3 Takeaways: Isles Oust Golden Knights 2-1 in OT

The New York Islanders are heading into the All-Star break on a high note.
The Islanders beat the Vegas Golden Knights 2-1 in overtime on Saturday night, extending their winning streak to two games. The crucial two points came off the efforts of Semyon Varlamov's season-high 44-save performance and Mathew Barzal's thrilling overtime winner.
"It felt really good, especially playing back-to-back getting four points," Varlamov said. "It was an important four points for us right before the break."

Anders Lee broke open the scoring in the second frame, while the Golden Knights retaliated with a goal from William Carrier. After a scoreless third period, Barzal was the overtime hero scoring his third-career OT winner.
"It's a big spark for our team," Mat Barzal said following the win. "Hopefully we can go for a little go on a little run here. For us to put ourselves right back right back in the mix... it's huge going in the break."

VARLAMOV SHINES IN 2-1 OVERTIME ISLES VICTORY:

Before Mathew Barzal could win, Semyon Varlamov had to save it.
ISLANDERS 2, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 1 OT
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Barzal's OT Winner
The goaltender's biggest save came on the biggest stage, as Varlamov stared down William Carrier's penalty shot in sudden-death overtime, making a pad save which paved the way for the 2-1 victory.
"That was an unbelievable save," Adam Pelech said of Varlamov's performance. "He kept us in the game. He was incredible tonight."
Varlamov made a season-high 44 saves to lead the Islanders to their second straight victory, earning his first win since facing the same Golden Knights on Dec. 17, where Varlamov made 35 saves in a 5-2 win, but was injured late in the third frame. Twenty-one of Varlamov's saves came in the third period and overtime when the game was tied 1-1.
Varlamov bailed out the Islanders many times prior to the overtime frame, including a highlight-reel save on the penalty kill protect the one-goal lead, swatting away Reilly Smith's attempt with his goal stick in the second period.

"It was an awesome save," Anders Lee said. "He looked down and out, and didn't give up on it, there his paddle out and made a hell of a save."
Varlamov attributed consistency as a reason for his strong performance tonight, citing his start on Wednesday night, where he made 36 saves in a 2-1 loss to Ottawa.
"Especially playing two nights ago, I had better energy today and my conditioning was better, Varlamov said. "I felt good overall, from the beginning to the end."

BARZAL BURIES OVERTIME WINNER:

Mat Barzal snapped his 10-game goal drought in a huge way.
Barzal was the overtime hero for New York, burying the game-winner with 32 seconds left in the extra frame, beating Logan Thompson with a wrist shot from the top of the circles.
"It was great to see him score," Head Coach Lane Lambert said of Barzal. "He's had some great opportunities... he got rewarded for it."
The OT winner capped a solid night for Barzal, who had a team-leading four takeaways - which accounted for over half of the Islanders seven as a team - and tied Brock Nelson for a team-high six shots.
Barzal also set up Anthony Beauvillier in the first period on a two-on-one that required a highlight-reel save from Thompson in the goalie duel.
Barzal now has 43 points (12G, 31A) in 51 games this season.

SECOND LINE CONTINUES TO PRODUCE:

The combination of Lee, Nelson and Kyle Palmieri continue to produce solid performances for the Islanders, as the line was responsible for the team's initial goal and a combined 22 attempted shots.
On the tally, Palmieri drove to the net and got tangled up with Brett Howden before he could get a shot off, but the puck slid over to Anders Lee, who wristed it past Thompson to open the scoring. Brock Nelson had the secondary assist, extending his point streak to six games, with seven points (4G, 3A) over that span.
Lee netted his 19th goal of the season, tying Nelson for the top spot. The captain has five points (4G, 1A) over his last five outings. With an opening goal for two consecutive nights, the captain reached 50 career opening goals, surpassing Denis Potvin on the all-time list for third in franchise history.
Palmieri is making up for lost time, putting up a point in every appearance since missing 27-of-28 games. He's riding a four-game point streak, with five points (5A) over that span.

NEXT GAME:

Brock Nelson and Ilya Sorokin will head to the All-Star Game, while the rest of the Islanders are off until Feb. 6, when they visit the Philadelphia Flyers.