Colorado Avalanche Game Day: Islanders cruise into Denver

The Colorado Avalanche and the New York Islanders will face off for an east-west showdown at Ball Arena. The Islanders return to action after defeating the Anaheim Ducks in a shutout fashion, and Colorado looks to extend yet another win streak to four games.

COLORADO AVALANCHE

If the Avalanche can secure a win over the Islanders, it will mark the fourth time Colorado has won four or more straight games this season. Colorado needs just thirty-six of the remaining fifty-eight points to tie the single-season point record of one-hundred-and-eighteen. Doing so would mean beating a record set by the fabled 2000-01 Colorado Avalanche squad that finally earned defender Raymond Borque his first Stanley Cup.

Avalanche forward Andre Burakovsky seems to have found a new home among the top-line alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. Burky had been suffering from a considerable slump before getting a haircut and moving to the top line. He has two goals in two games and three points in three contests.

FORWARDS

Andre Burakovsky - Nathan MacKinnon - Mikko Rantanen

Gabriel Landeskog - Nazem Kadri - Valeri Nichushkin

Logan O’Connor - Alex Newhook - JT Compher

Darren Helm - Tyson Jost - Nicolas Aube-Kubel

DEFENDERS

Devon Toews - Cale Makar

Jack Johnson - Samuel Girard

Ryan Murray - Erik Johnson

NEW YORK ISLANDERS

The Islanders haven’t been able to string many wins together this season. They have only secured forty-nine percent of ninety-eight points so far and are twenty-fourth in the NHL. That puts them a considerable distance out of any wild card position sitting seventeen points back of the Washington Capitals.

When a team is essentially out of playoff contention, it’s hard to know what sort of performance to expect from them. Many teams thrive off being the underdog and prefer to have nothing to lose. It’s the sort of thing that can galvanize a group or send the room spiraling.

FORWARDS

Anders Lee - Brock Nelson - Anthony Beauvillier

Zach Parise - Jean-Gabriel Pageau - Kyle Palmeri

Kieffer Bellows - Josh Bailey - Oliver Wahlstrom

Ross Johnston - Casey Cisikas - Cal Clutterbuck

DEFENDERS

Andy Greene - Noah Dobson

Adam Pelech - Scotty Mayfield

Sebastian Aho - Ryan Pulock

GOALTENDERS

Darcy Kuemper will most likely start for the home team tonight. The Kuemperor has a win-loss record and stat line to be admired at this point in the season. He has a record of (26-6-2) and a GAA of 2.46. Add to that a .920 SV%, and you have February’s Player of the Month, at ease Avalanche faithful.

Ilya Sorokin will get the nod for the Islanders. He has been solid behind his squad and is fresh off a shutout against the Anaheim Ducks. Sorokin comes in with seventeen wins in thirty-five starts and is posting a 2.37 GAA and .923 SV%.