The Colorado Avalanche hosted the New York Islanders on Sunday, Nov. 16, for their Hockey Fights Cancer Night. The Avalanche entered the game on a nine-game point streak and a five-game winning streak. Regarding the visiting Islanders, they came into the game on a four-game winning streak, with the last three games coming in the form of overtime victories. Both teams were looking to continue their winning streaks on Sunday night. After the final horn, the Avalanche defeated the Islanders 4-1 to continue their winning streak.
The first period, for the most part, was a “going through the motions” type of flow, lasting just over 17 minutes. The Islanders did get on the board first after a puck deflected off Emil Heineman’s skate and somehow got past Scott Wedgewood. The Avalanche were trying to generate offense, but passes seemed not to be connecting like they wanted. The energy and effort were there, but nothing was stringing together. Wedgewood, after the goal, was dialed in and made saves for the Avalanche to keep them within one. Shots were tied at 7-7, but the Islanders were up 1-0 after 20 minutes.
The second period saw a pair of goals, both from the Avalanche. It only took 4:32 of the middle frame to see the home team tie it up as Cale Makar hit Ross Colton on a stretch pass into the Islanders’ zone. Colton, with the quick wrist shot, caught Ilya Sorokin off guard and scored shortside between the netminder and the right post. Then, not even 1:19 later, Victor Olofsson tipped a Sam Malinski shot from the blue line to redirect the puck past Sorokin to propel the Avalanche into the lead.
After being down 1-0 after the first 20 minutes, it only took 5:51 into the second period for the Avalanche to go from 1-0 down to 2-1 up. Wedgewood was standing tall for Colorado as he made multiple 10-bell saves throughout the second period. He kept the Avalanche in the game and then made sure to keep them in the lead heading into the second intermission. Despite being outshot 12-10 by the Islanders, the Avalanche had a 2-1 lead after the second period.
The third period seemed like the game would remain 2-1 as both Wedgewood and Sorokin were trading big save after big save. Following killing off their fourth penalty, the Avalanche, with 35 seconds left in the game, made it 3-1 after an empty net goal from Martin Necas. His 13th of the season, for the most part, put the game out of reach. Then, with 15 seconds left, Brent Burns made it 4-1 after his shot from the blue line near the benches got past Sorokin to really put the game out of reach.
Wedgewood’s 28 saves helped push the Avalanche’s winning streak to six games, and the team is now on a 10-game point streak. They’re 13-1-5 on the season, and their next game is not until Thursday, Nov. 20, against the New York Rangers. Regarding the Islanders, their winning streak was snapped, and they are now 10-7-2 on the season. Their next game is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 18, against the Dallas Stars.
There’s no place like road.
Coming off their latest uninspired effort at home, the Rangers (10-8-2) — who have won just one of nine games this season at Madison Square Garden — return to the cozy confines of hotel rooms and charter flights, carrying a six-game road win streak into a three-game western swing, beginning Tuesday in Las Vegas (8-4-6), then following with visits to Colorado (13-1-5) and Utah (10-7-1).
On paper, the slate gives off the appearance of one of the season’s tougher weeks, but logic isn’t welcome in any locker room occupied by the Rangers, who sport the league’s worst mark at home and the league’s best record on the road (9-1-1).
“We gotta keep doing our thing on the road,” defenseman Adam Fox said after Sunday’s 2-1 home loss to the Red Wings. “[It’s a] big trip, three really good teams. You want to stop losses at one and get back to winning.”
Mika Zibanejad controls the puck while on the power play during the Rangers’ Nov. 7 game against the Red Wings.
The team can be confident in the support between the pipes, with the elite tandem of former Vezina (Igor Shesterkin) and Conn Smythe (Jonathan Quick) winners combining to give the Rangers the league’s second-best GAA (2.45), entering Monday.
Though the offense has been abysmal at the Garden, averaging 1.4 goals per game, it has found rhythm almost anywhere else, scoring 3.45 goals per game on the road, partly fueled by the recent awakening of the Rangers power play.
Since going 0-for-12 with the man advantage in a five-game stretch, the Rangers have scored at least one power-play goal in five of their past six games, including the past four, in which they converted 4-of-9 opportunities.
Artemi Panarin tries to control the puck during the Rangers’ Nov. 12 game against the Lightning.
“It’s funny, we were talking about that our power play doesn’t look as good as it did when we weren’t scoring and here we are,” said Rangers assistant David Quinn who served as co-head coach in Mike Sullivan’s absence on Sunday. “One of things, obviously, we’ve been more opportunistic. We were dead last in the league. We were talking amongst ourselves — not only from a coaching standpoint but talking with the players — and there was a high level of frustration from the players’ standpoint because they felt like we were doing a lot of good things. To the eye test, our power play looked good, but we just weren’t scoring goals.
“Now we’re getting goals — I’m not saying we don’t look good at times — but we haven’t been as consistent on it. When we create chances and when we score, there’s a pace and a tempo to our game. We have a little bit of a 5-on-5 mentality, and when we’ve been generating offense and scoring goals on the power play, that’s what our approach has been. We’re taking advantage of the chances we’re getting and that’s the biggest thing.”
Quinn, the former Rangers head coach (2018-21), and assistant coach Joe Sacco, could split the lead duties again in Las Vegas.
Sullivan was a late scratch on Sunday due to a family matter and it is unclear when he will rejoin the team.
“It’s different,” Fox said of the dynamic without Sullivan. “I don’t think we’re gonna use that as an excuse. We’re gonna hope for the best with him. It’s an excuse that we could use, but obviously it doesn’t help when you’re missing your head coach.”