WATCH: Avs-Isles tilt ensues as Nathan MacKinnon lands a huge hit on Alexander Romanov

By ARJUN B

Modified Oct 15, 2024 16:46 GMT

The Colorado Avalanche and New York Islanders game got heated when Avs star Nathan MacKinnon laid a massive hit on Isles defenseman Alexander Romanov.

The incident occurred early in the first period. MacKinnon was carrying the puck through the neutral zone when Romanov moved to check him. However, Nathan MacKinnon had the size advantage and leveled Romanov with the open-ice collision, sending the Isle flying down.

Watch the video here:

After the hit, Romanov's teammate Scott Mayfield and Avs' Logan O'Connor started fighting and were separated by the referee and the players.

The Avalanche is coming from a 6-5 loss against the Colombus Blue Jackets on Saturday and suffered an 8-4 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in the season opener.

The Islanders went on to win 6-2 against the Avalanche. Brock Nelson (two goals), Anders Lee, Kyle Palmieri, Anthony Duclair and Mathew Barzal scored for the Islanders. Calum Ritchie and Casey Mittelstadt netted for the Avalanche. Ilya Sorokin made 32 saves while Alexandar Georgive also stopped 32 shots in loss.

Game Recap: Nathan MacKinnon and the Avalanche's 6-2 home loss

The match began with a competition as Calum Ritchie scored first for the Avalanche to take a 1-0 lead Still the Islanders swiftly answered back with a goal by Anders Lee to level the score at 1-1. The pivotal moment arrived near the end of the first period when Kyle Palmieri seized an opportunity from a mistake by Colorado granting the Islanders a lead of 2-1 as they entered the break.

“There's no excuses. I didn't like our game tonight, top to bottom. It's terrible,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. “I thought that was our worst defensive game of the three [this season] by a mile, not even close. “On the outside you can look at the [recent scores], 8-4, 6-4. That’s horrible results, but there's a lot in both those games that I liked a lot, like a significant amount. And tonight, I'll have to go through it with a fine-tooth comb to find something I liked.”

In the second period, the Islanders extended their lead with two more goals from Brock Nelson, including a shorthanded tally. The Avalanche cut the deficit to 4-2 early in the third period on a goal from Casey Mittelstadt, but the Islanders had an answer yet again. Anthony Duclair netted to make it 5-2 New York. The Avalanche pulled their goalie late but Mathew Barzal sealed the 6-2 victory for the Islanders with an empty-netter.