Forget Christmas. Jean-Gabriel Pageau was back well in time for Hanukkah. Pageau returned from an upper-body injury that kept him out for eight games on Tuesday, rejoining the Islanders to start a three-game homestand against the Golden Knights well ahead of his initial timeline.

Islanders forward Emil Heineman netted the shootout winner to beat the Golden Knights after a late Vegas goal forced OT.

Pregame analysis and predictions of the Anaheim Ducks vs. New York Islanders NHL game to be played on December 11, 2025 on ESPN.

Brock Nelson got his standing ovation. The Islanders got their two points during a win against the Avalanche on Thursday.

The Islanders (16-10-3), opening a back-to-back Florida swing, won their third straight, including their second over the Atlantic Division-leading Lightning (16-10-2) in five days. The teams will meet for a third and final time this coming Saturday at UBS Arena.

They're not speed burners like MacKinnon and Necas, but when you move the puck as well as the Avalanche, you're forced to play fast. That's how they generate so much of their offense.

This is not just a statistical record or a hot run of form that New York Islanders star center Bo Horvat can simply keep his nose to the grindstone about and “one day at a time” it until a resolution is reached.

Just over a month ago, Casey Cizikas was in the middle of one of the worst stretches of his career. He knew how bad things were, which was part of the problem.