Scott Mayfield snapped a scoreless tie just before the midway point of the third period Tuesday night and goalie Semyon Varlamov stopped all 24 shots he faced in his first shutout of the season as the host New York Islanders beat the Ottawa Senators, 3-0.
The shutout was the first for Varlamov since May 1, 2021. The 33-year-old was bandied about in rumors prior to Monday’s trade deadline but stayed put for the Islanders, who were the only NHL team not to make a move on Sunday or Monday. New York entered Tuesday 19 points behind the Washington Capitals in the race for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Anders Lee scored with 2:35 left and Zach Parise, who signed a one-year extension Monday, added an empty-netter with 46.9 seconds left for the Islanders, who have won seven of their last 10 (7-2-1).
Goalie Anton Forsberg, who signed a three-year extension Monday, made 24 saves for the Senators, who have lost five of their last six (1-5-0).
The Senators outshot the Islanders 13-8 and killed off a pair of penalties in the first. New York had a 7-5 shot advantage during a second period in which neither team mounted a serious threat.
Mathew Barzal had the Islanders’ first prime chance in the third but fired over the net from point-blank range with 11:14 left. New York finally broke the scoreless tie fewer than two minutes later following a chaotic sequence in the Senators’ zone.
Brock Nelson fired a shot wide of the net and off the back wall before Andres Lee corralled the loose puck. Nelson skated to the right of Forsberg, took a pass from Lee and tried firing on net from the goal line, but his shot glanced off the skate of Senators center Dylan Gambrell. The puck bounced to Mayfield, who tucked the rebound under Forsberg’s stick arm at the 9:49 mark.
It was the third goal of the season for Mayfield and his first since Jan. 21.
–Field Level Media