The homestand for the Colorado Avalanche rolls on tonight against the visiting New York Islanders, featuring the return of some old faces and more than a few mixed feelings.
Colorado Avalanche (12-1-5)
The Opponent: New York Islanders (10-6-2)
Time: 7:00 P.M. MST/9:00 P.M. EST
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Colorado Avalanche
Since losing in overtime to the San Jose Sharks on November
1st, the Avalanche have been on a remarkable run throughout the first half of November, compiling a five-game winning streak throughout that span and outscoring their opponents by a 26-11 margin. There hasn’t been a team in the NHL that has had as much success on home ice as Colorado: they have yet to lose in regulation on Ball Arena ice this season. Only the Dallas Stars and Carolina Hurricanes have eked out victories in the Mile High City, and those came by way of the shootout. A victory on Ball Arena ice will not come easy, and their 6-0-2 record is ample warning to opponents as they make their way to Denver.
That message is even louder for teams coming in from the Eastern Conference. The Avalanche currently are 6-1-2 in games against Eastern Conference opponents this season. The Avs most recent victory against the East came this past Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres, a 6-3 decision that extended the Avs winning streak to five games, their longest of the season to date. Gavin Brindley, in his first appearance as a top-six forward in the wake of the injury to Valeri Nichuskin, scored his fourth goal of the season, which served as the game-winner. Martin Nečas scored twice, and Gabe Landeskog, who had another goal wiped out earlier in the contest, recorded an empty net tally to secure the victory.
Nathan MacKinnon had a relatively quiet night, recording one assist on the evening, but he remains the NHL’s leader in points (33) and goals (14) coming into tonight’s contest.
The Avs remain the Central Division leaders with 29 points, which is still tops in the Central Division not to mention the best mark in the Western Conference and the entire League standings. The Dallas Stars and New Jersey Devils are two points back of Colorado, but Dallas has played one extra game to this point in the season. Both Dallas and New Jersey are idle coming into today’s scheduled games, so a win against New York gives the Avs an opportunity to widen their lead in the standings race.
Brock Nelson will face his former club for the first time tonight. Nelson spent thirteen seasons with New York prior to being acquired by the Avalanche at the trade deadline last season.
Projected Lineup
Forwards:
Artturi Lehkonen – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Nečas
Ross Colton – Brock Nelson – Gavin Brindley
Gabe Landeskog – Jack Drury – Victor Olofsson
Zakhar Bardakov – Parker Kelly – Taylor Makar*
Defense:
Cale Makar – Devon Toews
Josh Manson – Brent Burns
Sam Girard – Sam Malinski
Between the Pipes:
Mackenzie Blackwood
Scott Wedgewood
*Taylor Makar was sent down to Loveland after the victory against Buffalo on Sunday. With Brindley’s promotion to the second line, it’s possible to see Makar return to the Avalanche lineup for tonight’s game, but as of this writing, this has not been announced.
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders come into Denver riding a four game winning streak in the midst of their first of two seven game road trips scheduled this season. Three of their last four victories came in overtime, including a pair of victories against the Vegas Golden Knights and Utah Mammoth, both of which came within 24 hours.
Their reward? Going into the League’s toughest building against the League’s best team which has only one regulation loss against the Eastern Conference. No pressure.
Tonight’s game will also be New York’s third game in four nights. Pressure? What pressure?
Certainly, New York will draw upon its success it’s found during this road swing for motivation against Colorado, and their 3-2 overtime victory against the Metropolitan Division leading New Jersey Devils this past Monday can give them a lift. Will it be enough?
If they need further inspiration, how about this: Colorado’s last victory over New York came on January 02, 2024, a 5-4 overtime decision. Lane Lambert served as head coach for New York in that contest. Current head coach Patrick Roy (who is held in rather peculiar esteem in Colorado due to his conflicting legacies as a player and its one-time head coach and assistant general manager) is undefeated against his former club, as New York swept the season series last year, outscoring Colorado 11-4 across both games.
Some familiar faces will be staring down Colorado wearing New York blue and orange. Jonathan Drouin, who spent the past two seasons with the Avalanche, signed a two-year, eight million dollar contract as a free agent this past summer. In seventeen games with the Islanders, Drouin is fourth on the team in points (14), as he’s posted three goals and eleven assists thus far this season. Cal Ritchie, who was acquired by New York in the Brock Nelson trade, made his debut for the Islanders this past Friday against Utah, and will undoubtedly want to have a big game against the team that drafted him.
Matthew Schaefer, the first overall selection by New York this past June, has had an impressive start to the season. The rookie defenseman is third on the team in goals scored (7), and ranks first in points by a defenseman (15), tying him for second place among team scoring with Mathew Barzal. What’s more, Schaefer’s point total is also the best mark among all rookie scoring across the League.
Bo Horvat leads New York in goals (12), assists (11), and points (23), and has eight points (3G/5A) in his past five games.
Projected Lineup
Forwards:
Jonathan Drouin – Mathew Barzal – Simon Holmstrom
Emil Heineman – Bo Horvat – Kyle Palmieri
Anders Lee – Jean-Gabriel Pageau – Anthony Duclair
Casey Cizikas – Cal Ritchie – Maxim Tsyplakov
Defense:
Matthew Schaefer – Ryan Pulock
Adam Pelech – Tony DeAngelo
Alexander Romanov – Adam Boqvist
Between the Pipes:
Ilya Sorokin
David Rittich
