B’s can’t find the net

Varlamov stops 27 shots for Islanders

UNIONDALE, N.Y. » Semyon Varlamov stopped 27 shots for his 29th career shutout, Jean- Gabriel Pageau scored with 4:09 remaining, and the New York Islanders beat the Boston Bruins 1- 0 in their home opener Monday.

Adam Pelech fired a shot from the left point and Boston’s Patrice Bergeron deflected the puck up in air. Pageau batted it in past Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask to put the Islanders on the scoreboard.

Varlamov, who missed Saturday’s game against the Rangers after he took a puck off his neck in pregame warmups, got his second shutout in two starts this season. He had 24 saves in a 4- 0 win against the Rangers last Thursday.

Varlamov stopped consecutive chances by Nick Ritchie with about a minute remaining.

Rask, who had beaten the Islanders in seven of his last eight starts against them, stopped 16 shots for the Bruins in the finale of their season-opening three-game trip. Boston won in a shootout, and then lost in OT in games at New Jersey.

It was the Islanders’ first home game since last March 7, when they lost 3-2 in overtime against Carolina at Nassau Coliseum. Without fans in attendance this time, there were cardboard cutouts in the stands and crowd noise was pumped in on the speakers.

Barzal rang a shot off the crossbar during a power play less than two minutes into the third. Anthony Beauvillier was denied by Rask with a right pad save near the midpoint of the period.

After a first period in which they had few scoring chances, the Islanders picked up the pace in the second and outshot Bos

ton 7- 6. However, Varlamov and Rask didn’t let anything past them.

The Bruins outshot the Islanders 11-3 in the first period. New York had two shots on goal in the first 2:19, but then didn’t get another until Nick Leddy’s slap shot with 33 seconds remaining.

Boston’s David Krejci

got one past Varlamov but the puck hit off the crossbar with 4 1/2 minutes left in the opening period.

Coliseum Swan Song 2

The Islanders opened their final season at the Nassau Coliseum — again. Next season, they are expected to open play at their new home, UBS Arena, adjacent to Belmont Park.

The Islanders previously left the Coliseum after the

2014-15 season for Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. The team returned to the Coliseum in the 2018-19 season, splitting home games between Long Island and Brooklyn the last two years. This season all their home games will be at the Coliseum.

Special Teams

The Islanders went 0 for 5 on the power play and are now 2 for 13 on the season. They also went 3 for 3 on the penalty kill to move to 12 for 14.

Boston, still looking for its first even-strength goal of the season, is 2 for 10 on the power play and 13 for 13 on the PK.

Up Next

Bruins: Host Philadelphia on Thursday night in their home opener, the start of a four-game homestand.

Islanders: Host New Jersey on Thursday night before a stretch of five straight on the road.

JASON DECROW PHOTOS /AP New York Islanders' Jean-Gabriel Pageau (44) celebrates with teammate Cal Clutterbuck after scoring on Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask during the third period of Monday’s game in Uniondale, N.Y.

New York Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov saves a shot from Bruins' David Krejci during the second period of Monday’s game.

Bruins' Charlie McAvoy and New York Islanders' Kieffer Bellows collide during Monday’s game.

JASON DECROW / AP Islanders’ Jean-Gabriel Pageau scores past Bruins’ Tuukka Rask in the third period on Monday night in Uniondale, N.Y.