The New York Islanders became the second team to beat the Colorado Avalanche in regulation this season on Thursday night. The Avalanche have been on a torrid pace for most of the year, but Patrick Roy's Islanders have been a resilient group. New York's head coach has the players falling in line and playing inside the system despite several injuries, which is what made him excel at the junior level.
Roy was never short on confidence when he played. He was one of the greatest goaltenders of all time, winning four Stanley Cups, with many of them coming when he put the team on his back. On Thursday night, that confidence spilled over into his group as he made a stunning declaration, according to Stefen Rosner via X, formerly known as Twitter.
“I said to them before the game, I believe that if there's a team that could surprise them, it's us,” Roy told the assembled reporters post-game.
Mat Barzal paced the group with three points, but it was an all-around team effort that helped the Islanders to a 6-3 domination of the Avalanche. There hasn't been a team this season that matched up this well with Colorado, and with the way they are trending, there might not be many teams that do all year.
The Islanders are still in a three-way tie for the two Wild Card spots with their Metropolitan Division rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey Devils. It won't be easy with their growing injury list, namely long-term issues with veteran Kyle Palmieri and defender Alexander Romanov. However, if there's one coach who can keep his players engaged through the tough times, it's Patrick Roy.
