Takeaways: Islanders Beat League-Leading Avalanche 6-3

The New York Islanders toppled the NHL’s top team on Thursday night, beating the Colorado Avalanche 6-3 at UBS Arena.

Mathew Barzal had a three-point game (1G, 2A), while Bo Horvat (1G, 1A), Anders Lee (1G, 1A) and Ryan Pulock (2A) each had two-point games. Adam Pelech, Kyle MacLean and Casey Cizikas (ENG) rounded out the scoring for the Islanders, who picked up their second straight win and halted Colorado’s 17-game point streak in the process.

Valeri Nichushkin, Martin Necas (1G, 1A) and Artturi Lehkonen scored for the Avs, who suffered their first regulation defeat since Oct. 25.

Ilya Sorokin stopped 35 of 38 in the win, while Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 36 of 41 in the loss.

With the win, the Isles finish their homestand 3-3-1 record. Head Coach Patrick Roy also picked up his 200^th win as a coach.

TAKEAWAYS

- It wasn’t just that the Islanders won two in a row to close out their seven-game homestand, but who they beat in the process.

On Tuesday, the Isles halted the Tampa Bay Lightning’s seven-game winning streak. On Thursday, they outgunned the top team in the league, riding a 17-game point streak.

“Anytime Tampa and Colorado come in, those are tough games,” Barzal said. “I feel like you get one back on the field when you beat those guys. Just a huge win for us. Good, confident win for us tonight.”

Roy said he was proud of the way his team rose to the challenge of the past two games after a 1-3-1 start to the homestand.

- The Islanders offense came alive on Thursday, scoring six goals for the second time this season.

The offensive outburst was a far cry from the start of the Islanders home stand, where the team managed six goals over a span of five games. Barzal said he felt the team didn’t make any radical changes and that the Isles liked the chances they were getting over the past two weeks. Thursday marked the sixth time in seven games they’d recorded 30-or-more shots, so the shots and chances were there.

The Isles also got out to a big early lead on Thursday, going up 4-0 by the 7:59 mark of the second period.

-The MacLean-Cizikas-Marc Gatcomb line had a strong game on Thursday. MacLean opened the scoring, crashing the net and pulling the puck out of a goalmouth scramble before depositing his first goal of the season.

That was a harbinger of things to come for the line, who were strong on the forecheck all game and were able to keep Cale Makar and Devon Toews in their defensive zone. Roy said he’s felt comfortable with playing Cizikas and MacLean against other teams top lines over the past two games. Cizikas was rewarded with an empty-netter to ice the game.

- The Islanders found success mucking it up with the high-flying Avs, funneling pucks and bodies towards the net to create some havoc. That’s how Horvat made it 3-0 in the second period, putting himself in position to collect a Matthew Schaefer rebound after it hit Brent Burns’ skate and Blackwood’s pad.

- There were some pretty goals too. Barzal, who Roy called “outstanding,” dangled through a host of Avs to make it 5-2 in the second period. Earlier, Barzal fed Lee for the captain’s sixth goal of the season, which Lee wristed home a shot from the slot to make it 2-0. (In a fun twist, Barzal and Lee’s fathers were sitting next to each other in the stands when their sons connected on the goal.)

There was a bit of poetry on Lee’s tally, as it marked his 295^th career goal, tying him with Brock Nelson for fifth in franchise history. Lee joked after he was hoping for one more to pass him, but spoke at length about Nelson’s contributions to the franchise. Nelson, who played 901 games with the Islanders, was honored with a tribute video in the first period.

- Pelech scored his first goal of the season on Thursday – and first since Feb. 20, 2024. The defenseman threw it on net from distance, but it found a way through Blackwood. Pelech deserved one given how he finished Tuesday’s game against Tampa, playing three of the final 3:34 to close it out. His teammates took notice, giving him the iron man mask for player of the game.

- The Avalanche didn’t go quietly, with Nichushkin and Necas scoring 1:25 apart to make it a 4-2 game. Necas’ goal came on a bad break for the Isles, as his centering feed caromed off Travis Mitchell’s skate and past Sorokin at 10:04 of the middle frame.

Colorado’s top line showed their skill early in the third, turning the Islanders around in their own zone before Makar fed Lehkonen for a one-timer at the side of the net to make it 5-3. The Isles knew they couldn’t sit back and turned in a stingy third period, including a pair of late penalty kills, including a six-on-four situation in the final four minutes.

“We didn't start the third … the way we wanted, but I thought we settled right back in, and it got right back to our game, which is sign of maturity, a little bit from our group,” Lee said.

- The Islanders held NHL leading scorer Nathan MacKinnon off the scoresheet for the second time this season. MacKinnon had six shot attempts and 13 total attempts.

- Jonathan Drouin (lower body) was a late scratch on Thursday night, as the winger took warmups, but did not play. That meant Max Tsyplakov took his spot alongside Barzal and Lee, while Marc Gatcomb drew into the lineup. With Drouin out, Anthony Duclair also elevated to the Islanders top power-play unit.

NEXT GAME

The Islanders head out on the road for back-to-back games in Tampa Bay and Florida on Saturday and Sunday.