Islanders face Brock Nelson and Avalanche in game with many storylines
Colorado Avalanche center Brock Nelson heads down the ice with the puck as center Ross Colton, back right, and Tampa Bay Lightning center Dominic James pursue in the third period of an NHL game on Nov. 4 in Denver. Credit: AP/David Zalubowski
DENVER — The Islanders’ dressing room after their morning skate at Ball Arena was overly packed with media on Sunday. Surprisingly so for a road game.
Think Jamaica Station during rush hour.
Why? Well, there were plenty of storylines to report as the Islanders, with defenseman Scott Mayfield and rookie Max Shabanov returning to their lineup, faced the Avalanche to continue a seven-game road trip in which they were 4-0-0.
It marked the first time longtime Islander Brock Nelson faced his former team since being traded to the Avalanche on March 6.
“I try to approach it like any other game,” said Nelson, whose 901 games with the Islanders is fifth in team history. “There will be a couple of smiles, a couple of laughs.”
Rookie Cal Ritchie, part of that deal, likewise was facing his former team for the first time as he played his ninth game with the Islanders.
“It’s a bit different,” he said. “I’d never been traded in my career, junior or anything like that.”
Jonathan Drouin also was facing the Avalanche for the first time since signing with the Islanders as a free agent following two seasons with Colorado.
“I had a great time and it’s always cool to come back here,” said Drouin, who also has played for the Lightning and Canadiens. “The walk is a little strange. You go a little further [to the visitors’ room].”
Islanders coach Patrick Roy won two Stanley Cups as the Avalanche goalie, then coached them for three seasons, and Islanders assistant coach Ray Bennett spent the previous eight seasons in the same role with the Avalanche.
Nelson and Drouin did describe facing former teammates as “weird.”
“I would agree with what they’re both saying,” Roy said. “Especially for Brock, who was here for so long.”
Roy said he looked up to his retired No. 33 Avalanche jersey and the Cup banners in the rafters and told his players: “ ‘Look at that, this is me.’ I had fun with it.”
More important for the Islanders was having Mayfield and Shabanov available.
Shabanov missed 12 games with an upper-body injury that Roy said he suffered in a 5-4 win in Ottawa on Oct. 18 before also playing in a 4-3 victory over the Sharks at UBS Arena three days later.
Mayfield missed two games to return to Long Island to be with his wife for the birth of the couple’s first child, Theodore. Mayfield said he flew with the Islanders to Las Vegas on Tuesday, but his wife went into labor two weeks early, so he took a red-eye back to New York.
Mayfield, who played for the University of Denver and has family here, was paired with Alexander Romanov. Defenseman Adam Boqvist was a healthy scratch after being in the lineup the previous two games.
“It’s been a crazy week, but it’s been fun,” Mayfield said. “Whenever you’re away from the team, you miss it. We had some interesting, fun games, it looked like.”
The Islanders rallied for overtime wins in Vegas (4-3) and Utah (3-2) on Thursday and Friday without Mayfield.
Shabanov, who was skating on Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s third line when he was injured, took Max Tsyplakov’s spot on Ritchie’s fourth line and also reclaimed his spot on the second power-play unit. He had a goal and two assists in six games before getting hurt.
“I was very impressed with him,” Roy said. “The game against Ottawa, he was outstanding, made some great plays. The two hits he took, he stayed in the game and he played the following game and realized he couldn’t take it anymore.”
One last Islanders-Avalanche connection was Drouin wearing Nelson’s former No. 29. Drouin said there wasn’t a great selection when he signed because the Islanders have eight retired numbers. He wore No. 29 before reaching the NHL.
He did solicit Nelson’s permission.
“I appreciate the fact that he thought he had to reach out, but he didn’t have to do that. He could wear whatever he wants,” Nelson said. “A couple of times I’ve seen the Islanders’ highlights and I see No. 29, it takes me a split-second. I feel I’m so programmed to see No. 29 and think of myself.”
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
More Islanders
