Reimer shines as Panthers shut out Islanders
Keith Yandle, Nick Bjugstad and Evgenii Dadonov scored a goal apiece Monday night and goalie James Reimer tied a career-high by recording his fourth shutout of the season for the Florida Panthers, who moved closer to a wild-card spot and eliminated the New York Islanders from playoff contention with a 3-0 win at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
The Panthers won for the seventh time in the last 10 games (7-3-0) to close within one point of the idle New Jersey Devils for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference. Florida has a game in hand on New Jersey.
Reimer stopped all 32 shots he faced. He also had four shutouts for the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 2012-13 season.
The Islanders lost their third straight and fell for the ninth time in 11 games (2-6-3). New York will miss the playoffs for the third time in the last four seasons.
Goalie Christopher Gibson made 38 saves.
The Panthers scored the only goal they'd need with 8:22 left in the first when Yandle's slap shot from just in front of the blue line sailed past Gibson, who was screened by teammate Johnny Boychuk as he battled for position with the Panthers' Aleksander Barkov.
Bjugstad was involved on both insurance goals the Panthers scored early in the second period. He scored the first goal, a power-play tally, at the 1:47 mark when his slap shot from the middle of the left faceoff circle went past the outstretched stick of Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech and off Gibson's glove.
Dadonov received credit for a goal 6:09 into the period when his pass across the crease to Bjugstad ticked off the skate of the Islanders' Brandon Davidson and trickled past Gibson.
Reimer kept the shutout alive in the third period by turning back point-blank chances from Anthony Beauvillier and Brock Nelson and a last-second flurry in which Anders Lee and John Tavares each tried jabbing home a rebound of a Josh Bailey shot.
--Field Level Media
