New York Islanders vs Colorado Avalanche Box Score on Dec 17, 2018

Anders Lee and Jordan Eberle had a goal and an assist each, and the New York Islanders beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-1 on Monday night in Denver.

Thomas Greiss stopped 30 shots, and Johnny Boychuk and Valtteri Filppula also scored for New York, which won the opener of its four-game road trip. The Islanders are 3-1-1 in their past five games.

Gabe Landeskog had Colorado's lone goal. Mikko Rantanen, the NHL's leading scorer with 56 points, had his 14-game point streak ended as the Avalanche fell to 1-3-1 in their past five games.

Avalanche goaltender Semyon Varlamov, who has allowed 21 goals in his past five starts, struggled again Monday. He made just 17 saves.

New York played the third period down two players. Defenseman Thomas Hickey sustained an upper-body injury trying to check Avalanche center Tyson Jost in the second period and didn't return.

Later in the period, Colorado defenseman Ian Cole drew a kneeing minor for a hit on center Brock Nelson, who did not return.

The Islanders were 2 of 34 on the power play the previous 13 games but doubled that total in the second period.

Boychuk's power-play blast from the left circle at 2:07 gave the Islanders a 2-0 lead. It was Boychuk's first goal since March 30, a drought of 33 games.

The Avalanche got one back on the power play at 6:45. Tyson Barrie's shot from the top of the zone was headed wide before Landeskog reached out with his stick and redirected it through Greiss. It was his team-leading 22nd goal of the season.

Colorado had a chance to tie it when it went on a four-minute power play but couldn't score. The Islanders got another power play late in the second and cashed in when Lee tipped in a shot by Nick Leddy from the point at 18:25.

It was Lee's 12th goal of the season.

The Islanders took a 1-0 lead late in the first period on Eberle's seventh goal of the season at 18:20.

Filppula capped the scoring into an empty net at 17:36 of the third period.

--Field Level Media