Cal Clutterbuck, left, is congratulated by his Islanders teammates after the first of his two goals Thursday in a 3-1 win over the Boston Bruins at Elmont, N.Y. Corey Sipkin/Associated Press
NEW YORK — Cal Clutterbuck scored twice and Semyon Varlamov stopped 40 shots for his first win of the season as the New York Islanders beat the depleted Boston Bruins 3-1 on Thursday night.
Anthony Beauvillier also scored to help the Islanders get their second straight win at home after opening 0-5-2 at the new $1.1 billion UBS Arena. New York is 3-3-3 over the last nine games, with all the losses coming by a single goal – including one in a shootout.
Mike Reilly scored in the final minute and Linus Ullmark had 25 saves for the Bruins, who have lost consecutive games in regulation after a 3-0-2 stretch. Boston was without seven players in COVID-19 protocol – including leading scorers Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron – and played a man down with 11 forwards and six defensemen.
Varlamov went into the game 0-5-1 with a 3.29 goals-against average this season, but made eight saves in the first period, 21 in the second and 11 in the third.
Varlamov made a left pad save to deny Taylor Hall’s backhand try on the right doorstep with just over three minutes remaining.
The Bruins pulled Ullmark for an extra skater shortly after that, and Clutterbuck got his second of the night to make it 3-0 with 2:17 remaining.
Reilly then spoiled Varlamov’s shutout bid as he beat the goalie with 53 seconds left.
The Islanders were 1 for 5 on the power play after coming in 5 for 14 over their previous six games.
The Islanders went on their second man advantage of the game when Derek Forbort was called for high-sticking just 6 seconds into the second period. New York took advantage as Beauvillier got a pass from rookie defenseman Robin Salo and fired a slap shot from the top of the left circle into the top right corner past Ullmark at 1:44 to make it 2-0. It was Beauvillier’s fourth of the season and first since Oct. 30 at Nashville. Salo got his first NHL point on the play.
With the Islanders on another power play, Varlamov made a glove save on a shot by Curtis Lazar on the Bruins’ best chance up to that point midway through the period. Varlamov also stopped an attempt by Hall with just over eight minutes remaining, and then two tip tries by Jesper Froden over the next 13 seconds, drawing chants of “Var-ly! Var-ly!” from the home crowd.
David Pastrnak had an excellent chance with 4 1/2 minutes left as he skated in on Varlamov and made a forehand-backhand-forehand move, but the goalie made a diving save on the backhand shot to stop the puck before it crossed the line, keeping Boston off the scoreboard.
The Islanders controlled play for much of the first period, outshooting the Bruins 7-2 over the first 11 1/2 minutes.
The Islanders got on the scoreboard with 8:13 remaining in the period. After a scramble for the puck behind the Bruins net, it came out in front and Clutterbuck skated up and fired it into the top right corner for his fourth.
COVID-19 ABSENCES
The Islanders were without star center Mathew Barzal because of COVID-19 protocols for the second straight game. Barzal, who has one goal and eight assists during a six-game point streak, is still in Detroit.
The Bruins were missing Marchand, Bergeron, center Craig Smith, left wing Anton Blidh, centers Trent Frederic and Oskar Steen and goalie Jeremy Swayman. Marchand, the Bruins’ leading scorer with 11 goals and 16 assists, and Smith missed their second straight game because of COVID-19 protocols. Bergeron was placed in protocol on Wednesday, and Blidh, Frederic and Swayman joined on Thursday. Center Jack Studnicka, goalie Kyle Keyser and Froden were called up from Providence of the AHL.
LAST SEASON
The Islanders were 5-2-1 against Boston during last season’s division-only schedule, and then beat the Bruins in six games in the second round of the playoffs. Prior to last season, the Bruins had won nine of the previous 10 matchups.
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