New York @ Colorado preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 6, 2020 ) Colorado 0, NY Islanders 1

The injury-riddled Colorado Avalanche aim to snap a three-game losing streak (0-2-1) on Wednesday when they conclude a five-game homestand against the New York Islanders. The Avalanche lost Mikko Rantanen in their last outing, with the top-line star joining fellow forwards Nazem Kadri and Matt Calvert as well as goaltender Philipp Grubauer in the press box.

"I think every team's going through it a little bit," Colorado coach Jared Bednar said of the team's recent rash of injuries. "But you start racking them up with Grubauer, Kadri, Calvert, now Mikko, our other guys got to step up. It's a great opportunity." Rantanen (19 goals, 22 assists), who sat out 16 games with an ankle injury earlier this season, will miss "weeks" in the words of coach Jared Bednar after crashing into the boards and appearing to injure his left shoulder during the Avalanche's 4-3 overtime loss to white-hot Tampa Bay. Like Colorado, New York is mired in a three-game losing streak and has seen its offense dry up with just one goal on its trek against Western Conference foes. "When you put three in a row together where you only get one goal, it starts to wear on you, but you can't let it get to you and we've got to figure it out and keep pressing," captain Anders Lee said following the Islanders' 2-1 setback in Arizona on Monday.

TIME: 10 p.m. ET. TV: MSG-Plus, Altitude

ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (33-19-6): Semyon Varlamov, who has turned aside 88 of 93 shots in his last three appearances, looks to get the better of his former team for the second time this season. The 31-year-old Russian made 32 saves in a 1-0 victory over Colorado on Jan. 6 in his first encounter with the club since signing a four-year deal last summer. Lee scored in the third period of last month's clash as the Islanders improved to 5-1-0 in the last six games against the Avalanche.

ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (33-18-7): Nathan MacKinnon, who leads the team in goals (33) and assists (49) this season, had one of each on Monday for his third multi-point performance in his last four games. The top overall pick of the 2013 NHL Draft has dented the scoresheet in 47 of the 58 contests he's played this season and is on pace to set a career high in goals and points for the third straight campaign. Cale Makar is rewriting the Colorado/Quebec franchise record book, with his assist on Valeri Nichushkin's tying goal in the third period pulling him into a tie with former Nordiques blue-liner Bruce Bell (31, 1983-84) for the most helpers by a rookie defenseman.

OVERTIME

1. New York LW Anthony Beauvillier, who scored versus the Coyotes, has eight goals and 14 points in his last 14 games.

2. Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog has collected seven points (two goals, five assists) in his last seven contests.

3. The Islanders have lost four of their last five trips to Denver (1-3-1).

PREDICTION: Islanders 3, Avalanche 2