NHL Game 11 Preview: New York Islanders vs. Colorado Avalanche

Feb 8, 2014; Uniondale, NY, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) controls the puck in front of New York Islanders defenseman Andrew MacDonald (47) and goalie Evgeni Nabokov (20) during the first period of a game at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The Colorado Avalanche are currently riding a four-game point streak; not the one we all want, however. It’s great to see Colorado stealing points but like most of us, we want the whole two points. Colorado is coming off of a shootout loss to the San Jose Sharks at home, losing 3-2. Thursday night they take on the New York Islanders who sport a record of (6-3-0, 12 points).

What: NHL Regular Season – Game 11: New York Islanders (6-3-0, 12 pts) vs. Colorado Avalanche (2-4-4, 8 pts)
When: Thursday, October 30th
Where: Pepsi Center (Denver, Colorado)
Time: 9:00 PM EST, 7:00 PM MST
TV: Altitude Sports

Colorado nearly came away with two points against the San Jose Sharks Tuesday night but came up short. Despite the loss, goaltender Semyon Varlamov was excellent – stopping 49-of-51 shots. Alex Tanguay recorded Colorado’s first goal of the game on a short-handed attempt while captain Gabriel Landeskog notched his fourth goal in the third period.

There are some changes made to Colorado’s lineup vs. Islanders. Patrick Roy announced that forward Daniel Briere will be a scratch for tonight’s game. Taking his place will be forward Dennis Everberg who was called back up from Lake Erie. Here’s a look at how the lines will shape up for tonight’s matchup.

Line 1: Gabriel Landeskog – Matt Duchene – Ryan O’Reilly
Line 2: Jamie McGinn – Nathan MacKinnon – Jarome Iginla
Line 3: Alex Tanguay – John Mitchell – Dennis Everberg
Line 4: Cody McLeod – Marc-andre Cliche – Maxime Talbot

The only change to the defensive lines is Roy is playing Nate Guenin tonight, leading Zach Redmond as the odd-man out. Also, Semyon Varlamov will start in net for the Avalanche.

The team Colorado is taking on tonight (Isles)  is coming off a 4-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets. Center John Tavares recorded his fourth goal of the season in the loss, tied atop the team lead in terms of points with Brock Nelson – sitting at 12.

Puck-drop between the New York Islanders and Colorado Avalanche is scheduled for 9:00 PM EST, 7:00 PM MST.