Recap: New York Islanders Buried By Colorado Avalanche 5-0

It was an avalanche alright, and the New York Islanders got buried.  Heading into Thursday nights game against the Colorado Avalanche, many fans were curious to see how the team would respond from an awful loss to the Winnipeg Jets the game before and almost every fan saw this game as the beginning of a true test for the team.  They were thoroughly disappointed.  Once again the second period became a horrific 20 minutes for this team as goalie Chad Johnson gave up 3 goals in the second, turning what was a 1-0 deficit into a 4-0 hole they simply could not climb out of.  The Islanders left the ice to find themselves out of first place for the first time all season thanks to poor defense, subpar goaltending, and another anemic performance on the Power Play (0 for 6).

Oct 30, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) scores a goal as New York Islanders goalie Chad Johnson (30), defensemenn Johnny Boychuk (55), and Nick Leddy (2), and center Frans Nielsen (51) attempt to defend during the second period at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov was peppered with 40 shots but shutout the Islanders for his first shutout and only his 2nd win of the year.  Varlamov looked like Avalanche Head Coach Patrick Roy as the Islanders did little to get traffic in front of the net, and Varlamov made each save with relative ease.  Reigning Rookie Of The Year winner Nathan MacKinnon-who had entered the game without a goal this season-scored two in the second period, both resulting from defensive breakdowns from the Islanders.  Defensive breakdowns have been a theme lately and that’s something Isles Head Coach Jack Capuano and the team need to address quickly.  Brian Strait had a tough night (again) as he got beat by Cody McLeod less than three minutes into the game for the opening goal.  McLeod took a pass from behind the net and was all alone in front, beating Johnson for his first goal of the season.

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It wouldn’t be an Islanders game without a soft goal being given up by an Isles net minder, and Johnson did just that in the second period.  Starting below the goal line, Avalanche forward Marc-Sebastian Cliche walked out of the corner and Johnson wasn’t square to the puck leaving a gap on the near side.  Cliche fired a wrist shot at Johnson which deflected off the goaltenders body and into the net to make it 3-0.  The goaltending woes are becoming more and more worrisome as the season goes on.  Both Jaroslav Halak and Johnson have save percentages below 90% and goals against averages above 3.5 goals per game.

New York (6-4-0 12 points, second in the Metropolitan Division) heads into San Jose (6-4-2 14 points) to battle the Sharks on Saturday night at the SAP Center.