The Islanders were in a position to win the opening game of their three-game Western trip, though were probably fortunate to be there, and ultimately succumbed to an overtime loss on a 4-on-3 power play goal in Denver.
The Islanders had a 3-1 lead in the second and a 4-3 lead in the third, but each time the Avalanche came back to tie — the final time on another power play midway through the third period.
Of perhaps greater concern, Semyon Varlamov left the game with an injury in the first period after facing 12 shots. Varlamov missed time last week for “maintenance” and at one point was a fear to miss this trip entirely, so it was a bit of a surprise to see him in net tonight and it’s presumably another setback that could require more time off for the 35-year-old.