Mathew Barzal scores as Islanders beat Coyotes
NEW YORK — Mathew Barzal scored a power-play goal in the second period, and the New York Islanders beat the Arizona Coyotes 1-0 on Tuesday night.
Ilya Sorokin had 14 saves in his first shutout of the season. Noah Dobson and Kyle Palmieri each picked up an assist on the game's only goal in the Islanders' second straight win.
"We were really good in the (offensive zone)," Islanders captain Anders Lee said. "If our forecheck is good and we have an offensive-zone shift, they are getting the puck out and looking to change. We have been on the other side of that at times, its tough to create a lot when you are hemmed in your zone."
Karel Vejmelka made 30 saves for Arizona in its second straight loss. The Coyotes visit St. Louis on Thursday night and then play their home opener Saturday against Anaheim.
Barzal connected on a one-timer at 3:47 shortly after Coyotes forward Barret Hayton was penalized for slashing Simon Holmstrom, preventing a scoring opportunity for New York.
"It was good battle by Palmieri on the faceoff to win the puck back," Barzal said of the play. "I got a little lucky, I kind of fanned on it a touch. But sometimes when you are creating a lot of chances and they are not going in, you get one like that."
Sorokin signed a contract extension this summer after supplanting Semyon Varlamov as the Islanders' starting goalie. The 28-year-old goaltender has three shutouts against the Coyotes and 17 overall for his career.
"Thankfully we didn't force him to be tested too much," Lee said. "When we need him, he's there."
The Coyotes struggled to establish a presence in the offensive zone and only generated seven shots on goal through the first two periods.
"We didn't execute at all," Coyotes coach Andre Tourigny said. "We start the game by trying to do too much. Each line has to find their own identity. ... We need to put pucks on the net. We need to be a little bit simpler, we passed on too many opportunities."
WINNING WAYS
The Islanders won two consecutive games to start the season for the first time since 2014-15, when they opened with four straight victories.
UP NEXT
Coyotes: Visit the Blues on Thursday.
Islanders: Host the New Jersey Devils on Friday.
