Islanders turn away Winnipeg
WINNIPEG — Semyon Varlamov would not allow his lack of work in the first period detract him from the job at hand.
The Islanders netminder faced only one shot in the first period on his way to a 23-save shutout — his second of the season
— to backstop the Islanders to a 4-0 victory over the Jets on Sunday afternoon.
“Sometimes, it’s easy, sometimes, it’s very, very hard,” Varlamov said. “It depends on how mentally you prepare for the game. I was very hungry to play today so, for me, it wasn’t very hard to stay sharp.”
He was actually expecting to face a lot more pucks.
“We expected them to jump in right away,” Varlamov said. “They’re a hard team to play against here in their home arena. They always come out really hard and they always play a very strong first period and stuff like that.”
Bo Horvat scored a shorthanded goal, and Alexander Romanov, Brock Nelson and Adam Pelech scored for the Isles.
David Rittich stopped 20 shots for Winnipeg.
“(Varlamov) just stays solid,” Nelson said. “He’s the kind of guy who just goes out there and works hard and never says anything. Even in practice, he’s always solid. He’s a good teammate and to see him go out there and get a shutout — a big one for us — and be a rock for us was huge.”
Horvat’s goal in the first period sparked the Isles.
“The shorthanded goal was big, there’s no doubt about it,” said Islanders coach Lane Lambert. “They have a very good power play over there and, to come out of that period with the lead having been shorthanded, was helpful for us.”
ISLANDERS JETS
DEVILS DEAL FOR MEIER
The Devils acquired Timo Meier from the Sharks in a blockbuster trade Sunday.
The Devils sent a 2023 first-round pick, a conditional 2024 first-rounder, forward Andreas Johnsson and prospects Shakir Mukhamadullin, Fabian Zetterlund and Nikita Okhotiuk. In return, the Devils get Meier, defenseman Scott Harrington and prospects Timur Ibragimov, Santeri Hatakka and Zach Emond.
PREDATORS TAB TROTZ AS GM
Barry Trotz is rejoining the Predators, succeeding David Poile, the only GM in the franchise’s history. The change is effective the end of June, when Poile will retire.