Simultaneous minors become major hassle for Islanders
New York Islanders defenseman Robin Salo skates during Prospect Development Camp at Northwell Health Ice Center on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2022. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Islanders were less than pleased with simultaneous second-period minor penalties on Cal Clutterbuck and Adam Pelech while a slash on Brock Nelson was not called.
The Blue Jackets tied the score with the two resulting power-play goals, but the Islanders still won, 3-2, on Friday night at Nationwide Arena.
“It was a little bit of adversity, but that’s not a bad thing,” coach Lane Lambert said. “I thought our guys handled it well. Was it an ideal sequence? No. It’s disappointing that we were down five-on-three anyway.”
Ultimately, though, Lambert said they were judgment calls by referees Furman South and Kelly Sutherland and that the Islanders had to “move forward as a team.”
“Those things are up to interpretation,” Clutterbuck said. “We probably could have done a better job of getting the penalties killed there.”
Goalie choices
With the Islanders also facing the Flyers on Saturday night at UBS Arena, Lambert needed to decide how to split his goalies’ work. He opted to give Ilya Sorokin a third straight start after he made a career-high 49 saves in Wednesday’s 3-0 home win over the Oilers.
“I don’t think it counts too much,” Lambert said of that influencing his decision.
Semyon Varlamov, whose last game was a 30-save performance in a 5-2 road loss to the Stars last Saturday, is expected to start against the Flyers.
Isles files
Sorokin said he was fine after being hit with a high shot from D Vladislav Gavrikov 34 seconds into the second period. Sorokin was shaken up and briefly tended to on the ice . . . The Islanders have won five straight against the Blue Jackets . . . C Mathew Barzal had two assists to extend his point streak to seven games, a season high for the Islanders . . . D Robin Salo and LW Ross Johnston remained healthy scratches.
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.
