Islanders win fourth straight as Semyon Varlamov makes 41 saves to blank Predators
Semyon Varlamov #40 of the Islanders defends the net in the second period against the Nashville Predators at UBS Arena on Saturday, Apr. 6, 2024 in Elmont, New York. Credit: Jim McIsaac
If the Islanders can reach the playoffs, Semyon Varlamov is making a strong case to be their Game 1 starter.
Varlamov, who has served mainly as Ilya Sorokin’s backup this season, stopped 41 shots, including 20 in a frantic third period, as the Islanders beat the Predators, 2-0, on Saturday night in front of a thunderous sellout crowd of 17,255 at UBS Arena for their fourth straight win.
“It was great,” said defenseman Noah Dobson, who had a game-high seven of the Islanders’ 33 blocked shots and opened the scoring in the second period. “It was the most energy and the loudest we’ve had the building all year.”
The Islanders (35-27-15) remained in third place in the Metropolitan Division — two points ahead of the streaking Penguins and fading Flyers — as Varlamov notched his third shutout of the season.
The crowd repeatedly chanted “Var-ly, Var-ly.”
“He was outstanding,” coach Patrick Roy said. “He looks so confident out there. It looked like it was an easy game. We needed it. It’s four games in six nights for us, guys might have been a bit tired, and I think that’s the reason why we had a few turnovers [15]. He won the game for us.”
“Some pucks I saw, some pucks I didn’t,” said Varlamov, who is 5-1-1 in his last seven starts. “A couple of times I thought I got lucky. Luck was definitely on my side today, which is good. I’ll take that any day. I feel pretty good, but I’m not really focusing on my record. We keep building here and we’re focusing on the team record.”
It allowed the Islanders to snap an 0-8-2 skid against the Predators and beat them for the first time since Oct. 28, 2017. It marked their first home win over the Predators since beating them at Barclays Center on Oct. 15, 2015.
And it happened because the Islanders’ NHL-worst penalty kill denied the Predators on back-to-back power plays in the third period after Brock Nelson was whistled for high-sticking Luke Evangelista in the offensive zone at 6:05 and Simon Holmstrom slashed former Islander Anthony Beauvillier at 8:22.
“We can look at the PK being a bit of an Achilles’ heel all year, but those guys stepped up big, and sometimes your goalie has to be your best penalty-killer, and Varly was tonight,” said Kyle Palmieri, who was denied on a second-period shorthanded rush but clinched the win with an empty-net goal flipped in from his own end at 18:41 of the third period.
Kevin Lankinen made 28 saves for the playoff-bound Predators (44-29-4), who entered the game on a 17-3-2 run.
Dobson connected from above the right circle through Casey Cizikas’ screen at 9:07 of the second period.
Seven of the Islanders’ 15 giveaways came in the first period.
“We addressed it,” Dobson said. “They’re a team that feeds off transition. They have some defensemen that get up in the play as soon as you turn the puck over. Varly was huge when we turned a couple over in the first to make some big saves.”
Varlamov got his right pad on defenseman Jeremy Lauzon’s chance off a turnover at 9:37 and denied Evangelista at 18:46 after defenseman Robert Bortuzzo turned the puck over at the crease. He made a similarly difficult left pad save on Filip Forsberg off another Islanders turnover at 8:06 of the second period.
“Every time you play against a top team, a very good team, you want to respond to the challenge, and that’s what we did today,” Roy said. “Today, I have to admit, our goalie was the No. 1 star.”
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.
