Senators Return To Winning Form In 2-1 Win Over Islanders

The Senators got back on the winning track Thursday night with a 2-1 shootout victory over the New York Islanders at Canadian Tire Centre.

Long Island native Shane Pinto scored the only goal of the shootout, while Linus Ullmark made 20 saves to improve his own record to 6-0.

After Tuesday's gnarly 7-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues, the Senators (6-2-0) got some of their defensive mojo back on Thursday. But even with Travis Green's major re-shuffle of the forward line combinations, the offense was still having trouble finding some rhythm.

That was thanks, in part, to the fine play of Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov, who's one of the great stories of the young NHL season. He turned in an excellent performance in just his second NHL game since November 2024.

Varlamov has endured the bumpiest of roads after undergoing not one, but two partial knee replacements and spending 22 months rehabbing. That's a tall order for anyone, let alone a goalie who's now 38.

Judging by his work against the Sens, he still has plenty of game left. He made only 18 saves but there were some biggies in there.

Senators fans thought their team had beaten the Russian goalie twice in the opening period, going bananas in each case. Unfortunately for the home side, neither shot ended up being an actual goal.

First, Warren Foegele appeared to open the scoring with a snapshot that got past Varlamov. But after a review, it was crystal clear that the puck had only struck the crossbar and stayed out.

Then Stephen Halliday, promoted to the top line, ripped a shot past Varlamov and this one clearly entered the net. The fans went wild again. But they were disappointed again.

This time, the Islanders challenged for offside, and the replay showed that Drake Batherson had entered the zone just ahead of the puck. 

Instead of carrying a lead into the intermission, the Senators found themselves trailing. With just 12 seconds remaining in the opening period, Matias Maccelli beat Ullmark with an unassisted wrist shot to give the Isles a 1-0 after one.

That lead held up throughout most of the second period when the Sens finally broke through on a beautiful two-on-one rush.

Foegele delivered a perfect backhand saucer pass to Ridly Greig, who one-touched the puck past Varlamov to tie the game at 1.

Varlamov's finest moment may have come against Halliday, who had two high danger chances in a row. The veteran stopped Halliday's initial shot, but the puck bounced right back to him.

With a net that was briefly wide open, Varlamov somehow scrambled to his right and arrived just in time to stop Halliday's follow-up. It was a fantastic save, particularly considering everything Varlamov has been through over the past two years.

After a scoreless third period and overtime, that's where Pinto delivered the decisive goal. Ullmark did the rest, turning aside all three Islanders' shootout attempts to secure the win.

The Senators improved to 6-2-0 and move into sole possession of first in the Atlantic. They'll return to action Saturday night against the Philadelphia Flyers at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Game time is 7 p.m. ET.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News