With Semyon Varlamov again in the net, the Avalanche will attempt to overcome the dreaded home-ice disadvantage Thursday night and win its fourth consecutive game against the New York Islanders.
Varlamov has been better since allowing four goals on 27 shots against the Islanders in Brooklyn on Nov. 30. That was the night the third defensive pairing — Nate Redmond and Brandon Gormley — especially struggled and both were minus-3.
This is from my game story that night:
“They’ve been playing some good hockey for us,” said Avalanche coach Patrick Roy. “Tonight was maybe a mismatch for them in some ways.