ELMONT, N.Y. — Semyon Varlamov drew some attention heading into the NHL trade deadline but the Islanders wanted to keep him in a tandem with Ilya Sorokin.
A little more than 24 hours later, Varlamov earned his first shutout of the season with 24 saves as the Islanders opened a two-game homestand with a 3-0 win over the Senators at UBS Arena.
The Islanders (27-25-9), who have won nine of their last 10 against the Senators and five straight at home against them, are 17 points behind the Capitals for the Eastern Conference’s final wild-card spot.
