Takeaways

— Valeri Nichushkin has been fun to watch this season. Last season, he was in and out of the lineup so much it was difficult to find any consistency. This season, Nichushkin has remained healthy and been on quite a roll. Just in December, he had seven goals and eight assists in 13 games. Nichushkin and his wife welcome their daughter to the world, so he went on parental leave for two games. The longest Nichushkin has gone this season without a point are four and three games.

Val Nichushkin buries MacKinnon's smart tap pass on the power play, knotting up the score at 4!#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/yRrRoWoXnf

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) January 3, 2024

— Jonathan Drouin finished the night with a goal and an assist. For a player that is making only $825,000, he is turning into a bargain. Drouin has gone from being a healthy scratch to now playing on the top line with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. Drouin has 10 points in the last 15 games and added two more tonight.

Jonathan Drouin settles Rantanen's cross-ice feed and ties the score at 3 for the Avalanche!#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/ajTWIHTob4

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) January 3, 2024

— The return of Colton meant that the third line could be more aggressive. Colton loves to get in front of the goalie to make himself a screen. There were a few plays he took advantage of and it was a near miss on a goal. He also brings speed and heavy hits to the line. Colton may not score very often, but his game is a lot like Logan O’Connor’s, gritty.

— The defense struggled to maintain their zone. As the Islander forwards entered the zone with the puck, the defense was not pushing them out past the dots. If you can push them outside of the dots, you can take away the angle for the shot. It also makes it harder to get around the corner to make their way into the slot to get a better shot.

A quick look at Engvall's goal pic.twitter.com/yEiHjNv2DQ

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) January 3, 2024

Conclusion

The top-six forwards are doing their job and putting the points on the board for the Avalanche. The defense is struggling at their basic positioning in rushes. If the defense can get back to the skill it had a year ago, Alexandar Georgiev would not be doing as much work. A genuine test will come for Colorado on Thursday as they take on the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center. Three points separate the two teams in the Central Division, so this will be an exciting one to watch.

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The Avalanche continue to be undefeated, as their record improves to 6–0–0. The team outshot the Islanders 40–32.

After joining the team in June, Ryan Johansen has proven to be a valuable contributor to the lineup. He accounted for two of the seven total goals for the night. Nathan MacKinnon had trouble finding the back of the net after firing eight shots, but only being able to convert one of them.

Mikko Rantanen also had an explosive showing, scoring one goal and three assists, marking his 300th career assist.

First period

The Avalanche found themselves in the box just over two minutes into the period after Miles Wood was sent to the box for roughing alongside New York’s Jean-Gabriel Pageau.

Only 5:19 into the first period, Johansen scored on a wrist shot with help from Cale Makar and Rantanen to take the lead early.

Colorado maintained its lead for just under four minutes before the Islanders responded and tied the game 1–1. Makar collected a backhanded goal on the top shelf, set up by Devon Toews and Rantanen to lead 2–1 and outshot their opponent 19–6 at the conclusion of the first frame.

Remember to wash your vegetables #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/5wIXA1mZt0

— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) October 25, 2023

Second period

With replenished energy, the Islanders made it clear they would not go down easy. At 2:01, Jack Johnson took a penalty for tripping and sent the visiting team to a penalty kill. Capitalizing on the deficit, New York to tie the score 2–2.

A short three minutes later would be the only time the Islanders pulled into the lead, as Simon Holmstrom made the score 3–2.

In a quick 13-second turnaround, Bowen Byram tied the score 3–3 before MacKinnon added to the party for a 4–3 score with only 29 seconds remaining in the second period. Makar assisted with Byram’s goal, while Valeri Nichushkin assisted on both.

Two goals in 13 seconds!

The @Avalanche are buzzing!

: Watch Frozen Frenzy action on @espn https://t.co/FmPv8M6v1l pic.twitter.com/xK9uFRHjCF

— NHL (@NHL) October 25, 2023

Third period

Though the Avalanche entered the third period with a one-goal advantage, it was time to get down to business. At the 4:40 mark in the period, the Islanders netted their final goal, bringing the score back to a standstill at 4–4.

Assisted by Tomas Tatar, Rantanen notched a goal to regain a 5–4 edge. In an effort to stay in the match, the Islanders pulled their goalie, which would prove unsuccessful. With one minute left in the game and an empty net in front of him, Johansen added his second goal to the scoreboard and Rantanen’s participation would be his 300th career assist.

The last goal of the game would be credited to Ross Colton, his first in an Avalanche sweater. In a battle for the puck, Colton unofficially received assistance from the Islanders themselves, and he put the score to rest with 31 seconds remaining in the game.

Analysis

The Avalanche dominated the offensive zone in the first frame, but the ratios quickly evened out as the contest went on. The penalty kill continues to be successful, but the power play goals seem to be few and far between.

The Avalanche will continue their season on the road against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday. The Penguins are 2–4–0.

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