In a solid performance, Leevi Merilainen recorded his second shutout in just three outings as the Ottawa Senators secured a 2-0 victory over the New York Islanders on Tuesday evening.

Adam Gaudette and Artem Zub contributed the goals for the Senators, who have now achieved three consecutive wins and halted the Islanders’ own winning streak that had reached three games.

Marcus Hogberg was in net for New York, stopping 23 shots during his second straight start. The Islanders began a seven-game homestand with this loss; Ilya Sorokin was available but did not see any action due to illness, while Semyon Varlamov is currently sidelined on injured reserve.

Gaudette opened the scoring by redirecting a shot from Tyler Kleven into the net at 8:42 of the first period. Zub later added his first goal of the season with a slap shot that found the empty net late in the third period.

The game also marked the NHL debut for Islanders forward Marc Gatcomb, while Jean-Gabriel Pageau was absent due to illness.

In terms of notable occurrences, Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot was forced to leave the game midway through the first period after taking a puck to the face. He was held out for precautionary measures by the coaching staff.

On the other side, the Islanders managed to kill off a crucial penalty in the third period, helping them remain within reach of a comeback. They have successfully gone four for their last four on the penalty kill, and 12 of their last 14 overall.

A key moment in the match came during the third period when Merilainen made an important save against Brock Nelson at the 12:40 mark, preventing a potential goal that could have shifted the momentum.

As it stands, the Islanders’ record now shows a disappointing 9-16-3 when giving up the first goal, and they are 9-18-6 when failing to capitalize on power play opportunities.

Looking ahead, the Senators are set to welcome the Washington Capitals on Thursday for their next game, while the Islanders will host the Philadelphia Flyers on the same day.