Game Preview: Islanders vs Avalanche

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (21-20-7) VS COLORADO AVALANCHE (29-20-2)

7:30 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS

WATCH: ESPN+ | HULU

LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | ISLANDERS + UBS ARENA APP

The New York Islanders are vying to extend their season-long winning streak to five games when they host the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night at UBS Arena.

The Islanders improved their record to 4-2-0 on the season-long seven-game homestand after they defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 in overtime on Saturday night in the second game of a back-to-back set. Brock Nelson scored the overtime winner after Alexander Romanov and Anders Lee scored in regulation to overcome a 2-0 deficit. Ilya Sorokin earned the win, making one save after entering the game in relief for the overtime frame.

The Islanders have won seven of their last nine games. Saturday’s win lifted the Islanders above NHL-.500 for the first time since Nov. 14.

“We were in the mindset that we were in a hole and had to get out of it,” Mathew Barzal said. “Not quite out of it yet, but we’re climbing.”

The Avalanche snapped a three-game winless skid (0-2-1) on Sunday afternoon when Artturi Lehkonen scored with 15 seconds left to edge the New York Rangers 5-4 on the road. Cale Makar had a three-point performance (2G, 1A) in the win, while Juuso Parssinen and newly-acquired forward Jack Drury provided goals. Mackenzie Blackwood turned aside 33 of 37 shots in the win.

SEASON SERIES

The Islanders picked up their first win of the season against Colorado with a 6-2 victory on Oct. 14 in Denver. If the Isles can sweep the season series against the Avs for the first time since the 2018-19 season with a win on Tuesday.

ISLES NOTES

- Marcus Hogberg (upper body) and Ryan Pulock (upper body) were placed on IR, the team announced on Monday morning, both retroactive to Jan. 25. Goaltender Jakub Skarek was recalled from the Bridgeport Islanders in a corresponding move.

Hogberg made 24 saves through 60 minutes on Saturday before he left the game with injury. The Swedish netminder has a 2-2-0 record, along with a 1.45 GAA and a .947 SV% through five starts and two relief appearances. Pulock left the game 15 seconds into Saturday’s game and did not return. The blueliner has 16 points (3G, 13A) through 48 games played this season.

In light of Pulock’s injury, the Islanders made a deal on Monday afternoon, acquiring defenseman Scott Perunovich from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a conditional 5th round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.

- Max Tsyplakov, who was eligible to return on Saturday after serving a three-game suspension but was a healthy scratch against Carolina, is expected to draw back into the lineup in place of Pierre Engvall, per Roy.

- Alexander Romanov played a major role in the Islanders’ back-to-back wins over the weekend. The Russian defenseman laid a heavy hit on Philadelphia’s Cam York to spark the Isles on Friday, and he netted his first goal of the season on Saturday to get the scoring started for the Islanders.

“He made a huge difference,” Roy said of Romanov. “When Romi plays the way he’s been playing, it helps our team. What I love about him is his physicality. The hit that he gave to York against the Flyers, he stayed focused in the game despite the fact they were running after him. And he came up with another very strong performance against Carolina.”

- The trio of Barzal-Horvat-Lee has been hot as of late. Horvat has 10 points (7G, 3A) in his last nine games, Lee scored his team-leading 21st goal of the season on Saturday and Barzal leads the team with 10 assists since he returned from injury on Dec. 15.

“Everyone’s doing their job,” Barzal said. “We’re getting the puck up ice, Bo his scoring and Lee is down low. We’re all doing our thing, and it seems to be working.”

- Adam Pelech is riding a career-long four-game assist streak (4A).

- The Islanders have outscored opponents 13-5 in their season-long four-game winning streak and their penalty kill has only allowed one goal over those games.

- The Isles sport a 7-3-0 record since Jan. 1, where they’ve seen stark defensive improvement over that span. Their penalty kill (88.9%) ranks second in the NHL and their 1.90 GA/GP is third best in the league since the calendar flipped to 2025.

AVS NOTES

- The Avalanche have had an up-and-down season, but they find themselves in the first wild card spot in the west with a record of 29-20-2. Colorado started off the year with a 13-12-0 record through their first 25 games of the season, but settled in with a record of 16-8-2 since Dec. 3.

- Martin Necas and Jack Drury made their Avalanche debuts on Saturday after the three-team blockbuster trade that involved Colorado parting ways with Mikko Rantanen, who was their top goal scorer with 25 through 49 games.

- Drury scored in Sunday’s 5-4 win over the Rangers his second game with the Avs. The 24-year-old forward has nine points (3G, 6A) through 39 games with the Canes before the trade. Necas, who led Carolina with 55 points (16G, 39A) through 49 games before Friday’s move, had a two-assist night on Sunday.

- Nathan MacKinnon leads the Avs in scoring with 77 points (19G, 58A) through 51 games, which also leads the NHL in assists and points.

- The Avs are a high-octane team as their 3.27 GF/GP ranks eighth in the NHL.

- Colorado has struggled in the faceoff dot this season, as their 44.5 FOW% ranks 31^st in the league.