NY Islanders hand Colorado Avalanche only their second regulation loss of season

Mathew Barzal recorded a goal and two assists as the New York Islanders handed the NHL-leading Colorado Avalanche a 6-3 loss Thursday night at UBS Arena. The win snapped Colorado’s 17-game point streak and marked just its second regulation loss in 27 games.

"The focus was to play against the best team in the NHL," said head coach Patrick Roy after the game. "Like I said to them before the game, I believe if there's a team that could surprise them, it's us"

Kyle MacLean, Anders Lee, Bo Horvat, and Adam Pelech also scored for the Islanders. Ilya Sorokin made 35 saves, and Casey Cizikas added an empty-netter to seal New York’s second straight victory. The Islanders jumped out to a 3-0 lead, with MacLean scoring early and Lee finishing a Barzal feed late in the first. Horvat then tapped in his team-leading 17th goal off a Matthew Schaefer rebound. Lee's goal was the 295th of his career, tying Brock Nelson, who made his return to Long Island for 5th all-time in franchise history. The Isles honored Nelson with a tribute video and a standing ovation from the UBS Arena crowd at the first media timeout.

Colorado rallied with two goals in 85 seconds — from Valeri Nichushkin and Martin Necas — to make it 4-2, but Barzal responded with a highlight-reel backhander on the power play late in the second to restore control. Artturi Lehkonen added a third-period goal for Colorado. Mackenzie Blackwood finished with 36 saves in the loss. “Anytime Tampa and Colorado come in, those are tough games,” Barzal said. “I feel like you get one back on the field when you beat those guys. Just a huge win for us. Good, confident win for us tonight.”

The Islanders finished their seven-game homestand with a 3-3-1 record and now in a three-way tie in points for 3rd place in the very tight Metro Division. The team now heads to Florida for back-to-back games this weekend against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers.