Islanders Have Allowed The First Goal An NHL-Leading 47 Times

When the Tampa Bay Lightning struck first on Tuesday night in a 4-1 win, it marked the 47th time the New York Islanders have allowed their opponent to strike first, per Eric Hornick's "The Skinny". 

They now lead the league in that category, allowing the first goal of the game 63.5 percent of the time. 

"You're not always going to score the first goal. Come on. I know that," Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said on Tuesday morning after a devastating back-to-back this weekend. "But I mean, you don't want to dig yourself a big hole. You want to stay in that game. When you're giving a goal, you want to make sure you have that push back and then find a way to stop the bleeding."

The Islanders have allowed the first goal in four straight games, going 0-4-0 in that span. Over their six-game skid, they've scored the first goal just once. 

How important is scoring the first goal of the game?

The Islanders are 17-5-5 when they light the lamp first, but 15-27-5 when they allow the first one. 

On home ice, the Islanders are 10-3-3 when they score first at 7-2-2 on the road. 

But, when they allow the first goal at home, they're 7-12-2 and on the road they are 8-15-3. 

Goaltending-wise, the Islanders' netminders own a collective .911 SV% in the first period this season, with a .914 SV% on home ice and a .908 SV% on the road. 

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