The Skinny: Isles 6, Colorado 2

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Game 3

Isles 6, Colorado 2

Brock Nelson scored two goals in a 2:49 span to break open a 2-1 game and Ilya Sorokin made 32 saves in his season debut as the Isles defeated the Colorado Avalanche 6-2 before a sellout crowd of 18,017 at Ball Arena. 

The Isles scored six of the last seven goals for their biggest offensive output in Colorado since 1978.

The Isles are 1-1-1 on the season and head to St. Louis on Thursday to conclude this three-game road trip. 

The Scoring:  

1st Period

Calum Ritchie (1) Josh Manson (2) 01:01 NYI 0,COL 1

Anders Lee (1) Simon Holmstrom (2), Scott Mayfield (1) 05:33 NYI 1,COL 1

Kyle Palmieri (1) 18:13 NYI 2,COL 1

2nd Period

Brock Nelson (1) Maxim Tsyplakov (1), Adam Pelech (1) 08:25 NYI 3,COL 1

Brock Nelson (2) 11:14 NYI 4,COL 1 SHG

3rd Period

Casey Mittelstadt (3) Nathan MacKinnon (4), Cale Makar (5) 00:39 NYI 4,COL 2

Anthony Duclair (2) Alexander Romanov (1), Bo Horvat (1) 06:48 NYI 5,COL 2

Mathew Barzal (1)EN Ryan Pulock (1) 18:48 NYI 6,COL 2

The Skinny    

The Isles earned the win in Patrick Roy's return to Denver, where he both played and coached…Calum Ritchie became the 9th teenage to record his first NHL goal in Avs team history, while Maxim Tsyplakov had his first NHL assist…It was Brock Nelson's 37th multi-goal game (one behind Anders Lee among current Isles)…Nelson recorded a shorthanded goal for the third time in his career…While Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar both earned an assist on Casey Mittelstadt's third period goal, they both went -3…Mathew Barzal recorded his first goal against the Avs; other than Utah, he has now scored a goal against every opponent…Kyle MacLean won 12 of 15 draws and has won 25 of 35 (71.4%) to start the season…Through three games the Isles have scored more goals shorthanded (2) than while on the power play (1)…Anders Lee has nine goals in 19 career games against Colorado…Brock Nelson has eight goals in sixteen career games against Alexandar Georgiev.

Milestone Men

• Matthew Barzal's empty-netter was his 444th career point, passing Billy Harris for 16th place on the club's all-time list. 

• Ilya Sorokin played his 193rd game, tying Thomas Greiss for 5th place among Isles goalies

• Adam Pelech recorded his 141st point, tying Dave Lewis for 14th place among Isles defensemen

• Scott Mayfield recorded his 117th point, tying Thomas Hickey for 20th place among Isles defensemen

First Time in a Ridiculously Long Time

• The Isles had never scored five goals, let alone six goals against the Avalanche in Denver. It is the most goals that the Isles have scored in a road game versus the franchise since a 7-2 win in Quebec on December 15, 1990. The Isles had not scored five goals in Colorado since March 17, 1982 (against the Rockies) and had not scored at least six goals in Denver since a 7-1 win on November 21, 1978.

• The Avs are 0-3-0 for the first time since 2008-09.

Brock-Tober

Brock Nelson now has 38 October goals, tying Pat LaFontaine for 5th place in club history (Mike Bossy 80, Bryan Trottier 56, Brent Sutter 46, John Tavares 45).

Overtime is Our Time

The Isles have played 1 overtime game. They are 0-1 in games decided by an overtime goal, and they are 0-0 in shootouts. Ilya Sorokin is 0-0 in overtime and 0-0 in shootouts, while Semyon Varlamov is 0-1 in overtime and 0-0 in shootouts. 

Empty Netters 

The Isles have scored 1 empty-net goal and allowed 1.

Killing Their Own PP

The Isles have taken a penalty to interrupt their power play 0 times this season.

Building on a Lead

The Islanders have had a two-goal lead 2 times this season:

• Score the next goal: 2 times

• Allowed the next goal: 0 times

• Game ended with 2-goal difference: 0 times 

Last Year vs. This Year

• 2024-25  1-1-1 for 3 points in 3 games

• 2023-24  2-0-1 for 5 points in 3 games

Offense from Defense

• Today:   0-4-4

• Season: 0-6-6

• Last Season (Final) 33-137-170

The 137 assists were the most since 2006-07, when they also had 137.

Varly, Varly

Semyon Varlamov has 41 career shutouts and 286 career wins. Among active NHL goalies (and excluding Carey Price, who is technically still active), Varlamov is seventh in wins and fourth in shutouts.

All-time Goalie Wins

47. Ed Giacomin 290

48. Jose Theodore 286

      Dan Bouchard 286

      Semyon Varlamov 286

Home and Road

The Isles are 1-1-1 overall; they are 0-0-1 at home and 1-1-0 on the road.

Colorado is 0-3-0 overall; they are 0-2-0 at home and 0-1-0 on the road

East and West

The Isles are 0-0-0 against the East (0-0-0 vs. Metropolitan and 0-0-0 vs. Atlantic) and 1-1-1 against the West (1-1-1 vs. Central and 0-0-0 vs. Pacific).

Home is Where the Fans Are

The Isles have played 123 games at UBS Arena and recorded 90 sellouts of 17,255. 

Sweet Lou

Lou Lamoriello has the second-highest win total for any general manager in NHL history:

1. David Poile 1,531

2. Lou Lamoriello 1,445

3. Glen Sather 1,319

Leaders of the Pack

Lou Lamoriello (1,445) and Patrick Roy (151) have combined for 1,596 career wins as general manager and coach. That is the highest in the NHL among active combinations by a wide margin.

First Things First

The Isles are 0-0-1 when scoring first and are 1-1-0 when allowing the opening goal. 

The Shots

Isles 17-11-10=38

Colorado 12-5-17=34

The Isles are 1-1-0 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-0-0 when the shots are even and 0-0-1 when the opposition has more shots.

In the Nets

Ilya Sorokin made 32 saves; he is 1-0-0 this season and 1-2-2 vs. Colorado.

Alexandar Georgiev made 32 saves; he is 0-3-0 this season and 11-5-0 vs the Isles.

Special Teams

The Isles were 0-1 on the power play (2:00); Colorado was 0-2 on the power play (4:00).

The Isles are 1-0-1 when they score at least one power play goal and 0-1-0 when they do not. The Isles are 0-0-1 when they allow at least one power play goal and 1-1-0 when they do not.

Three is a Magic Number

The Isles are 1-0-1 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 0-1-0 when they do not. 

One-Goal Games

The Isles are 0-0-1 in games decided by a single goal including 0-0 in regulation. They are 0-1 in games decided in overtime and are 0-0 in shootouts. The Isles are 0-0 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.

Back-to-Backs     

The Isles are 0-0-0 on the front end and 0-0-0 on the back end this season. The first back-to-back will be: on October 25th in New Jersey and October 26th vs. Florida.

Fewest Wins on Back-end

0 1972-73 (0-22-3)

1 2023-24 (1-6-3)

2 2012-13 (1-5-1; 48-game schedule)

3 1994-95 (2-3-3; 48-game schedule)

Ice-time Leaders

Isles: Ryan Pulock (23:08); Colorado: Nathan MacKinnon (23:00)

Brock Nelson led Islander forwards with 18:22 of ice-time. 

Isles record by ice-time leaders: Noah Dobson (0-0-1), Alex Romanov (0-1-0), Ryan Pulock (1-0-0)

Face-offs

Isles 42, Colorado 32 (57%)

Kyle MacLean won 12 of 15 for the Isles; No Av who took multiple draws won more than he lost. 

Hit Count

Isles 13 (Alexandar Romanov-5)

Colorado 21 (Ross Colton-4)

Fights 

None. Season total: 0

 

Blocked Shots

Isles 20 (Alex Romanov- 6)

Colorado 14 (Oliver Kylington-4)

For the Analytics Crowd 

Corsi: All situations: Isles 58, Colorado 71

Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 51, Colorado 58

 

5-on-5 leaders:

Isles:  Mike Reilly +4

Colorado:  Nathan MacKinnon +15

High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)

All situations: Isles 14, Colorado 17

5-on-5: Isles 12, Colorado 14

Scratches

Dennis Cholowski, Julien Gauthier

Games Lost to injury: 0.   (Last season's total: 181)

The Ironmen

Brock Nelson is the Islanders' ironman, having played 169 consecutive games. Kyle Palmieri (119) and Jean-Gabriel Pageau (99) also played every game since the start of last season.

Most Overtime Goals, Season (Islanders)

1. John Tavares 4 (2014-15)

2. Bo Horvat 3 (2023-24)

Brock Nelson 3 (2019-20)

John Tavares 3 (2010-11)

Most Overtime Assists, Career (Islanders)

1. Mathew Barzal 15

2. John Tavares 12

Most Overtime Points, Career (Islanders)

1. John Tavares 23

2. Mathew Barzal 20

3. Brock Nelson 18

Barzal has a point on 20 of the 39 overtime goals that the Isles have scored since he became a regular in 2016-17.

National TV Games 

The Isles are 0-0-0 in games that air on one of the NHL's US national broadcast partners, with ten games remaining. The first national game will stream on December 5th on ESPN+/Hulu, as the Isles host Seattle. The Isles have five national telecasts scheduled through the end of March, with the other five all scheduled in April.

Matinee Isles

The Isles are 0-0-0 in matinee games this season, with 11 games remaining. The first matinee will be on November 3rd at MSG. The NHL considers games that start before 5:00 local time to be afternoon games. Since the start of the 2019-20 season, the Isles are 13-13-10 in matinees.

Challenges

Isles: 0 successful, 0 failures 

Opponents: 0 successful, 1 failures (No Goalie Interference -UTA 10/10)

Quickies (Two goals in under a minute)

For (0):

Vs (0): 

Quick Responses (One team scoring within a minute of other team)

Isles responses (0):

Opponent responses (2): UTA 10/10 (2)

Multi-Goal 3rd Period Comeback Wins 

For (0):

Vs (0): 

Last Minute Heroes (Tying or go-ahead goals in the final three minutes of the third period):

For (1): Maxim Tsyplakov 10/10 vs. UTA (17:53, go-ahead goal but lost in OT)

Vs (1): Josh Doan 10/10 vs. UTA (18:06- GTG; Colorado won in OT)

OT Winners

For (0): 

Vs (1): Dylan Guenther 10/10 vs. UTA (2:18)

Shootout Winners

For (0): 

Vs (0): 

 

All-time Islander Leader Boards:

Games Played (skaters)

1. Bryan Trottier 1,123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1,060 *** 3. Josh Bailey 1,057…

5. Clark Gillies 872 *** 6. Brock Nelson 843 *** 7. Matt Martin 823 *** 8. Casey Cizikas 818 *** 9. Bob Bourne 814 *** 10. Anders Lee 762 …

32. Rich Pilon and Mick Vukota 509 *** 34. Mathew Barzal and Adam Pelech 503  *** 36. Ed Westfall 493 *** 37. Ryan Pulock 489 *** 38. Radek Martinek 479 *** 39. Gerry Hart 476 *** 40. Mariusz Czerkawski and Scott Mayfield 472

Goals    

1. Mike Bossy 573 *** 2. Bryan Trottier 500 *** 3. Denis Potvin 310 …

5. Pat LaFontaine and Brent Sutter 287 *** 7. Brock Nelson 277 *** John Tavares 272 *** 9. Anders Lee 261 …

20. Kyle Okposo 139 ***21. Mathew Barzal 129…

29. Ray Ferraro 116 *** 30. Casey Cizikas 107

Assists

1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553 …

9. Brent Sutter 323 *** 10. Stefan Persson 317 *** 11. Mathew Barzal 315…

16. Billy Harris 259 *** 17. Brock Nelson 257…

21. Nick Leddy 198 *** 22. Pierre Turgeon and Anders Lee 193…

31. David Volek 154 *** 32. Noah Dobson 153 *** 33. Mariusz Czerkawski 150 *** 34. Travis Green 145 *** 35. Ryan Pulock 144 *** 36. Steve Thomas 140 *** 37. Mark Streit 139 *** 38. Casey Cizikas and Greg Gilbert 138

Points

1. Bryan Trottier 1,353 *** 2. Mike Bossy 1,126 *** 3. Denis Potvin 1,052…

10. Bob Bourne 542 *** 11. Brock Nelson 534 *** 12. Bob Nystrom 513 *** 13. Derek King 499 *** 14. Patrick Flatley 488 *** 15. Anders Lee 454 *** 16. Mathew Barzal 444…

30. David Volek 249 *** 31. Casey Cizikas 245

+/-

1. Bryan Trottier +467 *** 2. Denis Potvin +456 *** 3. Mike Bossy +380…

15. Bob Lorimer +105  *** 16. Tomas Jonsson +76 ***17. Garry Howatt +75 *** 18. Adam Pelech +75 *** 19. Pat Price +70 *** 20. JP Parise +67  

Defense Goals

1. Denis Potvin 310 *** 2. Tomas Jonsson 84 *** 3. Kenny Jonsson 57…

4. Stefan Persson 52 *** 5. Ryan Pulock 48 *** 6. Jean Potvin 46 *** 7. Nick Leddy 45 *** 8. Roman Hamrlik 43 *** 9. Mark Streit and Noah Dobson 40

Defense Assists

1. Denis Potvin 742 *** 2. Stefan Persson 317 *** 3. Tomas Jonsson 249…

7. Jeff Norton 166 *** 8. Noah Dobson 153 *** 9. Ryan Pulock 144…

12. Dave Lewis 117 *** 13. Adam Pelech 115… 

20. Dave Langevin and Thomas Hickey 95 *** 22. Scott Mayfield 92

Defense Points

1. Denis Potvin 1,052 *** 2. Stefan Persson 369 *** 3. Tomas Jonsson 333…

6. Jean Potvin 213 *** 7. Noah Dobson 193 *** 8. Ryan Pulock 192…

13. Dave Lewis and Adam Pelech 141 *** 15. Tom Kurvers 134 …

19. Vladimir Malakhov 125 *** 20. Thomas Hickey and Scott Mayfield 117

Goalie Games

1. Billy Smith 674 *** 2. Rick DiPietro 318 *** 3. Glenn Resch 282 …

5. Thomas Greiss and Ilya Sorokin 193 *** 7. Tommy Salo 187 *** 8. Jaroslav Halak 177 *** 9. Glenn Healy 176 *** 10. Semyon Varlamov 165

Wins

1. Billy Smith 304 *** 2. Glenn Resch 157 *** 3. Rick DiPietro 130…

5. Thomas Greiss 101 *** 6. Ilya Sorokin 96 *** 7. Jaroslav Halak 88 *** 8. Roland Melanson 77 *** 9. Semyon Varlamov 73

Shutouts

1. Glenn Resch 25 *** 2. Billy Smith 22 *** 3. Ilya Sorokin 18 *** 

4. Rick DiPietro and Semyon Varlamov 16

On the Farm   

Bridgeport is 0-2-0 following a 3-0 loss to Charlotte on Sunday; former Islander Ken Appleby had the shutout. The Baby Isles host Hershey on Wednesday. 

Season Series Stats

The Isles lead the season series, 1 game to 0 (and 2 points to 0); the teams will meet on January 28th at UBS Arena to complete the season series.

The win is the Isles' first in four games vs. the Avs (1-1-2) and their first in five games in Denver (1-2-2).

 

UP NEXT

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17th—ISLANDERS AT ST. LOUIS 8:00pm

[MSGSN (pre-game at 7:30], WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, Isles + UBS Arena App]

The road trip concludes on Thursday in St. Louis as the Isles face the Blues . The teams have split the season series in each of the last four seasons that they have played.

Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since 1982. Information contained in "The Skinny" has been gathered from various sources. Follow Eric @ehornick on Twitter & on his blog www.nyiskinny.com

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since January 21, 1982. Visit my blog: NYISkinny.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick