Game Notes: New York Islanders defeat Montreal Canadiens in a marathon shootout

The New York Islanders skated away with a 4-3 SO win on Saturday night at home. The win was a much-needed one after the Isles were blanked in their last game against the St. Louis Blues.

The Islanders played a solid all-around game despite an all-too-familiar third-period blown lead. Still, the Isles showed resilience, taking the extra point in the shootout.

So, let’s dig into some key game notes for this much-needed New York Islanders win on Saturday night.

Games notes from the New York Islanders win over the Montreal Canadiens

Varlamov was clutch

Semyon Varlamov got the start in place of Ilya Sorokin against the Habs. Sorokin had played very well in his last two games. But as expected, Sorokin needed a break and so Varlamov got the call.

On the whole, Varlamov did well. He wasn’t overly tested, but managed 21 saves on the night. However, Varlamov was clutch when needed. Two good examples came in the second period.

First, Varlamov shut the door on a breakaway by Cole Caufield. The play came after the Isles couldn’t hold the zone. Then, a quick tap pass to a steaking Caufield off the bench led the scoring chance that Varlamov shut down.

Second, late in the second, the Habs had a rush chance in which Varlamov was forced to make two big saves. Initially, Varlamov stopped Alex Newhook from point-blank range. Then, the rebound came back to the trailer Kirby Dach. Varlamov slid across to stop the puck by getting just enough of it.

Both saves kept the game tied at two, giving the New York Islanders a chance to take the lead.

The depth came through when needed

Much of the discussion following the Blues game was the lack of depth scoring. That changed somewhat on Saturday night with Anders Lee scoring in the third to give the Islanders a 3-2 lead late in the game.

The play developed as JG Pageau cut up the left side, put a hard shot on the net, and with Lee crashing the net, popped home the rebound. The play worked and the Islanders took the lead.

Moving forward, the Islanders must get more scoring from that third line in order to win tough-checking, tight games such as this one on Saturday night.

An all-too-familiar scenario unfolded

Disaster struck with a little over two minutes to go in the third as Cole Caufield scored his second of the night to tie the game. The goal was a bit of a soft one. But it wasn’t entirely on Varlamov as the Isles allowed Caufield all the time and space he needed to score.

Still, the Isles kept it together and nearly won the game in OT. So, the Isles stayed in the game instead of crumbling and giving up the win.

Kudos to the Islanders’ resilience

In OT, the Isles put plenty of pressure, especially during a 4-on-3 power play. However, the Isles just couldn’t end the game in OT. The shootout was needed to determine the winner of the extra point. In the end, it took nine rounds, but the Isles emerged victorious.

So, kudos to the Isles for sticking with it, and pulling out a tough, well-deserved win against a Montreal Canadiens team that’s much better than most people believe.