Recap: Isles Special Teams Key 4-1 Win Over Avs

The New York Islanders started their four-game road trip on a winning note Monday, beating the Colorado Avalanche 4-1 at Pepsi Center.
Jordan Eberle, Johnny Boychuk, Anders Lee and Valtteri Filppula scored for the Islanders, who netted a pair of power-play goals for the first time in a month. Gabriel Landeskog scored for the Colorado Avalanche, who were held to one goal or fewer for only fourth time this season by a stingy Isles squad. Thomas Greiss made 30 saves in the win, while Semyon Varlamov made 17 in the loss.
"It was a team win," Head Coach Barry Trotz said. "I liked the commitment and thought we checked pretty well. Our special teams ended up being pretty good for us tonight. A majority of the guys were going. We played the right way for the most part."

Video: Balanced offense leads Islanders to 4-1 win vs. Avs

POWER PLAY CONVERTS TWICE:

The Islanders seem to have put their power-play struggles in the rearview mirror, converting twice against the Avalanche on Monday.
The Islanders scored on two of their four power play opportunities Monday, with Boychuk hammering a one-timer at 2:07 of the second period for the game winner, while Lee deflected a Nick Leddy shot past Varlamov at 18:25 of the second.
Monday marked the first time the Isles scored two power-play goals in a game since Nov. 15, as well as the first time they'd scored on the man advantage in consecutive games since Nov. 13-15.
"We got the monkey off our back the other night with Barzy's goal and tonight just executed and got pucks to the net," Lee said. When Johnny shoots it like that, those are going to go in quite a bit. For us to get a couple is huge for us."

ISLES PK COMES UP WITH KEY KILL:

The Islanders penalty kill also came up big on Monday night, going 4-for-5 against the league's third-ranked power play.
A key stretch in the game came midway through the second period, as the Isles killed off a four-minute Avalanche power play. Josh Ho-Sang was whistled for two, separate, hooking minors at 11:23, but the Isles shorthanded unit held the fort. Trotz called the kill a game-changer.
"It was a swing that could have gone either way," Lee said. "Four minutes against this power play is a tough thing to ask for and our boys did it."
Greiss made perhaps his best save of the game during the extended kill, getting a skate on a Colin Wilson one-timer in front of the net.
The Islanders penalty kill ultimately wasn't perfect on Monday, as Gabriel Landeskog got a piece of a Tyson Barrie shot to put Colorado on the board at 6:45 of the second.

HICKEY, NELSON LEAVE GAME:

The Islanders got hit by a pair of injuries late in the second period, as both Thomas Hickey and Brock Nelson left the game and did not return.
Hickey crashed into the boards hard after missing a check on Tyson Jost, crumpling awkwardly before hitting the back of his head at 17:26. Less than a minute later, Ian Cole caught Nelson with a knee-on-knee hit, which forced the Islanders center out of the game.

LEE GETS 12TH OF THE YEAR:

Revenge is a dish best served… with a power-play goal.
The Islanders exacted a little revenge after Hickey and Nelson were knocked out of the game in the second period. It didn't come with fists, but rather hit Colorado on the scoreboard, as Lee deflected a power-play goal 30 seconds into Cole's kneeing minor.
The goal was Lee's 12th of the season, which continues to lead the Islanders. Filppula iced the game with an empty-netter for the Islanders.

BOYCHUK SCORES FIRST OF THE YEAR:

Johnny Boychuk scored his first goal of the season on Monday, one-timing a Ryan Pulock feed past Semyon Varlamov at 2:07 of the second period. Boychuk's goal held up as the game winner.
"It's nice to get one on the scoresheet," Boychuk said. "There's been a couple of times where I hit the crossbar, or goalie makes a nice save. Nice to get the first one."
Boychuk had an active game at both ends, later dropping down to breakup a two-on-one rush with Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog. Trotz praised Boychuk for being one of the Islanders who were "fully committed" on Monday.

EBERLE SCORES SEVENTH:

Jordan Eberle scored his seventh goal of the season on Monday, putting the Islanders up 1-0 at 18:20 of the first period.
The goal was Eberle's first since Nov. 23, a span of 11 games. Eberle finished the night with two points, picking up an assist on Lee's power-play goal.

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders are back in action on Tuesday night as they finish off a back-to-back set against the Arizona Coyotes.