Rapid Reaction: Varlamov Stops 40, New York Islanders Squash Bruins 3-1

The New York Islanders picked up their second win at UBS Arena on Thursday night, as they defeated the Boston Bruins 3-1. The victory moves the Islanders record to 8-12-5 on the season.

How it Happened: Anthony Beauvillier’s tally at 1:44 of the second period served as the game-winner for the New York Islanders in the win on Thursday night. His power-play goal gave the Islanders a 2-0 lead, as Robin Salo picked up his first career NHL point in the process. Salo, at the point, dished the puck over to Beauvillier atop the left circle. With Zach Parise screening Ullmark, Beauvillier let a slapshot go that beat the Boston netminder glove side.

Cal Clutterbuck’s tally at 11:47 of the first period gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead. Adam Pelech picked up the puck from the left boards and took a sharp angle shot on Boston netminder Ullmark, with the puck ending up behind the Boston net. After a battle, the puck found its way right to Clutterbuck in front of goal, who quickly beat Ullmark high glove-side.

Clutterbuck added his second goal of the contest, an empty-net goal at 17:43 of the third period to give the Islanders a 3-0 lead.

The Boston Bruins picked up a late goal with 53.1 seconds remaining on the clock. A shot by Mike Reilly deflected and beat Varlamov high glove side, just under the bar to erase the shutout.

Never Looked Back: Being able to garner momentum early in hockey games had been a struggle for the New York Islanders this season. Even when they scored the first goal of the game,  there was usually a quick equalizer. However, in the win on Thursday night, the Islanders were able to light the lamp first and never looked back.

The Islanders put together their best first period of the 2021-22 campaign, as the dominated pace of play. Islanders head coach Barry Trotz was able to run all four lines from the get-go, and even in the second period when the Bruins got their chances, the Islanders’ effort never wavered.

In the third period, the Islanders played the brand of hockey we have seen more often than not under Trotz. Locking down defensively and getting pucks deep played a major factor in the Islanders being able to close the door.’

Beauvilier Snaps Long Offensive Drought: On Thursday night, Anthony Beauvillier’s goal-scoring drought came to an end. His power-play tally was his first goal in 15 contests, as he also snapped a 16-game pointless streak in the process.

PPG for #️⃣1️⃣8️⃣ pic.twitter.com/nTqI6T4N1t

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) December 17, 2021

After a lackluster start to his season, Beauvillier was a healthy scratch against the New Jersey Devils on Dec. 11. In his return to action this past Tuesday against the Detroit Red Wings, Beauvillier looked like he received the message as he skated hard throughout the contest.

But his play in the victory on Thursday night showcased an even stronger game, playing a dynamic brand of hockey in all three zones.

He ended the night with a goal on four shots on goal in 18:41 minutes.

Islanders head coach Barry Trotz talked about Beauvillier following Thursday’s morning skate, calling Beauvillier not only a veteran, but also a core piece of his roster. And that comes with a certain level of responsibility and expectations, that the 24-year old was struggling with this season.

After scoring in the second period, Beauvillier looked to be more loose and relaxed. A game surely to build on for no. 18.

Beauviller now has four on the season along with four assists in 23 games played.

Varlamov Picks up First Win of Season:  New York Islanders netminder Semyon Varlamov came into the matchup with the Boston Bruins looking for his first win of the season. He was able to end a personal six-game skid, stopping 40 of 41 shots he faced.

He was awarded with the first star of the contest.

It was not a strong start to the contest for Varlamov, as he seemed to be antsy in goal. He was off his angle, struggling to read shots and control his rebounds. It was not a busy first period, to say the least, denying all eight shots that came his way.

Varlamov had to be much sharper in the second period. The more shots he faced the better he looked, which was a good sign as he denied all 21 Boston shots that came his way in the middle frame.

In the third period, Varlamov turned aside 12 of the 13 shots he faced.

Boston was a team that Varlamov has matched up well against over his NHL career, especially in the recent past. Varlamov was 11-6-3, with a 2.26 GAA and a .928 SV% with 3 SO in 22 career regular-season games against Boston over his career.

Last season, he went 5-1-0 (7 GP) against Boston, with a 1.93 GAA, a 943 SV%, with 1 SO. That did not include his 2021 playoff numbers, in which he posted a 4-0-1 record with a 2.27 GAA and .935 SV%. 

Varlamov will look to build on his newfound confidence whenever he gets another crack between the pipes.

Quotables: Anthony Beauvillier, Josh Bailey, Cal Clutterbuck, Semyon Varlamov, and Barry Trotz addressed the media following Thursday’s win:

“Feels good. Obviously, I’ve been kinda grinding to find my game lately. Last two games have been good. Definitely, a wake-up call, see the positive of it. Just go out there and play and try to win battles and win games for my teammates. It’s been my mentality the last couple of games.” – Anthony Beauvillier on his play since being inserted back into the lineup.

“Yeah, it felt good. Obviously, there is a lot of familiarity with the three of us. That was a step in the right direction. I think the main focus for us is just doing what we can to help the team win.” – Josh Bailey on the strong performance by the second line.

“Probably goes without saying. The last little while has been make or break, put ourselves in a tough spot. Said this like a million times, we are just trying to focus on the day in front of us. One day at a time. Things can get overwhelming, can get too high to low so it’s just one day at a time.” – Cal Clutterbuck on focusing one game at a time.

“It feels great. It’s been a long time when I won the last game. So first win for me. It feels amazing, finally. I had a tough stretch but it’s over. So I’m happy for the team. We get two points today and happy for myself.” – Semyon Varlamov on getting his first win of the season.

“We had good poise. There wasn’t any panic on the bench or anything. We knew that Boston still has a lot, you know they got their defense, they got their goaltender. They still got guys like Pastrnak, Hall, people like that, and they’ve got quality people. We knew they were really going to try to forecheck, have some work, and do the things that they normally do. Obviously, they miss some people, we miss some people too. We worked well, we worked smart for the most part”. – Barry Trotz on the play of his team in the win.

Notes: Kyle Palmieri left the Islanders bench at the end of the second period and did not return. He is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Boston had several players missing due to COVID-19 including forwards Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, along with netminder Trevor Swayman.

Up Next: The New York Islanders host the Vegas Golden Knights at UBS Arena Sunday with puck drop at 2:00 p.m.