Pageau, Varlamov power Islanders
Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored a tiebreaking power-play goal in the third period and Semyon Varlamov made 34 saves, leading the Islanders to a 3-2 win over the last-place Sabres at Nassau Coliseum on Monday night.
Pageau got his seventh goal at 15:08 when he banged in a rebound after Oliver Wahlstrom’s initial shot was stopped by Buffalo goaltender Linus Ullmark. Pageau was acquired in a trade with Ottawa a year ago and scored eight goals in the playoffs with the Islanders.
“My confidence is good. I’m trying to do my best and things are bouncing my way right now,’‘ Pageau said. “I just have to keep going in the same direction.”
The Islanders beat the Sabres for the third straight time this season after two victories in Buffalo last week. The Islanders also moved to 5-0-1 at Nassau Coliseum, where they are playing their final season before moving to a new arena at Belmont Park next season.
“It feels like each game that passes, each game is the biggest game,” Islanders forward Matt Martin said. “It’s going to come down to the wire and we have to find ways to win as we did tonight.”
Martin put the Isles in front 3:01 into the third, beating Ullmark with a shot from just inside the blueline for his second goal of the season.
But Buffalo’s Sam Reinhart tied it at 2 at 5:48, batting the puck out of midair past Varlamov for this sixth goal.
Ullmark played well in the third, denying Brock Nelson and Adam Pelech on consecutive shots in the same sequence and stopping Pageau swooping in with just over nine minutes left. Ullmark made 20 saves.
The Islanders have won six straight against the Sabres.
Islanders coach Barry Trotz praised Varlamov’s performance after he made 16 saves in the third.
“Varly was huge tonight. He made some huge saves off the power play and at the end there,’‘ Trotz said. ”And tonight the hockey gods were in our favor with a couple of posts they hit.”
Monday’s game was originally scheduled for Feb. 2, but it was postponed because of COVID-19 issues with the Sabres.