The New York Islanders face the Colorado Avalanche with both teams looking to build off strong starts to the season. The Islanders have an 18-13-1 record and are in the middle of the Metropolitan Division while the Avalanche have a 16-11-2 record. Both teams are looking to improve within their divisions and the upcoming game should be a great one as a result.
The Islanders are off to a strong start to the season with their offense stepping up and scoring 3.25 goals per game with nine goals in the last two games. Brock Nelson, Anders Lee, and Mathew Barzal have scored 29 goals and 58 assists to lead the top two lines but the rest of the offense has also stepped up. Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Zach Parise, and Oliver Wahlstrom have combined for 24 goals and 26 assists while defensemen Noah Dobson and Ryan Pulock have added 11 goals and 22 assists from the point to open up the offense.
The offense has carried the Islanders but the defense has also stepped up, allowing only 2.81 goals per game. Ryan Pulock and Scott Mayfield have combined for 3.4 defensive point shares and 112 blocked shots while Alexander Romanov, Sebastian Aho, and Noah Dobson have combined for 3.8 defensive point shares to add depth to the unit. Moreover, goaltender Ilya Sorokin has been gr eat in the net with a .921 save percentage and a 2.49 goals-against average on 631 shots.