The New York Islanders won a game Saturday night in which their top defenseman played 15 seconds, their newest defenseman played 25 minutes and their backup goalie exited with an injury before overtime began.
Fewer than 24 hours later and about 20 miles to the west, the Colorado Avalanche did their best to match the Islanders’ drama.
The Islanders and Avalanche will each attempt to build off their stirring victories Tuesday night when New York hosts Colorado in the finale of a seven-game homestand in Elmont, N.Y.
The Islanders have been off since Saturday, when Brock Nelson scored 2:03 into overtime to give New York a 3-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. The Avalanche last played Sunday, when Artturi Lehkonen scored with 14.7 seconds left in the third to lift Colorado to a 5-4 victory over the New York Rangers.
Nelson’s goal capped a display of resourcefulness and resilience by the Islanders, who won their season-high fourth straight game despite falling behind 2-0 fewer than seven minutes into the contest. They also overcame the nearly game-long absence of Ryan Pulock, who exited with an upper-body injury 15 seconds after faceoff.
With Pulock out, Tony DeAngelo — who was signed Friday after starting the season in the KHL in Russia — played 25:07 on Saturday, the second-most ice time among Islanders defensemen behind Alexander Romanov.
Nelson’s game-winner also gave Ilya Sorokin one of the most unusual victories in franchise history. Sorokin stopped the only shot he faced after replacing Marcus Hogberg, who left with an upper-body injury after making 24 saves in regulation.
The Islanders, who are six points out of the second wild card with six teams to pass, learned Monday they’ll have to continue their playoff push without Pulock and Hogberg, each of whom were placed on injured reserve.
To replace the duo, New York acquired defenseman Scott Perunovich from the St. Louis Blues for a conditional 2026 fifth-round draft pick and recalled goalie Jakub Skarek from AHL affiliate Bridgeport.
“You don’t like losing players, especially the way they were playing, they were playing really well for us,” Islanders coach Patrick Roy said. “But at the same time, it’s a good opportunity for other guys to take advantage of it.”
Lehkonen’s goal allowed the Avalanche to exhale after a whirlwind game at the end of a roller-coaster week. Colorado squandered a pair of two-goal leads Sunday before Lehkonen’s winner halted the Avalanche’s three-game losing streak (0-2-1).
Sunday marked Colorado’s second game since it dealt longtime star Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes in a three-way blockbuster Friday with the Chicago Blackhawks. The Avalanche received Martin Necas and Jack Drury as well as a pair of draft picks from the Hurricanes.
Necas and Drury debuted for Colorado in a 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday. Necas collected his first two assists for his new club and Drury tallied his first goal Sunday, helping the Avalanche move five points ahead of the Calgary Flames in the race for the top Western Conference wild card.
“It was big just with the changes to get a win,” said Colorado goalie Mackenzie Blackwood, who made 33 saves on Sunday. “That was a tough back-to-back — early mornings right away.”
–Field Level Media
