2 1 3 1 0
Strome, RyanRyan Strome 81 17 33 50 23 47 5 2 0 2 0 2
Nielsen, FransFrans Nielsen 78 14 29 43 8 12 5 0 1 1 -1 −1 0
Nelson, BrockBrock Nelson 82 20 22 42 6 24 5 2 0 2 0 0
Bailey, JoshJosh Bailey 70 15 26 41 3 12 5 2 3 5 2 0
Lee, AndersAnders Lee 76 25 16 41 9 33 5 0 1 1 -2 −2 7
Leddy, NickNick Leddy 78 10 27 37 18 14 5 0 3 3 -2 −2 0
Boychuk, JohnnyJohnny Boychuk 72 9 26 35 15 14 5 0 1 1 -1 −1 0
Hamonic, TravisTravis Hamonic 71 5 28 33 15 85 0 0 0 0 0 0
Kulemin, NikolaiNikolai Kulemin 82 15 16 31 7 21 5 0 1 1 -1 −1 0
Hickey, ThomasThomas Hickey 81 2 20 22 -12 −12 26 5 0 0 0 3 0
Visnovsky, LubomirLubomir Visnovsky 53 5 15 20 -3 −3 8 4 0 2 2 5 0
Grabovski, MikhailMikhail Grabovski 51 9 10 19 3 8 1 0 0 0 -1 −1 0
Cizikas, CaseyCasey Cizikas 70 9 9 18 -2 −2 24 5 1 0 1 1 0
Clutterbuck, CalCal Clutterbuck 76 7 9 16 1 60 5 1 1 2 1 16
Martin, MattMatt Martin 78 8 6 14 -4 −4 114 5 0 1 1 0 10
Grabner, MichaelMichael Grabner 34 8 5 13 4 4 2 0 1 1 1 2
de Haan, CalvinCalvin de Haan 65 1 11 12 3 24 5 0 1 1 -2 −2 2
McDonald, ColinColin McDonald 18 2 6 8 -3 −3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Strait, BrianBrian Strait 52 2 5 7 -1 −1 32 5 0 0 0 -4 −4 2
Kennedy, TylerTyler Kennedy† 13 2 3 5 -3 −3 2 3 0 0 0 -3 −3 2
Donovan, MattMatt Donovan 12 0 3 3 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Conacher, CoryCory Conacher‡ 15 1 2 3 -3 −3 14 0 0 0 0 0 0
Boulton, EricEric Boulton 10 2 0 2 -1 −1 30 0 0 0 0 0 0
Mouillierat, KaelKael Mouillierat 6 1 1 2 -3 −3 8 0 0 0 0 0 0
Reinhart, GriffinGriffin Reinhart 8 0 1 1 1 6 1 0 0 0 -2 −2 0
Zolnierczyk, HarryHarry Zolnierczyk 2 0 0 0 -1 −1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Goaltenders
Regular Season[47]
Player GP GS TOI W L OT GA GAA SA SV% SO G A PIM
Halak, JaroslavJaroslav Halak 59 59 3550 38 17 4 144 2.43 1673 0.914 6 0 1 2
Johnson, ChadChad Johnson‡ 19 17 1053 8 8 1 54 3.08 488 0.889 0 0 0 0
Neuvirth, MichalMichal Neuvirth† 5 5 306 1 3 1 15 2.94 126 0.881 0 0 0 0
Poulin, KevinKevin Poulin 1 1 65 0 0 1 3 2.77 26 0.885 0 0 0 0
Playoffs
Player GP GS TOI W L GA GAA SA SV% SO G A PIM
Halak, JaroslavJaroslav Halak 5 5 299 2 3 13 2.61 150 0.913 0 0 0 2
Neuvirth, MichalMichal Neuvirth 1 0 11 0 0 0 0.00 6 1.000 0 0 0 0

†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Islanders. Stats reflect time with the Islanders only.
‡Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Islanders only.
Bold/italics denotes franchise record.

Notable achievements

Awards

Regular Season
Player Award Awarded
Nielsen, FransFrans Nielsen NHL Third Star of the Week[48] October 27, 2014
Halak, JaroslavJaroslav Halak NHL First Star of the Week[49] December 1, 2014
NHL All-Star game replacement selection[23] January 15, 2015
Tavares, JohnJohn Tavares NHL All-Star game selection[50] January 10, 2015
NHL Second Star of the Month (January 2015)[51] February 2, 2015
Okposo, KyleKyle Okposo NHL Third Star of the Week[52] January 19, 2015
Lee, AndersAnders Lee NHL Rookie of the Month (February 2015)[53] March 1, 2015

Milestones

Regular Season
Player Milestone Reached
Reinhart, GriffinGriffin Reinhart 1st Career NHL Game October 10, 2014
1st Career NHL Assist December 9, 2014
1st Career NHL Point December 9, 2014
Okposo, KyleKyle Okposo 100th Career NHL Goal October 14, 2014
400th Career NHL Game October 30, 2014
300th Career NHL Point March 24, 2015[54]
Kulemin, NikolaiNikolai Kulemin 200th Career NHL Point October 25, 2014
Leddy, NickNick Leddy 100th Career NHL Point November 11, 2014
300th Career NHL Game January 13, 2015
Halak, JaroslavJaroslav Halak 150th Career NHL Win November 11, 2014
300th Career NHL Game January 4, 2015
32nd win (tied franchise record) February 19, 2015
33rd win (new franchise record) February 27, 2015
Martin, MattMatt Martin 300th Career NHL Game November 22, 2014
Nelson, BrockBrock Nelson 100th Career NHL Game December 9, 2014
Strait, BrianBrian Strait 100th Career NHL Game January 13, 2015
Tavares, JohnJohn Tavares 200th Career NHL Assist January 16, 2015
400th Career NHL Game February 3, 2015
Boychuk, JohnnyJohnny Boychuk 100th Career NHL Point January 29, 2015
Bailey, JoshJosh Bailey 200th Career NHL Point February 3, 2015
Grabner, MichaelMichael Grabner 300th Career NHL Game February 5, 2015
de Haan, CalvinCalvin de Haan 100th Career NHL Game February 7, 2015
Nielsen, FransFrans Nielsen 500th Career NHL Game February 8, 2015
Hamonic, TravisTravis Hamonic 300th Career NHL Games February 17, 2015
100th Career NHL Point February 21, 2015
Mouillierat, KaelKael Mouillierat 1st Career NHL Game February 21, 2015
Mouillierat, KaelKael Mouillierat 1st Career NHL Assist February 24, 2015
1st Career NHL Point February 24, 2015
1st Career NHL Goal February 24, 2015

Roster

Updated April 28, 2015[55]

# Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace
12 Canada Bailey, JoshJosh Bailey C L 25 2008 Bowmanville, Ontario
36 Canada Boulton, EricEric Boulton LW L 38 2012 Halifax, Nova Scotia
55 Canada Boychuk, JohnnyJohnny Boychuk D R 31 2014 Edmonton, Alberta
7 Canada Carkner, MattMatt Carkner D R 34 2012 Winchester, Ontario
53 Canada Cizikas, CaseyCasey Cizikas C L 24 2009 Toronto, Ontario
15 Canada Clutterbuck, CalCal Clutterbuck (A) RW R 27 2013 Welland, Ontario
44 Canada de Haan, CalvinCalvin de Haan D L 23 2009 Carp, Ontario
46 United States Donovan, MattMatt Donovan D L 24 2008 Edmond, Oklahoma
40 Austria Grabner, MichaelMichael Grabner RW L 27 2010 Villach, Austria
84 Belarus Grabovski, MikhailMikhail Grabovski C L 31 2014 Potsdam, East Germany
41 Slovakia Halak, JaroslavJaroslav Halak G L 29 2014 Bratislava, Czechoslovakia
3 Canada Hamonic, TravisTravis Hamonic D R 24 2008 Winnipeg, Manitoba
14 Canada Hickey, ThomasThomas Hickey D L 26 2013 Calgary, Alberta
26 Canada Kennedy, TylerTyler Kennedy C R 28 2015 Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
86 Russia Kulemin, NikolaiNikolai Kulemin LW L 28 2014 Magnitogorsk, Soviet Union
2 United States Leddy, NickNick Leddy D L 24 2014 Eden Prairie, Minnesota
27 United States Lee, AndersAnders Lee C L 24 2009 Edina, Minnesota
17 Canada Martin, MattMatt Martin LW L 25 2008 Windsor, Ontario
42 United States Mayfield, ScottScott Mayfield D R 24 2011 St. Louis, Missouri
13 United States McDonald, ColinColin McDonald RW R 30 2012 New Haven, Connecticut
48 Canada Mouillierat, KaelKael Mouillierat C L 27 2015 Edmonton, Alberta
29 United States Nelson, BrockBrock Nelson C L 23 2010 Warroad, Minnesota
30 Czech Republic Neuvirth, MichalMichal Neuvirth G L 27 2015 Ústí nad Labem, Czechoslovakia
51 Denmark Nielsen, FransFrans Nielsen (A) C L 31 2002 Herning, Denmark
21 United States Okposo, KyleKyle Okposo (A) RW R 27 2006 St. Paul, Minnesota
60 Canada Poulin, KevinKevin Poulin G R 25 2008 Montreal, Quebec
6 Canada Pulock, RyanRyan Pulock D R 20 2013 Grandview, Manitoba
8 Canada Reinhart, GriffinGriffin Reinhart D L 21 2012 North Vancouver, British Columbia
37 United States Strait, BrianBrian Strait D L 27 2013 Waltham, Massachusetts
18 Canada Strome, RyanRyan Strome C R 21 2011 Mississauga, Ontario
28 Sweden Sundstrom, JohanJohan Sundstrom C R 22 2011 Gothenburg, Sweden
91 Canada Tavares, JohnJohn Tavares (C) C L 24 2009 Mississauga, Ontario
11 Slovakia Visnovsky, LubomirLubomir Visnovsky D L 38 2012 Topoľčany, Czechoslovakia

Injuries

Michael Grabner missed 38 games due to injury over the course of three times on injured reserve.
Kyle Okposo was put on the injured reserve list after a surgery to re-attach a retina, missing 22 games.

Updated as of February 15, 2014

New York Islanders 2014–15 player injuries
Player Injury Placed on IR Removed from IR Games missed
Matt Carkner Back September 22, 2014[9] February 15, 2015[31][lower-alpha 1] 56
Calvin de Haan Lower body September 23, 2014[9] October 16, 2014[9] 3
Michael Grabner Lower body September 26, 2014[9] December 3, 2014[15] 24
Lower body December 17, 2014[15] January 6, 2015[22] 8
Undisclosed February 7, 2015[31] February 17, 2015[31] 6
Lubomir Visnovsky Back September 29, 2014[9] October 23, 2014[9] 6
Undisclosed December 3, 2014[15] December 9, 2014[15] 2
Upper body January 4, 2014[22] January 31, 2014[22] 10
Mikhail Grabovski Concussion October 16, 2014[9] October 25, 2014[9] 4
Upper body February 20, 2015[31] April 23, 2015[56] 26
Josh Bailey Hand October 25, 2014[9] November 13, 2014[12] 8
Eric Boulton Lower body November 13, 2014[12] December 11, 2014[15] 12
Lower body January 17, 2015[22] March 5, 2015[39] 19
Travis Hamonic Upper body December 2, 2014[15] December 19, 2014[15] 7
Johnny Boychuk Undisclosed December 3, 2014[15] December 19, 2014[15] 6
Casey Cizikas Upper body December 6, 2014[15] December 15, 2015[57] 3
Lower body February 16, 2015[31] March 5, 2015[39] 8
Jaroslav Halak Lower body December 20, 2014[15] December 28, 2014[15] 3
Kyle Okposo Detached retina[26] January 19, 2015[22] March 10, 2015[39] 22
  1. ↑ Carkner was placed on waivers upon being removed from injured reserve.

Suspensions and fines

Two players received fines during the season, while only Matt Martin received a suspension. Anders Lee was given a $2,286.29 fine on December 9, 2014, for elbowing St. Louis Blues defenseman Carl Gunnarsson; the incident occurred during NHL Game No. 397 in New York on December 6, 2014, at 7:15 of the second period.[58] Cal Clutterbuck received a fine on January 28, 2015, for $2,000 due to diving/embellishment, which occurred during NHL Game No. 676 in New York on January 19, 2015, at 19:04 of the second period.[59] Martin received a one-game suspension with a $5,376.34 forfeit on March 5, 2015, for kneeing Dallas Stars defenseman Trevor Daley in NHL Game No. 948 the day prior; he was ejected from the game and received fifteen total penalty minutes.[38]

Transactions

The Islanders acquired Johnny Boychuk from the Boston Bruins in a trade on October 4, 2014.
Nick Leddy was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks in an October 4, 2014 trade.

Following the end of the Islanders' 2013–14 season, and during the 2014–15 season, this team has been involved in the following transactions:

Trades

Date
Details
June 27, 2014[60] To Tampa Bay Lightning
2nd-round pick in 2014
MTL's 2nd-round pick in 2014		 To New York Islanders
NYR's 1st-round pick in 2014
June 28, 2014[61] To Florida Panthers
3rd-round pick in 2014		 To New York Islanders
3rd-round pick in 2015
June 28, 2014[62] To Tampa Bay Lightning
7th-round pick in 2014		 To New York Islanders
7th-round pick in 2014
7th-round pick in 2015
October 4, 2014[4] To Boston Bruins
PHI's 2nd-round pick in 2015
2nd-round pick in 2016
conditional 3rd-round pick in 2015		 To New York Islanders
Johnny Boychuk
October 4, 2014[5] To Chicago Blackhawks
T. J. Brennan
Anders Nilsson
Ville Pokka		 To New York Islanders
Nick Leddy
Kent Simpson
November 25, 2014[63] To Vancouver Canucks
Andrey Pedan		 To New York Islanders
Alexandre Mallet
3rd-round pick in 2016
March 2, 2015[36] To San Jose Sharks
Conditional 7th-round pick in 2015		 To New York Islanders
Tyler Kennedy
March 2, 2015[36] To Buffalo Sabres
Chad Johnson
3rd-round pick in 2016		 To New York Islanders
Michal Neuvirth
March 2, 2015[34] To Vancouver Canucks
Cory Conacher		 To New York Islanders
Dustin Jeffrey
March 2, 2015[35] To Arizona Coyotes
David Leggio		 To New York Islanders
Mark Louis


Free agency

Free agents acquired
Date Player Former team Contract terms (in U.S. dollars)
July 1, 2014 Chad Johnson Boston Bruins 2 years, $2.6 million[64]
July 1, 2014 T. J. Brennan Toronto Marlies 1 year, $600,000[65]
July 1, 2014 Kael Mouillierat St. John's IceCaps 1 year, $675,000[66]
July 1, 2014 Cory Conacher Buffalo Sabres 1 year, $600,000[67]
July 1, 2014 David Leggio Hershey Bears 1 year, $700,000[68]
July 1, 2014 Jack Skille Columbus Blue Jackets 1 year, $750,000[68]
July 1, 2014 Harry Zolnierczyk Pittsburgh Penguins 1 year, $650,000[68]
July 1, 2014 Mikhail Grabovski Washington Capitals 4 years, $20 million[69]
July 1, 2014 Nikolai Kulemin Toronto Maple Leafs 4 years, $16.75 million[70]
March 31, 2015 Ross Johnston Charlottetown Islanders 3 years, entry-level contract[71]

The Islanders lost two players to free agency on July 1, 2014 – goaltenders Anders Nilsson and Evgeni Nabokov. Nilsson signed a one-year contract with the Ak Bars Kazan of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL),[72] while Nabokov signed a one-year, $1.55 million contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning.[73]

The team acquired nine free agents, all on July 1, 2014. Of the nine signed, five players played at least one regular season game with the team – Chad Johnson, Cory Conacher, Harry Zolnierczyk, Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin, though Conacher and Zolnierczyk have spent the majority of the season with the Islanders' AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

Waivers transactions

One player was picked up off waivers during the season – Jack Skille was claimed by the Columbus Blue Jackets on October 5, 2014.[74] Seven other players were put on waivers by the Islanders during the season and sent to the Sound Tigers once cleared: David Leggio, Kevin Poulin, Harry Zolnierczyk, Aaron Ness, Colin McDonald, Cory Conacher and Matt Carkner.[9][15] Poulin, Zolnierczyk, and McDonald were all recalled to the Islanders at least once during the regular season.[75][76]

Player signings

Date Player Contract terms (in U.S. dollars)
July 15, 2014 Casey Cizikas 2 years, $2 million[77]
July 15, 2014 Calvin de Haan 3 years, $5.9 million[78]
July 24, 2014 Kevin Poulin 1 year, $650,000[79]
September 29, 2014 Michael Dal Colle 3 years, $9.375 million entry-level contract[80]
October 4, 2014 Joshua Ho-Sang 3 years, $3.4125 million entry-level contract[81]
February 24, 2015 Nick Leddy 7 years, $38.5 million contract extension[32]
March 12, 2015 Johnny Boychuk 7 years, $42 million contract extension[82]
April 2, 2015 Stephon Williams 2 years, entry-level contract[83]
April 8, 2015 Kyle Burroughs 3 years, entry-level contract[84]

Draft picks

Michael Dal Colle was the Islanders' first selection at the draft, taken fifth overall in round 1

The 2014 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 27–28, 2014 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Islanders finished 26th overall in the league standings during the 2013–14 season, to secure the fifth overall pick.

The team's two second-round picks went to the Tampa Bay Lightning as a result of a trade on June 27, 2014 that sent a 2014 first-round pick to the Islanders. Their third-round pick went to the Florida Panthers as a result of a trade on that sent a 2015 third-round pick to the Islanders. The Islanders' fifth-round pick and Thomas Vanek were traded to the Montreal Canadiens on March 5, 2014 in exchange for Sebastian Collberg and a conditional second-round pick in 2014; the condition was based on the Candiens qualifying for the 2014 playoffs.[85] The team's seventh-round pick went to the Lightning as a result of a trade that sent the Lightning's seventh round picks in 2014 and 2015 to the Islanders.

Round # Player Pos Nationality College/Junior/Club Team (League)
1 5 Michael Dal Colle LW  Canada Oshawa Generals (OHL)
1 28[lower-alpha 1] Joshua Ho-Sang C/RW  Canada Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
3 78[lower-alpha 2] Ilya Sorokin G  Russia Metallurg Novokuznetsk (KHL)
4 95 Linus Soderstrom G  Sweden Djurgardens IF (Sweden-Jr)
4 108[lower-alpha 3] Devon Toews D  Canada Quinnipiac Bobcats (ECAC Hockey)
6 155 Kyle Schempp C  United States Ferris State Bulldogs (WCHA)
7 200[lower-alpha 4] Lukas Sutter C  United States Red Deer Rebels (WHL)
  1. ↑ The Tampa Bay Lightning's first-round pick (originally from the New York Rangers) went to the New York Islanders as a result of a trade on June 27, 2014 that sent two 2014 second-round picks (#35–Dominik Masin, #57–Johnathan MacLeod) to the Lightning in exchange for this pick.
  2. ↑ The Philadelphia Flyers' third-round pick went to the New York Islanders as a result of a trade on March 4, 2014 that sent Andrew MacDonald to the Flyers in exchange for Matt Mangene, 2015 second-round pick and this pick.[86]
  3. ↑ The Philadelphia Flyers' fourth-round pick went to the New York Islanders as a result of a trade on June 12, 2013 that sent Mark Streit to the Flyers in exchange for Shane Harper and this pick.[87]
  4. ↑ The Lightning's seventh-round pick went to the New York Islanders as a result of a June 28, 2014 trade that sent a 2014 seventh-round pick to the Islanders in exchange for this pick.

References

  1. ↑ "2014–2015 NHL Attendance – National Hockey League – ESPN". ESPN. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  2. ↑ Compton, Brian (August 1, 2014). "Islanders stock up for last season at Nassau Coliseum". National Hockey League. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Halak Agrees to Four-Year Deal". National Hockey League. May 22, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Islanders Acquire Boychuk From Boston". National Hockey League. October 4, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Islanders Acquire Leddy from Blackhawks". National Hockey League. October 4, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
  6. ↑ Staple, Arthur (October 8, 2014). "Griffin Reinhart survives Islanders' roster shuffle". Newsday. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  7. ↑ Staple, Arthur (January 17, 2015). "Ryan Strome makes hard work pay for Islanders". Newsday. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Isles top Canes to open final season at Coliseum". ESPN. October 11, 2014. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 9.8 9.9 9.10 "October Transactions". National Hockey League. October 23, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  10. ↑ Hornick, Eric (October 30, 2014). "The Skinny: Colorado 5, Isles 0". NYISkinny. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  11. ↑ Lorenzo, Stephen (November 26, 2014). "Islanders’ John Tavares scores overtime winner to beat Capitals 3-2". Daily News. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "November Transactions". National Hockey League. November 25, 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Hornick, Eric (November 30, 2014). "The Skinny: Isles 3, New Jersey 1". NYISkinny. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  14. ↑ Wright, Corey (November 29, 2014). "You Don't Know Jack". National Hockey League. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 15.7 15.8 15.9 15.10 15.11 15.12 15.13 15.14 "December Transactions". National Hockey League. December 28, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Islanders Loan Conacher to Sound Tigers". Bridgeport Sound Tigers. December 13, 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Cory Conacher". NBC Sports. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  18. ↑ Staple, Arthur (December 5, 2014). "Casey Cizikas nets winner in third as Jaroslav Halak sets Isles' mark with 11th win in row". Newsday. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Sabres rally to beat Islanders 4-3 in SO". USA Today. December 28, 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  20. ↑ Kreda, Allen (December 29, 2014). "Islanders blow lead again, but beat Caps in OT". CBS Sports. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  21. ↑ Hornick, Eric (December 31, 2014). "The Skinny: Isles 5, Winnipeg 2". NYISkinny. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 22.5 "January Transactions". National Hockey League. January 6, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 "Islanders' Halak, Penguins' Fleury named to roster". NHL. January 15, 2015.
  24. ↑ "John Tavares' 4 goals lead record score in All-Star Game". ESPN. January 25, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  25. ↑ "Team Toews at Team Foligno". National Hockey League. January 25, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Staple, Arthur (February 5, 2015). "Kyle Okposo had eye surgery, two sources confirm". Newsday. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  27. ↑ Staple, Arthur (January 28, 2015). "Islanders' Cal Clutterbuck designated as alternate captain". Newsday. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  28. ↑ Hornick, Eric (January 28, 2015). "The Skinny: Isles 4, Rangers 1". NYISkinny. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  29. ↑ Satriano, David (February 19, 2015). "Halak ties Islanders record with win against Predators". National Hockey League. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
  30. ↑ Satriano, David (February 27, 2015). "Halak sets Islanders record with win against Flames". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 31.3 31.4 31.5 "February Transactions". National Hockey League. February 15, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 "Leddy Agrees to Terms on Seven-Year Deal". National Hockey League. February 24, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 Lorenzo, Stephen (March 2, 2015). "Islanders trade for Sharks forward Tyler Kennedy, Sabres goalie Michal Neuvirth". Daily News. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 "Islanders Acquire Jeffrey". National Hockey League. March 2, 2015. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 "Islanders Acquire Louis". National Hockey League. March 2, 2015. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 36.2 "Islanders trade for Neuvirth, Kennedy: report". National Hockey League. March 2, 2015. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  37. ↑ Wright, Cory (March 3, 2015). "Stars 3, Islanders 2 (OT)". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 "Islanders' Martin suspended one game for kneeing". National Hockey League. March 5, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 39.2 39.3 "March Transactions". National Hockey League. March 5, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  40. ↑ Paupart, Alain (March 7, 2015). "Ellis helps Panthers edge Islanders in second start". National Hockey League. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  41. ↑ Brophy, Mike (March 9, 2015). "Tavares' OT goal lifts Islanders past Maple Leafs". National Hockey League. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  42. ↑ Satriano, David (March 10, 2015). "Nash's 39th gives Rangers win against Islanders". National Hockey League. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  43. ↑ Morreale, Mike G. (March 21, 2015). "Halak helps Islanders shut out Devils to end skid". National Hockey League. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  44. ↑ Peters, Chris (April 9, 2015). "Red Wings, Islanders clinch playoff spots as Bruins pushed to brink". CBS Sports. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  45. ↑ Crosby, Wes (April 11, 2015). "Penguins fail to clinch, lose to Islanders". Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  46. ↑ Kresler, John (April 12, 2015). "Islanders blow two leads in third, fall to Blue Jackets". Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 "2014-2015 Regular Season Stats - Points - New York Islanders - Statistics". New York Islanders. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  48. ↑ "Carter, Scrivens and Nielsen named 'Three Stars'". NHL. October 27, 2014.
  49. ↑ "Halak, Callahan and Ramo named stars of the week". NHL. December 1, 2014.
  50. ↑ "2015 NHL All-Star selections highlighted by three Columbus Blue Jackets". NHL. January 10, 2015.
  51. ↑ "Ovechkin, Tavares, Rask named 'Stars' for January". NHL. February 2, 2015.
  52. ↑ "Byfuglien, Tatar and Okposo named stars of the week". NHL. January 19, 2015.
  53. ↑ "Lee Named NHL Rookie of the Month". National Hockey League. March 1, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  54. ↑ "Parise Gives Wild All They Need to Top the Islanders". The New York Times. March 25, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  55. ↑ "New York Islanders Roster". National Hockey League. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  56. ↑ "April Transactions". National Hockey League. April 23, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  57. ↑ Staple, Arthur (December 15, 2014). "Casey Cizikas back in lineup; injured Michael Grabner sits". Newsday. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  58. ↑ "Islanders' Lee fined for elbowing Blues' Gunnarsson". NHL. December 9, 2014.
  59. ↑ "Islanders' Clutterbuck fined for diving/embellishment". NHL. January 28, 2015.
  60. ↑ "Islanders Trade Up For Ho-Sang". National Hockey League. June 27, 2014. Retrieved June 28, 2014.
  61. ↑ "Islanders Select Five on Day Two". National Hockey League. June 28, 2014. Retrieved June 28, 2014.
  62. ↑ "Islanders Select Five on Day Two". National Hockey League. June 28, 2014. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
  63. ↑ "Islanders Acquire Mallet and Third-Round Pick From Vancouver". National Hockey League. November 25, 2014. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
  64. ↑ "Islanders Agree to Terms with Johnson". National Hockey League. July 1, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  65. ↑ "Islanders Agree to Terms with Brennan". National Hockey League. July 1, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  66. ↑ "Islanders Agree to Terms with Mouillierat". National Hockey League. July 1, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  67. ↑ "Conacher Agrees To Terms". National Hockey League. July 1, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  68. ↑ 68.0 68.1 68.2 "Islanders Sign Three To Two-Way Deals". National Hockey League. July 1, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  69. ↑ "Islanders Agree to Terms with Grabovski". National Hockey League. July 1, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  70. ↑ "Islanders Agree to Terms with Kulemin". National Hockey League. July 1, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  71. ↑ "Ross Johnston Agrees to Entry-Level Contract". National Hockey League. March 31, 2015. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  72. ↑ Dadoun, Ryan (May 27, 2014). "Report: Olver, Nilsson sign with KHL clubs". NBC Sports. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  73. ↑ "Lightning Sign Goalie Evgeni Nabokov to One-Year Contract". National Hockey League. July 1, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  74. ↑ "Blue Jackets claim forward Jack Skille off waivers from New York Islanders; place four on injured reserve". National Hockey League. October 5, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  75. ↑ Mendola, Nick (December 27, 2014). "Sabres rally to beat Islanders 4-3 in SO". CBS Sports. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  76. ↑ Mahiban, Dhiren (February 8, 2015). "Isles place Grabner on IR, recall McDonald and Zolnierczyk". NBC Sports. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  77. ↑ "Islanders Agree to Terms with Cizikas". National Hockey League. July 15, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  78. ↑ "Islanders Agree to Terms with de Haan". National Hockey League. July 15, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  79. ↑ "Islanders Agree to Terms with Poulin". National Hockey League. July 24, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  80. ↑ "Dal Colle Agrees to Terms on Entry-Level Contract". National Hockey League. September 29, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  81. ↑ "Ho-Sang Agrees to Terms on Entry Level Deal". National Hockey League. October 4, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  82. ↑ "Boychuk Agrees to Seven-Year Deal". National Hockey League. March 12, 2015. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
  83. ↑ "Stephon Williams Agrees to Entry-Level Contract". National Hockey League. April 2, 2015. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
  84. ↑ "Kyle Burroughs Agrees to Entry-Level Contract". National Hockey League. April 8, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  85. ↑ "Islanders Trade Vanek to Canadiens for Collberg, Pick". National Hockey League. March 5, 2014. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
  86. ↑ "Islanders send MacDonald to Flyers". National Hockey League. March 4, 2014. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
  87. ↑ "Flyers acquire rights to Islanders' Streit". National Hockey League. June 12, 2013. Retrieved May 18, 2014.

External links