Recap: Avalanche 6, Islanders 1

The New York Islanders closed out 2017 with a 6-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday night at Pepsi Center.
Four second period goals were the difference, as the Avalanche turned a 1-0 lead into a 5-0 deficit in the middle frame. Gabriel Landeskog scored a pair of power-play goals, while Matt Nieto and Carl Soderberg each scored for Colorado in the decisive stretch.

Josh Bailey broke Jonathan Bernier's shutout bid at 12:24 of the third period, but it didn't factor much into the result, as the Islanders suffered their second straight loss and earned zero of a possible four points on their current road trip.
"They got what they deserved and we got what we deserved," Bailey said. "Over the course of the season you're going to have those ups and downs. Obviously it's a pretty big down and a frustrating game."
Patrik Nemeth had the Avalanche up 1-0 after the first period with a one-timer off an odd-man rush, but things began to snowball against the Islanders in the second. Nieto knocked a Soderberg centering feed past Jaroslav Halak to make it 2-0 at 5:25 and Soderberg scored one, of his own, fighting off a check and scoring in tight from the side of the net, at 12:30 to stretch the lead to 3-0.

Landeskog scored the first of his two power-play goals at 16:35, kicking the puck to his stick in front of the net before sweeping it in at 16:35. A bench minor - Doug Weight got two and was ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct - later turned into a five-on-three and Landeskog scored his second of the night on the two-man advantage.
By the end of the second period, the Islanders were down 5-0 and were outshot 35-15.
"We started out pretty good and obviously we had a few turnovers that led to a goal and a few chances that put us on our heels and instead of just regrouping we chased it and got off our game," Assistant Coach Luke Richardson said. "They just poured it on. They out battled us really 200 feet of the ice."
Halak made 30 saves in two periods of work and was replaced by Thomas Greiss, who made 12 saves in relief. Bailey's goal extended his career-long point streak to 11 games, but Erik Johnson made it 6-1 40 seconds later to round out the scoring.

AHO MAKES DEBUT:
Sebastian Aho made his NHL debut on Sunday, skating 16:07 TOI with two shots. Aho was mainly paired with Thomas Hickey and saw some time on the Islanders second power-play unit.
"We thought he moved the puck well and got some shots on the net," Richardson said. "Overall, we have to be better as a group."
NEXT GAME:
The Islanders kick off 2018 against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night at Barclays Center.