DENVER — The tone coming out of the Islanders dressing room Saturday night was optimistic.
They liked the way they started and played defensively against Dallas, and they also noticed Jake Oettinger's performance in the 3-0 shutout.
“I think it was a good game for us tonight,” Casey Cizikas said, echoing the general sentiment. “We have to continue to play like that on this road trip.”
Am I being a bit too optimistic? perhaps.
But a moral victory alone won't be enough for long, and starting the season with a third straight loss against the Avalanche on Monday night increases the pressure for the Islanders to produce a real win. Probably only.
As soon as the schedule was announced, it was clear that the opener against Utah before heading to Dallas, Colorado and St. Louis would be the immediate challenge, and that's exactly how it played out.
The Avalanche are still looking for their first win of the season, but with firepower including Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar and a pedigree that includes a Stanley Cup in 2023, they won't give up.
Much of the night will focus on Patrick Roy's return to Colorado, where he coached from 2013 to 2016, but the fact that one of the teams expected to make the playoffs leaves the building with a three-game winless streak. becomes slightly more important than would otherwise be considered. Match in the third week of October.
“I know if we keep playing like this we're going to win the game,” Roy said Saturday after the Islanders nearly doubled the Stars on dangerous chances (11-6, via Natural Stat Trick ) ). “There's no doubt in my mind.”
Maybe so. However, going to St. Louis without a win was not what anyone expected, and the opening round was as tough as it seemed. The same goes for the Avalanche, who have allowed an astonishing 14 points in their first two games, including one of the worst in the league in a 6-4 loss to the Blue Jackets.
One of these teams goes even deeper into the deep end. For islanders, it is of utmost importance to avoid such a scenario.
The Islanders have lost four straight at Ball Arena, with their last win in the building coming on Dec. 17, 2018, by a 4-1 score.
Roy, who played for the Avalanche, won nine games against the Islanders, six of them at Colorado, according to team statistician Eric Hornig.
The Islanders did not practice Sunday after traveling to Denver.
