UBS Keys to the Game: Islanders at Avalanche

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (20-21-8) AT COLORADO AVALANCHE (39-10-4)9 PM ET | BALL ARENAWATCH: MSG+ | MSG GO | ESPN+LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | 98.7FM
The New York Islanders look to keep the winning going as they take on the league-leading Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night in the final stop of their five-game (2-1-1) west coast road swing.
The Islanders enter the matchup at the Mile High City after getting back in the win column with a decisive 4-0 blanking over the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday night. The victory featured even-strength scoring from Noah Dobson, Casey Cizikas, Andy Greene and Kieffer Bellows. Ilya Sorokin made 34 saves as he recorded his fifth shutout of the season.

The Avs are coming off a 3-2 comeback win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday night. Nathan MacKinnon scored the game winner, while Andre Burakovsky and JT Compher also found the back of the net. Darcy Kuemper made 34 saves on 36 shots.
Tuesday's meeting marks the first clash between clubs since Feb. 19, 2020, where the Avalanche defeated the Islanders 3-1.

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• Dobson potted his ninth goal of the season and now has three points (1G, 2A) in his last two games. The 22-year-old blueliner leads Islanders d-men in scoring with 26 points (9G, 17A) through 47 games. Dobson's nine goals - all have come since Dec. 5 - rank the most among all NHL defensemen during that span, including one more than Avalanche blueliner Cale Makar.
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• Greene returned to the lineup for the first time since Feb. 12 after being a healthy scratch for six games. The goal marked his second of the season.
• Cizikas tallied his sixth goal of the season and also dished out an assist.
• Bellows recorded his fourth goal of the season and has four points (1G, 3A) in his last six games.
• Sorokin improved his record to 17-11-7 with his fifth shutout of the season. The win marked the 30th of his career and his eighth-career shutout. In doing so, the 26-year-old became the fourth active goaltender to record at least eight shutouts through his first 30 NHL wins.
• Sebastian Aho assisted on Bellows' goal and extended his career-high point streak to five games where he's totaled as many helpers in that span.
• Josh Bailey returned to the lineup after being a healthy scratch for two games and centered a line between Bellows and Oliver Wahlstrom.
• Mathew Barzal (lower body) and Zdeno Chara (upper body) both missed the game against Anaheim after sustaining injuries at Los Angeles the night prior and are listed as day-to-day. Barzal leads the Islanders in scoring with 37 points (12G, 25A) through 45 games.
• Ross Johnston returned to the lineup in place of Matt Martin and posted his first-career multi-point (2A) outing in his 100th-career game.
• The Islanders went 2-for-2 on the penalty kill and their power play was 0-for-2 against Anaheim. Their PK unit ranks eighth in The NHL at 82.5%, while their power play checks in at 23rd in the league.

AVALANCHE NOTES:

• MacKinnon scored his 15th goal of the season and extended his goal streak to four games where he has lit the lamp five times. MacKinnon is also riding a seven-game point streak with eight points (6G, 2A) during that span. Through 38 games this season, MacKinnon has totaled 51 points.
• Burakovsky scored his 16th goal of the season and extended his point streak to three games where he's gathered four points (2G, 2A). Through 51 games this season, the winger has totaled 40 points (16G, 24A).
• Compher buried his 10th goal of the season.
• Kuemper made his 37th start of the season and improved his record to 26-6-2.
• With an assist on MacKinnon's goal, Mikko Rantanen extended his point streak to six games where he has collected 10 points (2G, 8A) during that span. The Finnish winger has compiled the second-most points among Colorado this season with 65 (26G, 39A) through 50 games.
• Also, with an assist on MacKinnon's goal, Cale Makar furthered his point streak to eight games, handing out 12 assists in that span. The defenseman leads all the NHL blueliners in scoring and goals with 56 points and 18 goals through 49 games.
• Nazem Kadri is atop the Avs leaderboard in scoring with 66 points (22G, 44A) through 50 games. Kadri's 66 points rank the fourth highest in the NHL.
• Former Islander Devon Toews has earned 39 points this season (9G, 30A) and is a plus-42 this season. Toews will face his former team for the first time since being dealt in October 2020.
• Colorado boasts the 10th-best power play in the league at 22.6%. Their penalty kill sits in 21st overall at 77.6%.
• The Avs average the second-most goals for per game behind Florida with 3.96 on a nightly basis.
• Colorado averages the fifth-highest shots per game in the league at 34.9.
• On the injury front, defenseman Bowen Byram (head) is sidelined. Byram skated at the team's practice facility last Tuesday.