In Elmont, the Islanders’ Mathew Barzal scored with 32 seconds left in extra time on Saturday to give them a 2-1 win over the slumping Vegas Golden Knights.
“It was great to see him score,” Islanders coach Lane Lambert said. “He’s had some opportunities over this stretch. … He put himself in a position tonight, and he shot the puck, and he got rewarded for it.”
Semyon Varlamov made 44 saves in the win.
Varlamov stopped William Carrier on a penalty shot shot with 26 seconds gone in the extra session.
“It’s nerve-racking I think for both of us, for the shooter and for the goalie,” Varlamov said. “Goalie doesn’t want to give one up, shooter wants to score, so I mean, I’m glad everything worked out for me. I was pretty happy to make that save.”
The Isles improved to 25-22-5.
Said Carrier: “I didn’t expect him to come out that far. [I] was going [with] the same shot when I scored (in the second period). I think he read me pretty well there. If someone had to pick a shootout, [they] probably wouldn’t pick me first. Let’s not kid ourselves. I’d rather [have] the 4-on-3 next time.”
The Islanders took a 1-0 lead on a goal from Anders Lee early in the second period.
“That was huge,” Barzal said. “It kind of puts us right back in the hunt, so I’m sure we’re going to be hungry to have a good start after the [All-Star] break.”
Carrier tied the game, 1-1, in the middle frame.
“Most of my goals are [within] 5 feet of the net, right?” Carrier said.
Vegas’ schneid includes going 0-2-2 in the last four games, and 1-5-2 in eight matches.
“We played a really good hockey game,” Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “Left a point on the table, obviously, but not through a lack of effort. Competing the right way and … all the things you’re looking for. Obviously, right now we’re having trouble finishing some plays, but if we keep that kind of effort up to keep the puck out of our net, we’re going to be fine in the long run.”
Vegas dropped to 29-18-4.
Logan Thompson made 35 saves in the Golden Knights loss.
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