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OTTAWA — It looked for a while on Thursday night like the Islanders’ structure might overcome their sloppiness.
On a night when they never seemed to sustain any offensive momentum, though, that was an uphill climb. The Islanders took the Senators down to the wire but didn’t make Linus Ullmark work hard enough that it seemed like two points were in the cards.
Instead, Shane Pinto’s shootout goal was decisive, and the Islanders left Ottawa with a 2-1 loss.
The shame of it is that Semyon Varlamov — after two would-be Senators goals in the first period were called back for not crossing the line and for offside — very much did play well enough to earn his first win after returning from two partial knee replacements.
In his second start of the season, Varlamov looked markedly better than in his first, gaining more command of his crease as the night went on and making a terrific reaction save on Stephen Halliday in the second period.
This, though, was one of those nights when the Islanders were doing things right, but pucks seemed to find a way of bouncing off their sticks.
They hung on for life through chunks of a second period in which they took three penalties and the game got dangerously open, with Ridly Greig’s finish from Warren Foegele — left completely unmarked to receive Artem Zub’s stretch pass at the Islanders’ blue line — the only damage.
Again, that was thanks in no small part to Varlamov, who made sure the Islanders’ penalty kill was flawless despite struggling to disrupt Ottawa’s puck movement.
Given the gift of a 1-1 score entering the last 20 minutes, the Islanders had every chance to walk out of Canadian Tire Centre with at least a point.
Pete DeBoer made a series of changes to his forward lines to try and ensure it. Cal Ritchie and Anthony Duclair, both struggling, were dropped to the fourth line, while Simon Holmstrom was moved up to the third and Emil Heineman to the second, where Brayden Schenn shifted to center.
That did have the effect of reinforcing the Islanders’ structure, and the third period was a good display of physical, tight-checking hockey by both teams.
It was enough to get the Islanders a point, but they couldn’t end it there — even after getting a four-on-three power play that immediately followed a successful penalty kill.
The Islanders went 0-for in the ensuing shootout and were left to rue their missed opportunities.
Matias Maccelli was a bright spot along with Varlamov, opening the scoring with 12 seconds left in the first by picking Pinto’s pocket at the blue line and burying it. The third line of Duclair, Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Ondrej Palat, though, was the only forward trio that consistently generated looks, and the Islanders struggled all night to break the puck out against Ottawa’s forecheck.
It was mainly thanks to instant replay — and a good challenge by coach DeBoer on Halliday’s would-be goal — that Ottawa didn’t grab an early lead. Both overturned goals beat Varlamov short-side, a potentially worrisome trend given it’s not the first time his reaction time has looked susceptible since returning.
By the end of the night, though, Varlamov had quelled any worries about his play.