In what proved to be a very close and offensive game, the Avalanche just edged past the Islanders 2-1 at the Pepsi Center. The Islanders dropped an embarrassing game against the worst team in the NHL, gaining a point but not much confidence heading into Glendale.
- New York Islanders 1 (16-15-7)
- Colorado Avalanche 2 (12-25-1)
- NHL, Final, Box Score
- Pepsi Center, Denver, CO
An offensive stalemate
The Islanders need every single point they can squeeze out of the remaining 45 games.
Friday night’s game against the Avalanche was one that was closer than it should have been, and after heading into overtime all but buried the Islanders.
Nothing seemed to line up offensively for the Islanders who managed to shoot the puck in virtually every direction except towards the net.
They got *this* close on a missed shot by Thomas Hickey in the dying seconds of the game, and it ultimately proved costly.
Conversely, for the Avs, they ran into a well rested Thomas Greiss. Greiss was the very reason the Islanders got as far as they did in this game, stopping 33 shots in regulation and six more in overtime.
Specialty Teams
The Islanders managed to get somewhere against Colorado because of their specialty teams.
After killing every powerplay in regulation the Islanders scored on one of their own. A five on three goal by Johnny Boychuk was the equalizer for the Islanders and helped carry New York into overtime to earn a point.
?? @joboych #Isles #NYIvsCOL pic.twitter.com/Q2h2BBzPje
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) January 7, 2017
The biggest kill for New York was the overtime penalty by Calvin deHaan who hooked an Avalanche player to give the Avs a powerplay with a little over a minute left in OT.
The kill was unsuccessful.
Onto the ‘Yotes
The Islanders will play the Coyotes tomorrow and a loss against the NHL’s worst team is probably not how they wanted to go up against Arizona.
Looking into tomorrow’s matchup, the Islanders most definitely need a win. Three of a four possible points against two of the NHL’s worst teams is a bare minimum needed for the Islanders.
After an embarrassment tonight in which they could not get through a shaky goaltender, 100% effort is needed on the tail end of a back-to-back.
It is very likely that JF Berube will get the start tomorrow.
