Semyon Varlamov made 30 saves for his second consecutive shutout of the Rangers, an effort that set the stage for the Islanders fourth line’s two quick third-period goals to seal a 2-0 win.
The win pushes the Islanders two points ahead of the three-way tie at the bottom of the division and one point ahead of Pittsburgh to enter fourth place.
First Period: Just stretching out our yawning muscles
The opening period was a slog. An early Michael Dal Colle penalty disrupted the rotation and required a penalty kill just 1:21 into the game. After that succeeded, it was very uneventful though the Rangers’ possession had the better share of just-might-develop looks.