Ridly Greig scored a short-handed goal in the first period and Jake Sanderson added a power-play goal in the third, lifting the Ottawa Senators to a 3-0 victory over the New York Islanders on Saturday afternoon in Elmont, N.Y.
Michael Amadio added an empty-net goal late in the third and Linus Ullmark stopped all 23 shots he faced for the Senators (43-27-10, 96 points), who won their fourth straight game.
They can clinch a playoff berth for the second consecutive season if the New Jersey Devils defeat the Detroit Red Wings later on Saturday.
The Senators and Boston Bruins (43-27-10, 96 points) are tied atop the wild-card standings.
Ilya Sorokin recorded 13 saves for the Islanders (43-32-5, 91 points), who went 0-for-5 on the power play. They fell to 1-1-0 under Peter DeBoer and lost for the fifth time in six games overall.
New York’s only path to the playoffs is outlasting the Philadelphia Flyers for the third and final postseason spot in the Metropolitan Division. The Islanders entered Saturday one point behind the Flyers (40-27-12, 92 points), who are scheduled to visit the Winnipeg Jets later Saturday.
The Islanders were in the midst of their first scoreless power play when the Senators notched the only goal they’d need.
Greig pestered Pageau and forced the puck loose in the Ottawa zone, where Amadio got a stick on the puck just before New York defenseman Tony DeAngelo. Amadio chased down the puck and dished a backhanded pass between Lee’s legs to Greig, who managed to flick a shot past Sorokin’s glove with Pageau in pursuit.
Defenseman Carson Soucy and Ryan Pulock were whistled for tripping 34 seconds apart to set up the 5-on-3 that led to the Senators’ second goal with 7:24 left. Dylan Cozens’ shot from the left faceoff circle glanced off Sorokin, who couldn’t smother the puck before Sanderson surged past Matthew Schaefer and buried the rebound.
Sorokin was pulled with more than five minutes left but the Islanders didn’t mount a serious threat before Amadio iced the win with 2:31 remaining.
