Game Preview: Islanders at Avalanche

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (20-14-4) AT COLORADO AVALANCHE (18-16-3)
8 P.M. ET - PEPSI CENTER
TV: MSG+ MSG GO
RADIO: 88.7FM - WRHU, AM570 - WMCA, 103.9FM - LI News
GAME NOTES
The New York Islanders close out 2017 on the road as they take on the Colorado Avalanche on New Year's Eve.
The New Year's Eve contest pits a pair of streaks against each other for the Islanders. The team is 10-0-1 in their last 11 New Years Eve games, but are 0-2-1 in their last three visits to Denver.

Josh Bailey is riding a career-long 10-game point streak (6G, 12A) - the longest active streak in the NHL - while John Tavares is on a nine-game point streak (4G, 14A). Anders Lee is currently tied with Nikita Kucherov and Alex Ovechkin for the NHL lead in goals (24).
The Islanders are looking to rebound from a 4-2 loss to Winnipeg on Friday night, a game where they put 44 shots on net, but ran into a hot goalie in Connor Hellebuyck.
"If we play like that and have chances like that every night we're going to win most of those games," Lee said after Friday's game.
LINEUP NOTES:
Doug Weight will announce his lineup around 10:40 mountain time, after the Islanders morning skate.

SEASON SERIES:
The Islanders beat the Avalanche 6-4 on Nov. 5 at Barclays Center. Mathew Barzal set an Islanders rookie record with five assists in the win, while Nick Leddy and Jordan Eberle each scored a pair of goals.
Matt Duchene was traded by the Avalanche to the Ottawa Senators midway through the first period of that game.
BY THE NUMBERS:
100 - points in the calendar year.This is the first time the Islanders recorded 100 points in a calendar year since 1983, when they recorded 105.
24 - goals for Anders Lee. Lee is tied for the NHL lead and is the first Islander since Pat LaFontaine to record 24 goals before the New Year.
10 - game point streak for Josh Bailey.Bailey's career-long streak is also the longest active streak in the NHL. Bailey is tied for the league lead with 38 assists and is tied with John Tavares for second in NHL scoring with 49 points.

THE AVALANCHE:
Last Game:W 4-3 OT vs Toronto
Leading Scorers: Goals: Nathan MacKinnon - 16
Assists: Nathan MacKinnon - 27
Points: Nathan MacKinnon - 43
Power Play:19.1% - 16th
Penalty Kill:83.7% - 6th
The Avalanche (39 points) are in the hunt for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference, as they sit four points back of the Minnesota Wild (43 points) with two games in hand. They have to leapfrog Anaheim, Chicago and Calgary to get there, but after going 6-3-1 in their last 10 games - and 3-1-1 in their last five.
Nathan MacKinnon leads the Avalanche in goals (16), assists (27) and points (43) this season. The 22-year-old is averaging over a point-per-game for the first time in his five-year career. MacKinnon has 15 points (8G, 7A) in 14 games this month.
Semyon Varlamov is 4-1-1 with a 2.15 goals-against average and .930 save percentage in his last six starts.
J.T. Compher's status for Sunday's game is up in the air and the Avalanche may go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen if he can't go, according to Ron Knabenbauer on the team's official website.