NHL

New York Islanders at Columbus Blue Jackets

· National Hockey League

Semyon Varlamov gets 39th career shutout as Islanders beat Blue Jackets 2-0

New York Islanders vs. Columbus Blue Jackets: Full Highlights

Kyle Palmieri and Matt Martin scored for New York in Varlamov first win of the season.

“He’s been sharp right from the get-go at the start of training camp,” Islanders coach Lane Lambert said of Varlamov. “He’s a very, very good goalie. We have a ton of confidence when he’s in the net.”

Spencer Martin had 31 saves for Columbus, which has lost three straight games and their last two at home. The Blue Jackets have been shut out twice in their first six home games.

“We had our chances — a few posts,” Blue Jackets coach Pascale Vincent said. "Our shot selection wasn’t the best. We were shooting from bad angles at times. ... I thought we didn’t select the right plays offensively. That makes the goalie look good, but (Varlamov) played really well.”

The Islanders scored early and late to secure the win.

Palmieri Pierre Engvall's shot at with 4:15 left in the first period to extend his point streak to three games.

“We had a really good start,” Varlamov said. “Everybody was focused and we scored the first goal and had a great first period. We expected they would bounce back in the second.”

Matt Martin’s first goal of the season came with 3:21 left in the third off another big rebound, this one from a shot by Casey Cizikas.

“I felt like my rebound control was good all game except for those plays,” Spencer Martin said. “I just I tried to elevate the first one, I just didn’t elevate it and left it right along the ice for them to whack it in. Then the second one to make a turnover — it is what it is.”

The Islanders have won all three games this season in which they led after the first period.

UP NEXT

Islanders: Host Detroit on Monday night.

Blue Jackets: At Dallas on Monday night.

Regular Season Series

NYI lead series 1-0

Scoring Summary

Goal 1st Period 15:45 Kyle Palmieri Goal (3) Snap Shot, assists: Pierre Engvall (3), Sebastian Aho (1)
Goal 3rd Period 16:39 Matt Martin Goal (1) Snap Shot, assists: Casey Cizikas (2)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/nyi.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originNYI https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/cbj.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originCBJ
19 Blocked Shots 15
14 Hits 10
3 Takeaways 7
34 Shots 34
0 Power Play Goals 0
3 Power Play Opportunities 3
0.0 Power Play Percentage 0.0
0 Short Handed Goals 0
0 Shootout Goals 0
23 Faceoffs Won 17
57.5 Faceoff Win Percent 42.5
1 Giveaways 4
3 Total Penalties 3
6 Penalty Minutes 6
Columbus Blue Jackets Columbus Blue Jackets Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Miles Wood, LW Day-To-Day Dec 21
Zach Werenski, D Day-To-Day Dec 20
Brendan Gaunce, C Injured Reserve Dec 19
New York Islanders New York Islanders Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Bo Horvat, C Day-To-Day Dec 21
Kyle Palmieri, C Injured Reserve Nov 30

Game Information

Nationwide Arena

Location: Columbus, OH
Attendance: 15,424 | Capacity:

2025-26 Metropolitan Division Standings

TEAM W L PTS OTL
Carolina 22 10 47 3
Washington 19 12 42 4
NY Islanders 19 13 42 4
Philadelphia 17 10 41 7
New Jersey 20 14 41 1
NY Rangers 18 15 40 4
Pittsburgh 14 11 37 9
Columbus 14 15 34 6
Full Standings