Nathan MacKinnon scored 32 seconds into overtime and added two assists, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the New York Islanders 5-4 in Denver on Tuesday night.
Valeri Nichushkin had two goals, Jonathan Drouin had a goal and an assist, Devon Toews also scored and Alexandar Georgiev turned away 18 shots for Colorado.
Cale Makar had three assists and Mikko Rantanen added two for Colorado.
The Avalanche began the overtime on the power play and MacKinnon cashed it in with a one-timer, his 20th of the season, with Makar and Rantanen picking up the assists. With his three-point night, MacKinnon extended his home point streak to 20 games to begin the season.
Brock Nelson had a goal and an assist, while Simon Holmstrom, Pierre Engvall and Alexander Romanov also had goals.
Ilya Sorokin had 23 saves in relief of Semyon Varlomov, who turned away 11 of 12 shots before leaving.
Varlamov went off at 14:52 of the first period after making a save, the first of two New York players to exit. Defenseman Robert Bortuzzo had to be helped off the ice after Sam Girard checked him into the boards late in the second period.
The Islanders went ahead 1-0 when Engvall scored at 5:39 of the first period, his fifth goal of the season, but Colorado answered when Toews beat Varlamov 32 seconds later, his sixth of the season.
Just 15 seconds into New York’s first power play, Nelson scored his 17th goal of the season, at 19:28 of the first, and Holmstrom made it 3-1 with his 11th goal of the season 1:09 into the second.
Colorado responded on the power play when Nichushkin knocked in a rebound at 4:18 of the second and Drouin tied it again when his snap shot beat Sorokin high at 8:24 of the second. It was his sixth goal of the season.
The Islanders took the lead back when Romanov’s shot from the point went off Jack Johnson’s right skate and through Georgiev’s pads at 10:18 but Nichushkin tied it with at 12:21 of the third, his 19th of the season.
–Field Level Media
