photo credit: AP
Coming off Saturday’s blowout, the Islanders were looking to keep their momentum rolling and extend their season record to 2-1-0. The visiting San Jose Sharks have been off to a rough start to their season, holding a record of 0-4-0 looking for their first win, as well as new head coach David Quinn looking for his first win as the bench boss in San Jose. For Islanders head coach Lane Lambert, there would be no lineup changes, but goaltender Semyon Varlamov would get his first taste of action tonight between the pipes for the orange and blue this season. Varlamov heads into this season looking to prove he can still play at the NHL level, despite his struggles last season, where he would put up a 10-17-2 record with a .911 save percentage. The Sharks goal crease featured NHL veteran James Reimer, who is also looking for his first win of the season.
The contest would start slow for the Islanders, as they looked like they were struggling to generate significant offense, just generating seven shots in the opening nine minutes of play. The Isles generated considerably physical hockey in the opening frame, registering nine hits through the teams opening 20 minutes of play. The Sharks would strike first, as forward Nico Sturm would net his second goal of the season at the 12:50 mark of the period. Both clubs would get an opportunity to display their special teams early on in the game, as defensemen Adam Pelech would be guilty of interference at the 13:18 mark, and Matt Benning of the Sharks would serve a minor holding penalty at the 16:28 mark. Each team would go perfect on their penalty kill opportunities. The Islanders would finish the period with just 11 shots and chasing a goal headed to intermission.
The Islanders offense would be awakened in the second period, as they finished nearly doubling their first-period total by putting up 21 shots, bringing their game total to 32 shots on goal before the third period. Their aggressive, pucks-on-net style of play this period did not go unrewarded, as they would find the back of the net three times. Goals from Anders Lee (10:03), Zach Parise (14:48), and Oliver Wahlstrom (19:03) propelled the Islanders to a 3-2 lead. The Sharks would strike at the 17:10 mark, as Evgeny Svechnikov deflected a puck home, making the score 2-2 for a brief period of time. The Islanders would only get one chance this period to flash their powerplay on a Nico Sturm holding the stick penalty but were unsuccessful in their efforts.
Going into the third period with a 3-2 lead, the Islanders were looking to put a bow on this one and send the Sharks home with their fifth straight loss of the season. Early physical play from Casey Cizikas and Jean-Gabriel Pageau would set the tone for the period that the Isles weren’t going to sit back, and they were going to keep the pressure coming. The Islanders would hand the Sharks an early power play opportunity from a questionable slashing call against Anders Lee just 1:29 into the period. The Sharks power play chance would be cut short, as captain Logan Couture would be guilty of holding just 34 seconds later, bringing the teams to four-on-four hockey. Roughly four minutes later, Brock Nelson was sent to the penalty box for a tripping penalty. The Islanders would be successful on this penalty kill, bringing their total to three-for-three on the evening. Oliver Wahlstrom found the back of the net for the second time this game on a beautiful slap shot from the low faceoff circle to extend the Isles lead in the game to 4-2. The Islanders would apply the pressure from this point on, as they did an excellent job keeping the puck out of their zone. Cal Clutterbuck would put home the empty net goal with 2:26 remaining in the contest to put the score to 5-2 and eventually put the bow on the game for the Islanders as they would skate away victorious.
Oliver Wahlstrom is building himself a legitimate case to remain in Lane Lambert’s lineup full-time. Now bringing his season goal total to three, Wally is proving to everyone that he is on pace to be the natural goal scorer, not only that it is predicted he can be, but the one the Islanders have been searching for over the last number of seasons. Wahlstrom would finish the game with two points, a +3 rating, and six shots on goal, proving he isn’t afraid to shoot.
Mat Barzal struggled in this game, as he would be held to no points and a -1 rating. Aside from not registering a point, he would also have a rough night at the faceoff dot, as he was only 38% on his chances in this game. Everyone is entitled to having a poor performance, so this is not something that should be looked into too deeply. However, it is essential for the Islanders long-term success for Barzal to end up on the scoresheet positively as frequently as possible for the young center.
The play of Semyon Varlamov tonight was reminiscent of Varly of old, as he starts his season with a much-needed, confidence-boosting win to his 15-year resume in the NHL. Varly would stop 26 of 2 shots, good enough for a .929 save percentage to start this season. Like Barzal, Varly staying sharp and in the right mindset is crucial for the Islanders. Not many other teams have two NHL-caliber starting goalies in their lineup to tend the crease, so the Islanders will need him to stay sharp for the long haul and give the team their best chances to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Josh Bailey and Kyle Palmieri have been virtually nonexistent to start of the season, and by virtually, I mean entirely. Neither player has registered a point this season, but they have ratings of +1 and have each taken just five shots. For a combined total of $10 million, the production from these two needs to be elevated. Otherwise, it will be no surprise if these two names are in high discussion at the trade deadline to be moved for some capital. But you can only imagine how low the return would be for two players under-producing. Yes, it is probably too early to harp on player performances, but for two players who average first and second-line minutes to start the year, it’s very fair to say the production needs to be upped for the Islanders offensive game.
The Islanders return to UBS Arena Thursday, October 20th, to host the New Jersey Devils in the first of three meetings this season.
