3 Takeaways: Islanders Shut Out Blue Jackets 2-0 

The New York Islanders earned their first road win of the season, shutting out the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-0 on Saturday night at Nationwide Arena. 

Kyle Palmieri (GWG) broke the ice late in the first period, and the Islanders carried that fragile 1-0 lead into the final minutes of the third period, where Matt Martin went top shelf on Spencer Martin to extend the lead to 2-0, securing the win. Semyon Varlamov made 34 saves for his first shutout of the season and the 39th of his career.

“For our group to grind one of those out especially on the road early in the season, I think it's a way for us to get comfortable in those in those tight games,” Palmieri said. “We found a way to do it tonight.”

PALMIERI PROVIDES LEAD, ISLANDERS PROTECT LEAD:

With track meets against New Jersey and Colorado in the not too distant past, the New York Islanders got back to their stalwart defensive selves on Saturday night, recording their second shutout of the season.

That meant building a 1-0 lead 15:45 into the first period on Palmieri’s opening tally and protecting it the rest of the way.

Palmieri was in the right place at the right time on the eventual game-winner. Pierre Engvall threw the puck on net from the right circle with Martin making the initial save. Palmieri was open and in front of the net to bury the rebound for his third goal of the season. He extended his point streak to three games (2G, 1A) in the process.

“It was an offensive zone draw, Nelson did a great job winning it,” Palmieri said. “Pierre made himself available and just turned and threw it at the net. It was a fortunate bounce, and I was in the right place at the right time.”

The trio of Palmieri, Nelson and Engvall had a strong outing on Thursday night against Columbus. The line combined for 20 shot attempts (12 on goal, two attempts blocked and six missed), generating praise from Head Coach Lane Lambert.

“I thought the line was great,” Lambert said. “Brock was skating. Pierre was outstanding tonight, that was his best game of the year. And Palmieri does what he does. That was great goal by them, it was smart of Pierre to throw it at the net. And I just thought that line was very, very good. They had a lot of scoring chances.”

There were more chances than the 2-0 scoreline suggested, but the Islanders defensive play got better as the game wore on. They allowed five high-danger chances (at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick) in the first period, three in the second and down to only one in the third.

Matt Martin gave the Isles the insurance marker with 3:21 to play, as he netted his first goal of the season, chopping in a Casey Cizikas rebound after a misplay by the Columbus netminder.

The Islanders recorded 19 blocked shots and had a strong night on the penalty kill, going 3-for-3. Though they didn’t convert in their three power play opportunities, both units looked solid with significant zone time on the man advantage and had some key keep-ins.

“The kill was great, other than a couple quick entries there at the end, but we held them really well overall,” Lee said. “Really strong night by our PK and ton of block shots and of course Varly had a phenomenal night. [On the] power play we had some good looks, both units had a lot of opportunities, but we didn’t get one to go, but we didn't need them tonight. So just keep trying to improve and working like we have been.”

VARLAMOV EARNS FIRST SHUTOUT OF THE SEASON:

Semyon Varlamov was tested with 34 shots against Columbus on Saturday, stopping them all to record his 39th career shutout. He earned 14 of those as an Islander, tying Tommy Salo for the fifth most in franchise history.

“Varly was outstanding,” Adam Pelech said. “It felt good as a group to play better in front of him because he’s the best. We want to do well for him, he had a great game. A lot of commitment and sacrifice at the end there blocking shots, it was definitely a full team effort.”

Varlamov made the most of his second start, picking up his first win of the season and first shutout since Feb. 26 in Winnipeg, where the Islanders won 4-0. 

"There was a couple of especially in the third period with those tight plays around the net," Palmieri said. "He held his position and stayed strong. Sometimes it's tough to do that when you're not playing too often. But he's done a great job of working get himself ready and that really showed tonight."

Varlamov stopped all five shots of sniper Jack Roslovic, notably robbing him with a glove save in the final frame to protect the 1-0 lead. He credited his teammates in front of him to help him out defensively. 

“It was nerve-wracking, two great chances but I’m glad they bailed me out when the puck was near the goal line,” Varlamov said. “Don’t want to give up those. When we needed to block shots, the boys did it.” 

“I'm very happy about the way the team played and the way I played today,” Varlamov added.

WAHLSTROM AND BARZAL SWAP IN THE SECOND PERIOD:

Lambert felt a change was needed and made it in middle frame, swapping assignments for Mathew Barzal for Oliver Wahlstrom. 

“I didn’t think that Bo’s line was going,” Lambert said. “So, I switched it up and tried to add a spark that way.” 

Barzal skated with JG Pageau and Simon Holmstrom, while Wahlstrom finished the game on a line with Bo Horvat and Lee, who was impressed by Wahlstrom’s performance on the ice. 

“When we were out there together, we had some good touches and some good looks,” Lee said. “I think he's getting better and better each night.” 

Wahlstrom skated a season-high 13:51, with seven shot attempts (one on goal, four attempts blocked and two missed) and recorded two hits. Lambert said his trust is building and felt impressed with multiple elements of his performance on Saturday. 

“He’s getting some reps and some consistency with these starts,” Lambert said of Wahlstrom. “I thought he played really well. He added an element of physicality for us. I thought his defensive play was responsible and I thought he had a couple of good chances. If he hits the net on those chances, we’ll be golden.” 

Four games into the season after an extensive recovery period, the 23-year-old is making progress and seeing his work pay off. 

“I feel like I’m getting my speed back,” Wahlstrom said. “I feel great. I feel like I put in so much work in the offseason and the beginning of the season. I can tell how strong I am from the rehab process and today was a really good step in the right direction.” 

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders return home to take on the Detroit Red Wings on Monday night at UBS Arena. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m.