Semyon Varlamov made a season-best 41 saves, securing his third shutout of the season as the New York Islanders defeated the Nashville Predators 2-0 on Saturday night, earning a crucial win in their push for the playoffs.
Noah Dobson and Kyle Palmieri scored for the Islanders, who won their fourth consecutive game, taking a two-point lead over both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh for third place in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Penguins currently hold the second wild-card spot, while the Flyers are not in a playoff position. New York and Pittsburgh have five games remaining, one more than Philadelphia.
“Sometimes I saw the pucks coming, sometimes I didn’t,” said Varlamov. “A few times I felt lucky. Luck was on my side today, which is great. I’ll take that any day.”
The 35-year-old Varlamov earned his 41st career shutout and his first since November 2 against Washington. “The crowd was electric,” Varlamov said. “It felt like a playoff atmosphere.” The Islanders ended a 10-game losing streak (0-8-2) against the Predators, dating back to October 28, 2017.
“We haven’t had much success against that team over the past few years,” said Casey Cizikas. “To come away with two points in the way that we did, playing hard, getting big kills, big saves from Varly when we needed it, that one means a lot.”
Kevin Lankinen made 28 saves as the Predators lost for the fourth time in five games.
“They defended their net well,” said Predators coach Andrew Brunette. “We did a lot of positive things throughout the game. Maybe we were a bit slow to start, but we picked up momentum and couldn’t find a goal late in the game.”
Dobson scored the opening goal in the second period with a wrist shot past Lankinen’s glove, assisted by Mathew Barzal, who extended his point streak to four games.
“We battled hard all night,” said Dobson. “It wasn’t our cleanest game, we made a few turnovers. They had a strong push in the third period, but credit to the guys, especially on the penalty kill. Some big blocked shots, facing heavy shots. Guys sacrificed and at this time of year, that’s crucial. You have to battle and find a way to win those close games.”
The Islanders’ penalty kill and Varlamov thwarted back-to-back penalties in the third period to maintain the one-goal lead and secure the shutout.
“Sometimes your goalie has to be the best penalty killer, and he was tonight,” said Palmieri of Varlamov. Palmieri sealed the win with an empty-net goal with 1:19 left to play.
