ELMONT, N.Y. — The shots were plentiful, just like last game. This time, though, the Islanders created plenty of traffic at the crease.
And it made all the difference.
The Islanders, with three, second-period goals in less than seven minutes, snapped a two-game losing streak to avoid matching their longest of the season with a 3-0 win over Chicago on Sunday night at UBS Arena as they continued a three-game homestand.
Semyon Varlamov made 21 saves for the Islanders (16-10-0) for his first shutout and the team’s third this season and the fourth in his career against Chicago. Varlamov has won four of his last five decisions but was making just his third start since Nov. 19.
Arvid Soderblom stopped 37 shots for Chicago (7-13-4), which has the second fewest points in the NHL. Chicago had snapped an eight-game losing streak (0-7-1) with a 5-2 win over the Rangers on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.
The Islanders, who have won five of their last seven games and 14 of their last 20, were coming off a 4-1 loss to the visiting Predators on Friday night in which they took a season-high 49 shots but didn’t get nearly enough traffic in front of goalie Kevin Lankinen to satisfy coach Lane Lambert.
“I thought, at times, we got out of our structure in the offensive zone a little bit,” Lambert said of Friday’s loss. “We talked about it and worked on it on (Saturday).”
The Islanders’ second-period goal outburst got off to a delayed start. Matt Martin snuck the puck past Soderblom’s right pad and just inside the near post as he was knocked down at the crease by defenseman Filip Roos at 8:58.
But that was not immediately called a goal – leaving Martin to head to the bench asking the referees why not – and not verified until a video review during a stoppage more than two minutes of playing time later.
Zach Parise then made it 2-0 at 14:31, getting to the crease to deflect defenseman Adam Pelech’s feed from the left wall. Anthony Beauvillier set up Brock Nelson’s one-timer 43 seconds later to make it 3-0. It was Beauvillier’s 200th career point.
There was some early spillover from the Islanders’ 3-1 win in Chicago on Nov. 1 when Casey Cizikas collided with goalie Alex Stalock three minutes into the game, forcing him from that contest with Soderblom coming in. Stalock remains on injured reserve with a concussion.
So Reese Johnson challenged Cizikas at 2:11 of the first period on Sunday, with Cizikas getting the better of it in an energetic fight.
Varlamov made his toughest saves in the first period, stopping Philipp Kurashev from the slot off Max Domi’s feed at 3:42, then getting his right pad on Kurashev’s next chance at 7:36.
Notes & quotes: RW Hudson Fasching, 27, made his Islanders’ debut after being recalled from their AHL affiliate in Bridgeport on Thursday. He was on the ice for Martin’s goal. Fasching previously played for the Sabres and Coyotes … D Robin Salo was recalled from Bridgeport but was a healthy scratch for the 21st straight time while on the NHL roster … RW Kyle Palmieri (IR/upper body), who has not resumed skating, and RW Cal Clutterbuck (upper body) remained out … The Islanders’ Lou Lamoriello served his 2,700th NHL game as a general manager, tying Glen Sather for the second most behind David Poile (3,016) … The Islanders went 0-for-2 on the power play, snapping a five-game streak of scoring at least once on the man advantage, their longest since December, 2017 … Rookie RW Simon Holmstrom, in his sixth NHL game, took his first two career shots.
