Avalanche Hosts Islanders on New Year's Eve

The Colorado Avalanche closes out the 2017 calendar year on Sunday, hosting the New York Islanders at Pepsi Center. The contest is the third of a season-long six-game homestand for Colorado, which will host Winnipeg, Columbus and Minnesota leading up to its bye week from Jan. 7-11. It's also the second and final meeting between these two teams, who clashed on Nov. 5 at Barclays Center, where the Islanders secured a 6-4 victory.
The Avs are 16-12-3 all-time against the Islanders, but have had much more success at home in the series, going 11-2-3 inside the friendly confines. Colorado has won its last three contests on home ice against the Isles and earned at least a point in its last six outings at Pepsi Center.

Last Time Out

Colorado Avalanche
Nathan MacKinnon notched three points (1g, 2a) - his fifth three-point game of the season - and J.T. Compher potted his first career overtime winner to lift the Avalanche to a 4-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs Friday night. Mikko Rantanen also found the back of the net in the win, extending his point streak to a career-long eight games. The Avs were 2-for-2 on the penalty kill and converted on one of their four power-play opportunities.
New York Islanders
The Islanders enter Sunday's game coming off a 4-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Friday evening. Anders Lee notched both of New York's goals and the Islanders held a 44-37 advantage in shots, but Connor Hellebuyck made 42 saves to keep one of the league's top offenses in check. New York was scoreless on four power-play chances while holding Winnipeg to one tally on five opportunities with the man advantage. Jaroslav Halak stopped 33 shots in the effort.

Last Time They Met

Rookie Mathew Barzal notched five assists, as the Islanders topped the Avalanche 6-4 on Nov. 5 at Barclays Center. New York held a 6-2 lead late into the third before Alexander Kerfoot tallied two goals in a 21-second span with under a minute remaining to bring the Avs within two. Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog were the other goalscorers for Colorado, while Nick Leddy and Jordan Eberle each scored twice for the Islanders.

What to Watch

Avs Special Teams
Colorado extended its penalty-killing streak to 30 consecutive kills on Friday night, going 2-for-2 against the Maple Leafs. The streak is Colorado's longest since 1998-99 (35 straight, Oct. 31-Nov. 17, 1998) and the 10 straight games without allowing a power-play goal is the longest streak in Avalanche history (since 1995-96).
The Avs have been even stronger on the PK at home, giving up only four power-play goals in 19 games and 60 chances at home. The club hasn't allowed a man-advantage goal at Pepsi Center since Dec. 1 vs. New Jersey, and is the best home penalty kill in the league at 56-for-60 (93.3%) on home ice.
Ringing in the New Year
This is the fifth consecutive season that the Avs have hosted a New Year's Eve game and the sixth time overall, with Colorado posting a 3-2-1 record. Overall, Colorado is 7-5-2 in 14 New Year's Eve contests.
Top Offenses Collide
New York's 3.5 goals-per-game average ranks second in the league, while Colorado is tied for seventh, scoring at a 3.14 goals-per-game clip.
Nathan MacKinnon has paced the Colorado offense with 43 points (16g, 27a), which ranks ninth in the NHL, and 31 of his points (12g, 19a) have come in 19 home contests. All five of his three-point games this season have also come at Pepsi Center.
John Tavares (21g, 28a) and Josh Bailey (11g, 38a) lead the New York offense with 49 points each. Along with Anders Lee, they have combined for 56 points (22g, 34a) in the month of December, the highest-scoring line in the league.

Player to Watch

Colorado: Left wing Blake Comeau
Comeau has played a big role in the Avalanche's red-hot penalty kill. He ranks second in overall shorthanded time on ice with just over 100 minutes and third in shorthanded time on ice per game at 2:42. The Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan, native has three points (2g, 1a) in 13 career contests against the team that drafted him, who he spent four and a half seasons with from 2007-11.
New York: Center Mathew Barzal
Barzal ranks second among league rookies with 36 points (13g, 23a) this season, his 23 assists pacing all first-year players. He ranks four in scoring for an Islanders club that has the league's second-best offense, averaging 3.5 goals per game.

The Details

Sunday evening's tilt between the Avalanche and the Islanders is slated to begin at 6 p.m. MT, and tickets are still available. Immediately postgame, fans are invited to remain in their seats for a special New Year's Eve indoor fireworks display.
The game can be watched live on Altitude TV, and the radio broadcast can be heard on Altitude Sports Radio AM 950 or online at ColoradoAvalanche.com.