Islanders take down Jets to win 3rd straight

Mathew Barzal scored two goals and Semyon Varlamov finished with 32 saves to lead the visiting New York Islanders to 3-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night, their third straight win. Josh Bailey also had a goal and an assist for New York, which improved to 9-1-1 in Manitoba since the Jets returned to Winnipeg. It was the seventh two-goal game of Barzal's career.

Nikolaj Ehlers scored the lone goal for Winnipeg, which suffered its third straight loss, all on home ice during the start of a six-game homestand. The Jets have been outscored 14-5 during the losing streak. Connor Hellebuyck had 23 saves. Winnipeg dominated the first period, outshooting New York 16-5 while taking a 1-0 lead. The score came on a power play when Ehlers ripped a wrist shot past a partial screen from the top of the left circle past Varlamov's glove side for his third goal of the season.

The Islanders, who went almost 18 minutes without a shot on goal, tied it at the 7:41 mark of the second on a power-play goal by Barzal. Bailey set up the score when he fired a cross-ice pass to the top of the left circle that Barzal one-timed past Hellebuyck's stick side. Barzal then made it 2-1 with 17 seconds left in the period, finishing a two-on-one with Leo Komarov with a wrist shot from the right circle into the far corner for his third goal of the season. The goal was set up by a steal by Johnny Boychuk near the Islanders' blue line.

Winnipeg pulled Hellebuyck with 1:57 remaining and got two good shots by Patrik Laine, including a wrist shot through traffic that Varlamov managed to squeeze with his pads. Bailey then sealed the win with an empty-net goal with 27 seconds to go.

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