Semyon Varlamov picked up his second shutout of the season yesterday, as the New York Islanders defeated the Boston Bruins by a score of 1-0.
Semyon Varlamov is the first goaltender in @NYIslanders history to record a shutout in each of his first two appearances of a season and the 14th goaltender in NHL history to do so. #NHLStatspic.twitter.com/1gJ0bst9mP
Varlamov remains unbeaten to start the year, going the first six periods of the season without a goal against. That said, the Islanders were outshot and outplayed in the first period but despite that, they still didn’t give up a ton of great chances early on. However, Varlamov did get lucky, with the post and crossbar coming to his aid.
Varlamov needed to make a few key saves as the game went on and though the Bruins got less shots in the second and third periods than they did in the first, he faced tougher opportunities (especially in the second period). Overall, he was definitely tested more than he was against the Rangers in the season opener and was a key factor in the win.
The Islanders didn’t generate a ton of great opportunities for the first half of the game but got some good chances in the third period, with opportunities for Mathew Barzal and Anthony Beauvillier. Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s lone goal of the game was pretty great as well.
Overall, it was a good win for the Islanders and it was great to see them match up well against tough competition.
The Islanders will be back in action on Thursday, when they face the New Jersey Devils.
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Here’s today’s poll question (results and discussion will be posted in a future article):
Are you surprised with Semyon Varlamov's strong start to the season?
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