2007–08 New York Islanders season

Offseason

Key dates prior to the start of the season:

• The 2007 NHL entry draft took place in Columbus, Ohio on June 22–23
• The free agency period began on July 1.

Forward Bill Guerin is named team captain, replacing departed forward Alexei Yashin.

Regular season

Excluding five shootout-winning goals, the Islanders finished the regular season with 189 goals for, the fewest of all 30 teams in the NHL. They also allowed the most shorthanded goals in the NHL, with 15.

Significant events

An early season highlight occurred on November 3, 2007, when Al Arbour returned to coach his 1,500th game for the Islanders at the behest of Ted Nolan, who wanted Arbour's regular season games coached total to reach 1,500, a round number. The Islanders came from behind to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3–2, which extended Arbour's NHL record for most games coached with one team and extended his NHL record 740 regular season wins with one team. Afterwards, in a post-game ceremony, the Islanders raised a new banner to honor Arbour's 1500th game coached for the Islanders.

On January 22, 2008, the Islanders scored three short-handed goals in a 6–3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes.

Standings

Conference standings

Schedule and results

|- | 1 || October 5 || NY Islanders || 6 – 4 || Buffalo || || DiPietro || 18,690 || 1–0–0 || 2 || |- | 2 || October 6 || Buffalo || 2 – 3 || NY Islanders || || DiPietro || 16,234 || 2–0–0 || 4 || |- | 3 || October 8 || Washington || 2 – 1 || NY Islanders || || DiPietro || 16,234 || 2–1–0 || 4 || |- | 4 || October 10 || NY Rangers || 1 – 2 || NY Islanders || || DiPietro || 15,295 || 3–1–0 || 6 || |- | 5 || October 11 || NY Islanders || 1 – 8 || Toronto || || Dubielewicz || 19,319 || 3–2–0 || 6 || |- | 6 || October 13 || NY Islanders ||1 – 3 || Philadelphia || || DiPietro || 19,714 || 3–3–0 || 6 || |- | 7 || October 18 || NY Islanders || 5 – 2 || Washington || || DiPietro || 11,036 || 4–3–0 || 8 || |- | 8 || October 20 || New Jersey || 3 – 4 || NY Islanders || OT || DiPietro || 14,092 || 5–3–0 || 10 || |- | 9 || October 27 || Carolina || 8 – 3 || NY Islanders || || DiPietro || 13,136 || 5–4–0 || 10 ||

| Legend:

Playoffs

Fans and players had high hopes the 2007–08 season because the team made the playoffs the previous year and were hoping for a playoff clinch repeat. However, the season ended in disappointment as the Islanders missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2005–06 season.

Player statistics

Skaters

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes

Goaltenders

Note: GP = Games played; TOI = Time on ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime/shootout losses; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; Sv% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average

Awards and records

Milestones

Transactions

The Islanders were involved in the following transactions during the 2007–08 season.

Trades

Free agents

|}

Draft picks

New York's picks at the 2007 NHL entry draft in Columbus, Ohio.

References

References

1. "2007-08 New York Islanders Roster and Statistics".
2. "2007-08 NHL Schedule and Results".
3. "2007-08 NHL Summary".
4. "Newsday | Long Island's & NYC's News Source".
5. [http://islanders.nhl.com/team/app?articleid=342184&page=NewsPage&service=page New York Islanders - News: ARBOUR 1500 BANNER RAISED - 11/04/2007]
6. "New York Islanders at Carolina Hurricanes Box Score — January 22, 2008".
7. "2007-08 New York Islanders Schedule".
8. 2007 NHL Entry Draft Results [http://www.nhl.com/futures/2007draft/ nhl.com] {{dead link. (January 2017)