Bring on the Penguins.
Needing a regulation win for a chance to finish third in the East Division, the Islanders instead finished their regular season with a 3-2 overtime loss to the Bruins on Monday night at TD Garden, ensuring a first-round matchup with the first-place Penguins.
The NHL playoffs are expected to begin either Saturday or Sunday and the Islanders will play the first two games of the best-of-seven series on the road. Attendance at Nassau Coliseum will be expanded from 1,400 to approximately 6,800 for the start of the playoffs.
Of concern, though, for the Islanders (32-17-7) is that Semyon Varlamov, who stopped 25 of 27 shots through two periods, was replaced to start the third period by Ilya Sorokin. Varlamov, expected to be the Islanders’ Game 1 goalie in the playoffs, appeared to be flexing his legs at the end of the second period before heading to the dressing room.
Cory Schneider dressed as Sorokin’s backup in the third period, indicating Varlamov was not available to return. Sorokin was pulled for an extra skater with 1:41 left in regulation and the game tied at 2 as the Islanders sought the regulation win.
Taylor Hall scored his second goal at 2:53 of overtime against Sorokin (10 saves).
Varlamov did not dress for a 1-0 loss in Washington on April 27 and said later he was dealing with minor knee soreness. Varlamov did start the Islanders’ next game, a 4-0 win over the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on April 29.
Varlamov finished the season with a 2.05 goals-against average, breaking Chico Resch’s former team record of 2.08, set in 1975-76.
The Islanders went 2-4-2 against the Penguins, playing them six times in February and not facing them since acquiring Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac from the Devils on April 7.
They did sweep a first-round series from the Penguins in 2019 in Barry Trotz’s first season as coach.
The Islanders were outshot, 18-4, and outchanced, 33-7, in the first period.
But they didn’t fall behind until Hall’s five-on-three power play goal made it 1-0 with 38.4 seconds left in the first period. Casey Cizikas nearly connected on a shorthanded backhander with 8.2 seconds to go and was hooked by defenseman Charlie McAvoy. That became a four-on-three power play for the Islanders when Hall cross-checked defenseman Nick Leddy 56 seconds into the second period and Oliver Wahlstrom’s one-timer from the top of the left circle off Mathew Barzal’s feed tied it at 1 at 1:38.
Brad Marchand established position on defenseman Ryan Pulock and tipped in David Krejci’s feed to the crease to regain a 2-1 lead for the Bruins at 6:15 of the second period. But Barzal, with a rising wrister from the slot, tied it at 2 at 8:31 of the second period.
The Bruins Tuukka Rask made 16 saves.
