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.
