1994–95 New York Islanders season explained

League:	NHL
Season:	1994–95
Year:	1994
Team:	New York Islanders
Conference:	Eastern
Conferencerank:	13th
Division:	Atlantic
Divisionrank:	7th
Record:	15–28–5
Homerecord:	10–11–3
Roadrecord:	5–17–2
Goalsfor:	126
Goalsagainst:	158
Generalmanager:	Don Maloney
Coach:	Lorne Henning
Captain:	Patrick Flatley
Arena:	Nassau Coliseum
Attendance:	12,573
Minorleague:	Denver Grizzlies Tallahassee Tiger Sharks
Goalsleader:	Ray Ferraro (22)
Assistsleader:	Ray Ferraro (21)
Pointsleader:	Ray Ferraro (43)
Pimleader:	Mick Vukota (109)
Plusminusleader:	Dean Chynoweth (+9) Patrick Flatley (+9)
Winsleader:	Tommy Soderstrom (8)
Gaaleader:	Tommy Soderstrom (3.11)

The 1994–95 New York Islanders season was the 23rd season in the franchise's history. The Islanders were unable to qualify for the playoffs, thus ending their two-season playoff streak.

Offseason

Longtime head coach Al Arbour announced his retirement from coaching and was named the team's vice president of hockey operations on June 1.^[1] Assistant coach Lorne Henning was named his successor on June 20.^[2]

Regular season

After starting the season with a 4–2–1 record, the Islanders fell into a slump from which they could not recover. They would win only 11 of their remaining 41 games, going 11–26–4. The Islanders would finish 12 points out of eighth place and miss the playoffs for the first time since 1992.

Near the end of the season, General Manager Don Maloney decided that the core of players he had left alone for three seasons should be totally revamped, and he undertook a rebuilding project. He traded Pierre Turgeon and Vladimir Malakhov to Montreal for Kirk Muller and Mathieu Schneider, and Benoit Hogue was sent to Toronto for young goaltender Eric Fichaud. Additionally, Maloney allowed the team's leading scorer, Ray Ferraro, to depart as an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of the season. Fans' displeasure at the GM for trading the popular Turgeon was magnified when Muller balked at joining a rebuilding team. He only played 45 games for the Islanders before being sent to the Maple Leafs.

The Islanders finished the regular season having allowed the most short-handed goals in the NHL, with 11.^[3]

Season standings

Schedule and results

|- align="center" bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |1||W||January 21, 1995||2–1 || align="left"| Florida Panthers (1994–95) ||1–0–0 || |- align="center" |2||T||January 22, 1995||3–3 OT|| align="left"| Ottawa Senators (1994–95) ||1–0–1 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |3||W||January 24, 1995||4–3 || align="left"| Philadelphia Flyers (1994–95) ||2–0–1 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#FFBBBB"|4||L||January 27, 1995||2–5 || align="left"| @ Washington Capitals (1994–95) ||2–1–1 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#FFBBBB"|5||L||January 28, 1995||1–4 || align="left"| Tampa Bay Lightning (1994–95) ||2–2–1 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |6||W||January 31, 1995||5–1 || align="left"| @ Florida Panthers (1994–95) ||3–2–1 || |-|- align="center" bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |7||W||February 2, 1995||5–4 OT|| align="left"| @ Philadelphia Flyers (1994–95) ||4–2–1 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#FFBBBB"|8||L||February 4, 1995||2–4 || align="left"| @ Montreal Canadiens (1994–95) ||4–3–1 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#FFBBBB"|9||L||February 7, 1995||2–5 || align="left"| @ Tampa Bay Lightning (1994–95) ||4–4–1 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#FFBBBB"|10||L||February 9, 1995||2–5 || align="left"| Pittsburgh Penguins (1994–95) ||4–5–1 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |11||W||February 11, 1995||2–1 || align="left"| Buffalo Sabres (1994–95) ||5–5–1 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#FFBBBB"|12||L||February 14, 1995||2–3 || align="left"| Quebec Nordiques (1994–95) ||5–6–1 || |- align="center" |13||T||February 17, 1995||2–2 OT|| align="left"| @ New Jersey Devils (1994–95) ||5–6–2 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |14||W||February 18, 1995||3–2 || align="left"| New Jersey Devils (1994–95) ||6–6–2 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#FFBBBB"|15||L||February 20, 1995||2–3 OT|| align="left"| @ Montreal Canadiens (1994–95) ||6–7–2 || |- align="center" |16||T||February 22, 1995||3–3 OT|| align="left"| @ Buffalo Sabres (1994–95) ||6–7–3 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#FFBBBB"|17||L||February 23, 1995||1–4 || align="left"| Tampa Bay Lightning (1994–95) ||6–8–3 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |18||W||February 25, 1995||3–1 || align="left"| Pittsburgh Penguins (1994–95) ||7–8–3 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |19||W||February 28, 1995||2–1 || align="left"| Montreal Canadiens (1994–95) ||8–8–3 || |-|- align="center" bgcolor="#FFBBBB"|20||L||March 2, 1995||3–4 || align="left"| Washington Capitals (1994–95) ||8–9–3 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#FFBBBB"|21||L||March 5, 1995||1–3 || align="left"| @ Ottawa Senators (1994–95) ||8–10–3 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |22||W||March 7, 1995||3–1 || align="left"| Hartford Whalers (1994–95) ||9–10–3 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#FFBBBB"|23||L||March 9, 1995||2–4 || align="left"| @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1994–95) ||9–11–3 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#FFBBBB"|24||L||March 11, 1995||1–2 || align="left"| @ Quebec Nordiques (1994–95) ||9–12–3 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#FFBBBB"|25||L||March 14, 1995||4–6 || align="left"| @ Hartford Whalers (1994–95) ||9–13–3 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#FFBBBB"|26||L||March 16, 1995||3–6 || align="left"| @ Buffalo Sabres (1994–95) ||9–14–3 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#FFBBBB"|27||L||March 18, 1995||3–4 || align="left"| @ Boston Bruins (1994–95) ||9–15–3 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |28||W||March 23, 1995||1–0 || align="left"| New York Rangers (1994–95) ||10–15–3 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#FFBBBB"|29||L||March 25, 1995||1–5 || align="left"| @ Hartford Whalers (1994–95) ||10–16–3 || |- align="center" |30||T||March 26, 1995||5–5 OT|| align="left"| New Jersey Devils (1994–95) ||10–16–4 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#FFBBBB"|31||L||March 28, 1995||3–6 || align="left"| @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1994–95) ||10–17–4 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#FFBBBB"|32||L||March 30, 1995||2–3 || align="left"| Boston Bruins (1994–95) ||10–18–4 || |-|- align="center" bgcolor="#FFBBBB"|33||L||April 1, 1995||1–5 || align="left"| Buffalo Sabres (1994–95) ||10–19–4 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#FFBBBB"|34||L||April 4, 1995||4–5 || align="left"| Washington Capitals (1994–95) ||10–20–4 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |35||W||April 7, 1995||4–3 || align="left"| @ New York Rangers (1994–95) ||11–20–4 || |- align="center" |36||T||April 8, 1995||2–2 OT|| align="left"| Florida Panthers (1994–95) ||11–20–5 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#FFBBBB"|37||L||April 11, 1995||2–5 || align="left"| @ Tampa Bay Lightning (1994–95) ||11–21–5 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |38||W||April 12, 1995||3–1 || align="left"| @ Florida Panthers (1994–95) ||12–21–5 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#FFBBBB"|39||L||April 14, 1995||3–6 || align="left"| @ New Jersey Devils (1994–95) ||12–22–5 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#FFBBBB"|40||L||April 16, 1995||2–3 || align="left"| New York Rangers (1994–95) ||12–23–5 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |41||W||April 18, 1995||5–2 || align="left"| Quebec Nordiques (1994–95) ||13–23–5 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#FFBBBB"|42||L||April 20, 1995||1–2 || align="left"| @ Philadelphia Flyers (1994–95) ||13–24–5 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#FFBBBB"|43||L||April 22, 1995||2–3 || align="left"| Ottawa Senators (1994–95) ||13–25–5 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |44||W||April 24, 1995||5–3 || align="left"| Boston Bruins (1994–95) ||14–25–5 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#FFBBBB"|45||L||April 26, 1995||5–6 || align="left"| @ Washington Capitals (1994–95) ||14–26–5 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |46||W||April 28, 1995||4–2 || align="left"| @ New York Rangers (1994–95) ||15–26–5 || |- align="center" bgcolor="#FFBBBB"|47||L||April 29, 1995||3–4 || align="left"| @ Ottawa Senators (1994–95) ||15–27–5 || |-|- align="center" bgcolor="#FFBBBB"|48||L||May 2, 1995||0–2 || align="left"| Philadelphia Flyers (1994–95) ||15–28–5 || |-|-| Legend:

Player statistics

Scoring

Position abbreviations: C = Center; D = Defense; G = Goaltender; LW = Left Wing; RW = Right Wing
= Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Islanders only.
= Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Islanders only.

	Player
	Player		scope=colgroup colspan=6	Regular season
20		C	47	22	21	43	1	30
77		C	34	13	14	27	−12	10
26		RW	45	7	20	27	9	12
32		RW	47	11	15	26	−14	60
27		LW	43	10	16	26	−5	41
68		LW	33	10	7	17	3	6
18		LW	41	9	7	16	−1	8
92		D	26	3	13	16	−1	32
7		D	26	6	7	13	2	26
39		C	42	5	7	12	−10	25
37		D	41	1	11	12	3	53
33		LW	33	6	4	10	0	34
24		LW	26	5	4	9	0	23
72		D	13	3	6	9	−5	30
2		D	22	2	7	9	−8	6
9		C	12	3	5	8	3	14
15		RW	22	3	2	5	−8	14
17		C	12	1	4	5	−1	2
14		C	27	1	4	5	−8	21
75		RW	33	1	3	4	−8	100
6		D	47	1	3	4	−2	36
24		D	19	1	3	4	1	34
25		D	18	0	4	4	−6	9
28		C	10	0	3	3	1	2
34		LW	2	1	1	2	2	0
47		D	20	1	1	2	−3	40
3		D	32	0	2	2	9	77
12		RW	39	0	2	2	1	109
11		D	13	0	1	1	−11	22
10		C	8	0	1	1	1	0
35		G	6	0	1	1		0
9		LW	13	0	0	0	−2	11
10		C	3	0	0	0	−1	0
8		D	9	0	0	0	−5	2
29		G	21	0	0	0		2
30		G	26	0	0	0		2
34		D	2	0	0	0	−1	2
38		LW	2	0	0	0	0	2
36		D	1	0	0	0	−1	0

Goaltending

	Player
	Player	scope=colgroup colspan=10	Regular season
30		26	8	12	3	717	70	3.11	.902	1	1350
29		21	6	11	2	539	67	3.39	.876	0	1185
35		6	1	5	0	189	18	3.02	.905	0	358

Awards and records

Milestones

Milestone	Player	Date	Ref
First game	Brett Lindros	January 21, 1995	^[4]
	Chris Taylor	January 31, 1995
	Chris Marinucci	March 30, 1995
	Tommy Salo	April 11, 1995
	Andrei Vasilyev	April 26, 1995
	Jason Widmer	May 2, 1995

Draft picks

New York's draft picks at the 1994 NHL entry draft in Hartford, Connecticut.^[5]

Round	Pick	Player	College/junior/club team
1	9	Brett Lindros (RW)	Kingston Frontenacs (OHL)
2	38	Jason Holland (D)	Kamloops Blazers (WHL)
3	63	Jason Strudwick (D)	Kamloops Blazers (WHL)
4	90	Brad Lukowich (D)	Kamloops Blazers (WHL)
5	112	Mark McArthur (G)	Guelph Storm (OHL)
5	116	Albie O'Connell (LW)	Saint Sebastian's School (USHS-MA)
6	142	Jason Stewart (C)	Simley High School (USHS-MA)
8	194	Mike Loach (C)	Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
8	203	Peter Hogardh (C)	Västra Frölunda HC (Sweden)
9	220	Gord Walsh (LW)	Kingston Frontenacs (OHL)
10	246	Kirk DeWaele (D)	Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL)
11	272	Dick Tarnstrom (D)	AIK IF (Sweden)

References

Web site: New York Islanders 1994-95 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com . www.hockeydb.com . September 6, 2023.
Web site: 1994-95 New York Islanders Roster, Stats, Injuries, Scores, Results, Shootouts . Hockey-Reference.com . September 6, 2023.

Notes and References

Web site: Islanders coach Arbour returns to front office . Tampa Bay Times . September 6, 2023 . June 2, 1994.
Web site: HENNING REPLACES ARBOUR AS ISLANDERS COACH . Deseret News . September 6, 2023 . June 21, 1994.
Web site: 1994-95 NHL Summary. 2021-05-12. Hockey-Reference.com.
Web site: 1994-95 NHL Debuts . Hockey-Reference.com . October 5, 2024.
Web site: 1994 NHL Entry Draft Picks at hockeydb.com. 2021-05-12. www.hockeydb.com.