Kyle Palmieri and Bo Horvat each converted in the penalty shootout while veteran goaltender Semyon Varlamov turned aside every attempt he faced, lifting the New York Islanders to a hard-fought 4-3 victory against the Nashville Predators at UBS Arena. The triumph marked an emotional milestone for Varlamov, who recorded his first National Hockey League victory since November 2024 after battling through prolonged injury rehabilitation. The veteran netminder stopped 29 shots during regulation and overtime before slamming the door shut in the shootout session.
Nashville fought back tenaciously from multiple deficits throughout regulation, generating heavy traffic around the crease and leveling the score late in the third period with an extra-attacker goal. However, New York demonstrated superior shootout execution, with Palmieri opening the skills competition with a crisp wrist shot and Horvat sealing the result with a decisive deke. Islanders head coach Patrick Roy lauded Varlamov’s perseverance and mental fortitude, noting that having reliable veteran netminding depth provides a tremendous morale boost to the entire locker room as the season unfolds.
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Sources:
https://apnews.com/article/islanders-predators-score-2f74b9a37a24e3dd8147275fc1ec4afa