5 Takeaways: Islanders Shut Out Rangers 4-0

It's a new season, but the New York Islanders looked like they were in midseason form on Thursday night, beating the New York Rangers 4-0 in their season opener at Madison Square Garden.
Anders Lee (2G), Mathew Barzal and Brock Nelson scored for the Islanders, while Semyon Varlamov made 24 saves for the shutout.
"There's no statement game for us," Head Coach Barry Trotz said. "It's the first game of the season against a rival. We know important points are in a shortened season, so we wanted to come out and play well."
See below for five takeaways from the Islanders season-opening clinic.

Video: Lee, Varlamov power Islanders' shutout win

1. ISLES RIDE FAST START TO WIN:

The Islanders were certainly ready to play on Thursday, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first period.
Brock Nelson opened the scoring with a power-play goal at 2:33 of the first period, knocking in a blocked Anthony Beauvillier shot past Igor Shesterkin. Anders Lee followed it up with a goal 1:19 later, snapping a shot high glove past the Rangers' netminder at 3:52.
Lee's goal came just after the captain got a stick to face in front of the Rangers net, putting him behind the play and able to take advantage of a two-on-one rush. The goal was the first of two on the night for Lee.
"We just wanted to start on the right foot," Lee said. "It was the result of a good camp and everyone being ready for tonight."
Mathew Barzal made it 3-0 at 13:31, as he pulled a nifty move around Tony DeAngelo before snapping his first goal of the season high glove on Shesterkin. Barzal nearly had a second with a nifty backhand from the side of the net, while Shesterkin was forced to make a good save on a Ryan Pulock slap shot through traffic. The shots at the end of the first were 10-9 for the Islanders, who easily had seven scoring chances. Trotz credited the team's strong training camp and foundational focus for the quick start.
"It validates to my staff, but also to the players," Trotz said of the team's training camp. "We're not going to have a lot of practice time... so the foundational elements you put in during training camp and work so hard in, you want to see them pay dividends. That's positive reinforcement. From our standpoint it says a lot to the guys and was something we focused on."
While the Rangers pressured the Islanders in the second, the Islanders were able to fend off any comeback, largely keeping the Blueshirts' big guns quiet. The Islanders limited the Rangers to three shots in the third period.

2. POWER PLAY SCORES TWICE:

After getting the fewest power-play opportunities in the NHL last season, the Islanders power play got plenty of work on Thursday night - and looked good doing it - going 2-for-8 on the night.
The man advantage scored on its first opportunity with Nelson's goal at 2:33. The Islanders had three power plays in the first period, helping tilt the ice in their favor.
Lee, who had two power-play goals in all of 2019-20, picked up his first man-advantage tally of the season on Thursday, getting position on Jacob Trouba and tapping in a slick feed from Jordan Eberle at 14:54.

"It's always nice to get a few and for both groups to get one," Lee said. "Without preseason there are a lot of penalties early on and the power play becomes really important... Nice to see us hone in on some good plays and get a couple to go. Just a good way to start the season."
The Islanders also debuted a new look on the power play, as Noah Dobson quarterbacked the Barzal unit. Dobson, who played a similar position in junior, looked comfortable and poised on the points, moving the puck quickly and confidently. When a miscue led to a shorthanded two-on-one, Pulock was there to break up the play. Dobson finished the night with an assist on Lee's power-play goal.
The power play had plenty of work throughout the game, including a double-minor in the third. Lee narrowly missed corralling a backhander with Shesterkin down and Pulock rang a shot off the crossbar. All in all, a good night and good practice for a unit to get some game reps.

3. BARZAL DOING BARZAL THINGS:

Mathew Barzal looked like his dynamic self in the season opener, producing his first wow moment of the season by deking DeAngelo and snapping a shot past Shesterkin in the first period.
Barzal didn't show any ill effects of missing the early part of camp - he said his teammates teased that he missed the tough days - with plenty of speed and gas to create chances on the night. He chipped his way around Trouba on a second period rush and drew a holding call on DeAngelo in the third, which turned into a four-minute power play after the Rangers defenseman picked up an unsportsmanlike call in the box. The 23-year-old also stripped the puck off Adam Fox in the third period, a play that endeared him to Trotz, but could not beat Shesterkin on the ensuing breakaway.
ISLANDERS 4, RANGERS 0
ISLES-RANGERS ARTICLES
Gamecenter
ISLES-RANGERS VIDEO
Full Highlights
Nelson's PPG
Lee Snipes Shesterkin
Barzal Pads Lead
Postgame: Trotz
Postgame: Lee & Barzal
Postgame: Leddy & Varlamov
KINGER'S RADIO CALLS
Listen to Nelson's Goal
Listen to Lee's Goal
Listen to Barzal's Goal
Listen to Lee's Second Goal
"That's something I'm trying to include in my game over the past two years, being on the right side of the puck," Barzal said of his backchecking and play away from the puck. "I'm just trying to move my legs on the back check and maybe pick some passes off and make it tough on them and trying to use my attributes."
Barzal also nearly roofed a backhand from the side of the net in the first period and finished the game with five shots, second only to Lee's seven. Another day at the office for the Islanders center.
"He's so instinctive offensively," Trotz said of Barzal. "If we can just get him to have a balance at times, it would help him get the puck more. That's my goal. He can be as good as he wants to be. He has the skillset, he's competitive, he's a good young man, he shoots the puck pretty well, passes pretty well and the skating ability is outstanding. As we grow down this path, he can be as good as he wants to be."

4. BELLOWS AND JOHNSTON START WITH PAGEAU:

After impressing Barry Trotz during training camp, Kieffer Bellows got the start alongside Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Ross Johnston in the season opener.
Bellows made an impression at MSG, throwing out a game-high eight hits, despite only seeing 10:25 TOI. Bellows also drew a hooking penalty on 2020 first-overall pick Alexis Lafreniere in the second period. It was a strong showing for the Islanders' 2016 first-round pick, who did not crack the Islanders playoff roster over the summer, but who Trotz had said had closed the gap on becoming a regular NHLer between last season and this year.
Johnston skated 8:02 with three hits. The hulking forward had an awkward collision with Rangers forward Kevin Rooney with 13-and-a-half minutes to play in the third period, knocking Rooney out of the game.
As for Pageau, the Islanders versatile center did a little bit of everything on Thursday, racking up 4:51 PP TOI, 2:58 SH TOI while winning nine-of-16 faceoffs.

5. VARLAMOV LOOKS SHARP IN SEASON DEBUT:

While the Islanders offense led the way on Thursday Semyon Varlamov was sharp when he needed to be.
The veteran netminder stopped all 24 shots in the win for his 28th-career shutout. He was at his best in the second period, stopping all 12 pucks that came his way, including a handful of stops on Rangers chances in tight, notably denying Brett Howden's one-timer on the doorstep.
Varlamov caught a break with a disallowed goal in the second period, which he had covered before it was stuffed in by Trouba. Pulock had a goal overturned in the third period, as a netfront pileup was deemed goalie interference. Varlamov credited the Islanders stingy play in front of him for the clean sheet, as the Rangers were limited to three shots in the third period.

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders and Rangers will meet again on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, wrapping up a two-game set to start the season. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.