NY Islanders get first win of the season in Patrick Roy's return to Colorado
The NY Islanders get their first win of the season on the road against the Colorado Avalanche
HOW IT HAPPENED
The NY Islanders kept the intensity from the third period of their game against the Dallas Stars, heading into a rough environment in Colorado and leaving with two points. After going down a goal just over a minute into the game, the Islanders responded with six of their own in a 6-2 victory. Brock Nelson scored his first two goals of the season, with tallies also coming from Anthony Duclair, Anders Lee, Kyle Palmieri, and Mat Barzal.
WHAT WENT RIGHT
The Islanders woke up offensively after getting blanked in Dallas, but the story of the night was Ilya Sorokin in his first game after off-season back surgery. After allowing an early goal to no fault of his own, Sorokin was unaffected, stopping 32 of 34 shots. He came up with some timely saves and looked like the Sorokin of old.
WHAT WENT WRONG
Though it wasn't officially a power play goal, the Avs scored seconds after Max Tsyplakov was released from the penalty box. The Islanders technically killed both of their penalties, but the short PK will have to be better despite Brock Nelson scoring a short-handed goal.
Tsyplakov has been strong in his first two games, but his unwillingness to get the puck deep at times is something Patrick Roy will want to fix. He made a backhanded pass from the boards along the blueline toward the center of the ice that turned into a Nelson goal but could have easily turned into a breakaway in Colorado's favor.
STATS OF THE GAME
Almost everyone got in on the action tonight as 12 of the 18 skaters recorded a point, with Nelson being the only player with a multi-point night.
SOCIAL MEDIA MOMENT OF THE GAME
It wasn't a video montage but the cameras in Colorado panned to Patrick Roy during the first TV timeout, as the crowd at Ball Arena erupted into cheers for their former player and coach.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Islanders finish their road trip on Thursday against the St. Louis Blues. Puck drop is scheduled for 8:00 pm.