There had been mixed results for this specific Islanders’ lineup through the season’s first two games. But Barry Trotz thought the group deserved a chance to make up for one of the worst performances of the coach’s tenure with the team.
The Islanders still struggled to generate offense through much of Monday’s home opener against the Bruins – almost certainly the final curtain-raiser at Nassau Coliseum. But with a recovered Semyon Varlamov getting his second shutout in two starts, the Islanders got just enough for a 1-0 win.
Varlamov, who made 25 saves, pushed his shutout streak to 120 minutes, an Islanders record to start a season, bettering Rick DiPietro’s old mark of 115:35 set in 2003-04. Varlamov became the 14th goalie in NHL history with shutouts in his first two starts of the season.
