Newsmakers in the NHL: Somebody Had to Win

Islanders 4, Avalanche 2: Monday night was the worst case scenario for the Versus "game of the week." The only game on the NHL's schedule featured the worst team in the Western Conference, the Colorado Avalanche, taking on the worst team in the NHL, the New York Islanders.

Combine two disappointing teams with the fact New York is under a foot of snow, and you had two bad teams playing in front of about 14,000 empty seats. Oh, and the Islanders won, 4-2.

The most intriguing aspect of the game was the fact New York had another prominent forward, Trent Hunter, scratched from the lineup after taking part in the pregame skate.

On Saturday, the rumor mill was firing on all cylinders as Bill Guerin was lifted in a similar manner. We're still waiting for that trade, while rumors around Hunter's exit from Long Island were squashed when Versus reported he was sitting out due to an undisclosed injury. Party poopers.

As for the game itself, Jesse Joensuu scored his first career goal for the Islanders, while Dean McAmmond, Bruno Gervais and Jeff Tambellini also scored in the win.

Former Islander Ryan Smyth heard the boo birds seemingly every time he touched the puck, but still managed to score a pair of goals for Colorado.