DROUIN TO FACE FORMER TEAM
Jonathan Drouin is bringing a three-game point streak (1G, 5A) into Sunday’s contest where he’ll face his former team for the first time as an Islander.
The winger totaled 93 points (30G, 63A) and 31 power-play points over the course of two seasons with the Avalanche before he signed with the Islanders over the offseason. Drouin has 14 points (3G, 11A), including three power-play points – through his first 17 games as an Islander.
ACROSS THE ICE
The Avalanche are dominating the Western Conference with a record of 12-1-5. Colorado is surging with five straight wins and are riding a nine-game point streak (7-0-2).
The Avalanche have not lost a game on home ice (6-0-2), but the Isles have had success against teams with strong home records. They tarnished the Devils’ 7-0-0 record at Prudential Center with a 3-2 OT win on Monday, while they took down a Utah Mammoth team that entered Friday’s contest with a 5-0-1 home record.
Nathan MacKinnon towers the NHL with 33 points (14G, 19A). He also leads the league with a plus-18 rating and 82 shots. MacKinnon has 14 points (4G, 10A) in his last five games.
Scott Wedgewood is the expected starter for the Avalanche on Sunday, per Head Coach Jared Bednar. The 33-year-old netminder’s 10 wins lead the NHL as he carried the Avalanche as Mackenzie Blackwood finished recovering from an offseason procedure that kept him out of the lineup through the month of October. Wedgewood, 33, is 1-2-3 against the Islanders in his career with a .915 SV%, a 2.60 GAA and one shutout. Wedgewood signed a one-year contract extension with the Avs on Thursday.