Notes from the New York Islanders' big win over the Colorado Avalanche

The New York Islanders got their first win of the season with a big 6-2 performance over the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena in Denver. Monday night’s outing was the triumphant return of Ilya Sorokin after missing several games as he recovered from offseason season surgery.

The big six-goal outpour in Monday night’s game gave the Islanders a much-needed win. The win was also especially meaningful for Patrick Roy as he returned to Colorado for the first time as Isles’ coach. So, it was a special touch for Roy to get the win against his former team.

Beyond Roy’s return, the game featured some highly encouraging notes. Let’s take a closer look.

Notes from the New York Islanders' win over the Colorado Avalanche

Sorokin looked fantastic

Whatever ailed Ilya Sorokin last season seems to be in the past. Sorokin looked very much like his old self on Monday night, playing a brilliant game. He stopped 32 shots, often robbing the Avs. In particular, Sorokin made a highlight-reel save on the Avs’ Casey Mittelstadt in the third.

That save was especially important as the game was 4-2 at the time. Had Mittelstadt scored, the game would have become a one-goal affair. Instead, Sorokin shut the door, and then Anthony Duclair padded the lead with a beautiful goal to make it 5-2.

The second line got the job done

Brock Nelson had two goals with Kyle Palmieri adding one of his own. Maxim Tsyplakov added an assist on the night.

It’s worth pointing out that both Nelson and Palmieri had beautiful goals. Palmieri robbed the Avs’ defenders of the puck and scored on a nifty breakaway. Palmieri controlled the puck despite a desperate poke-check from Colorado netminder Alexandar Georgiev.

Nelson’s goal was a show of patience and skills as he was able to hold on to the puck after picking up a rebound and two moves later, lifted the puck over Georgiev’s pad.

The third line set the tone

The third line got the goal fest started with Anders Lee’s workman goal to tie the game in the first. The goal was possible as Scott Mayfield kept the play alive. Then, Simon Holmstrom got the puck to the side of the net where Lee banged away at it until driving it home.

The goal wasn’t pretty, but it got the Isles on the board. It’s great to see the Isles getting that sort of production from the third line, especially at that point in the game.

The Islanders avoided crucial mistakes

This time around, there were no blown leads. Instead, the New York Islanders played a solid 60 minutes that culminated in a game free of grave errors that led to goals. Sure, Sorokin had to make big saves. But that’s expected when playing a highly talented team like the Colorado Avalanche.

The win on Monday night is a highly encouraging one, particularly with Ilya Sorokin looking more like his former Vezina-caliber self.