Avalanche at Islanders
The New York Islanders attempt to extend their point streak to four games when they kick off a three-game homestand Monday against the Colorado Avalanche. New York improved to 2-0-1 in its last three with a 3-2 triumph at Tampa Bay on Saturday.
The Islanders allowed the game's first two goals before captain John Tavares capped their comeback on a power-play tally with 3:36 remaining in the third period. Colorado is beginning a four-game road trip one week after completing a season-high seven-game trek during which it posted a 4-3-0 record. The Avalanche capped that trip with a 4-1 victory in Winnipeg and defeated the Jets again on Saturday, jumping out to a three-goal lead before posting a 5-3 triumph as captain Gabriel Landeskog and Matt Duchene each recorded a tally and two assists to secure Patrick Roy's 100th coaching victory. Colorado and New York split their two meetings last season, with each registering a convincing shutout win at home.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Altitude2 (Colorado), MSG Plus (New York)
ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (9-13-1): Duchene's goal on Saturday was his 11th of the month, eclipsing the Avalanche record for most in a November set in 1995 by Claude Lemieux. The 24-year-old center, who tallied just once over 10 games in October, has recorded six multi-point performances this month - including a trio of three-pointers. Duchene leads Colorado with 12 goals and is two points behind Nathan MacKinnon (24) for first on the club.
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (12-8-4): Tavares' goal against the Lightning was the 185th of his career, moving him past Billy Harris for sole possession of 11th place on the franchise list. The 25-year-old center needs 22 more tallies to overtake John Tonelli for a spot in the top 10. New York's power play may have finally woken up Saturday, as the club scored twice on three opportunities after going 1-for-25 over its previous eight contests.
OVERTIME
1. Islanders LW Josh Bailey will play in his 500th NHL game Monday, becoming the 25th player to do so with the club.
2. Colorado LW Alex Tanguay (knee) and C John Mitchell (oblique) both are expected to return during the road trip.
3. With Thomas Hickey returning from a lower-body injury the previous night, New York assigned fellow D Adam Pelech to Bridgeport of the American Hockey League on Sunday.