Despite the victory, Islanders were outplayed by Jets in third period
Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov and right wing Cal Clutterbuck low-five in the second period of an NHL game against the Winnipeg Jets at UBS Arena on Saturday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
If there was a nitpick in the Islanders 6-3 win over the Jets on Saturday afternoon at UBS Arena — or a concern going into Sunday’s game against the visiting Devils — it’s how they played in the final 20 minutes.
Of course, it’s natural to relax up five goals. But the Islanders were outshot 18-3 in the third period as the Jets scored twice. Only goalie Semyon Varlamov kept this one from getting closer.
“The compete level was really good for those first 40 minutes, and that’s what you need to bring back [Sunday],” coach Patrick Roy said. “We had a bit of a letdown in the third and he came up big for us. Some great saves kept us in. We didn’t compete as well.
“I saw that in a lot of games when I was playing,” said Roy, a Hall of Fame goalie with the Canadiens and Avalanche. “A 6-1 lead, it’s just human nature, isn’t it? I guess the guys wanted to see if Varly would be sharp or not. So I guess we got the answer.”
Ilya Sorokin is expected to start against the Devils in the second game of a back-to-back.
“Today was a big game,” Varlamov said. “We had a great start.”
Isles files
Brock Nelson’s first-period assist gave him 60 points as he joined Mathew Barzal, Bo Horvat and defenseman Noah Dobson with at least that many. It’s the second time in 30 years that the Islanders have had four 60-point scorers . . . The Islanders won an afternoon game for the first time this season (1-3-2) . . . Defensemen Samuel Bolduc and Sebastian Aho and forwards Simon Holmstrom and Oliver Wahlstrom were the healthy scratches. Holmstrom, with one assist in his last 10 games, was out of the lineup for just the second time this season. Said Roy, “Sometimes watching a game for a young guy is a good thing.”
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.
