Game Preview: Islanders, Blue Jackets Meet For Second Half Of Back-To-Back; Head To Long Island To Conclude Season Series

NEW YORK ISLANDERS

29–27–9 (67 points; .515%)

7:00 P.M. – THURSDAY, MARCH 31ST UBS ARENA ELMONT, NY

Bally Sports Ohio ESPN+ (Out of Network)

They don't have identical records, but after the New York Islanders' 4-3 win Tuesday night over the Columbus Blue Jackets, the two teams do have identical point percentages.

When they meet again Thursday night — this time from the new UBS Arena in Elmont, New York — the Islanders will have the chance to pass the Blue Jackets in the standings for the first time since November.

Columbus made a valiant comeback effort in front of the home crowd Tuesday night, turning a 4-1 deficit in the middle of the second period into a 4-3 game for the final half of the third period. The Blue Jackets nearly tied the game on several occasions before the final horn sounded, giving the Islanders their first win at Nationwide Arena since October of 2019. Seymon Varlamov stopped 42 of 45 shots; the shot total by Columbus was their second highest output of the season and highest of any game that ended in regulation.

RE: ISLES

Tuesday, the Islanders continued to look like the team so many thought they would be at the beginning of the season. An 11-game losing streak around Thanksgiving had the Isles at 5-10-5, but they've gotten consistently better as the season has gone on and are 8-3-1 over their last dozen games, including a pair of wins over Columbus. 

Offensively, consistent success has found only a few Islander skaters this season. and it's been a key catalyst in their disappointing season. Brock Nelson scored his 32nd goal of the season on a power play in the first period Tuesday. That's more than anyone on Columbus, but Nelson is one of only two Islanders — Anders Lee has 25 — with more than a dozen goals on the season. (The Blue Jackets, meanwhile, have five 12+ goal scorers, with four more parked at 11.)

The power play goal by Nelson was the sixth consecutive game (and ninth in the last ten) in which Columbus has allowed a goal when the opposition is on the man-up. That's the longest such streak from the Blue Jackets since allowing one in seven consecutive games early in the 2018 calendar year. Nelson's goal was the 4th scored over the Islanders last 12 attempts, spanning over four games.

STORYLINES

• A TALE OF TWO MINDSETS
  Would the Blue Jackets be better served by losing this game? Long term, the answer is... maybe. If the Islanders finish ahead of Columbus in the standings, it gives the Blue Jackets a higher draft pick this summer (at least by one spot). It also would help, just by a little, the odds that the Blue Jackets win the draft lottery for the first time in franchise history. Just something to keep in mind if the game doesn't go Columbus' way. 
   
• BLUE LINE BLUES
  It's been a tough go of it for the Columbus defense this season. Zach Werenski didn't make the trip with the team, meaning he's out for at least the next two games. That means (as it did Tuesday) a larger role for everyone else on the blue line. It's important to remember how young guys like Andrew Peeke, Adam Boqvist, and Jake Bean still are, and that the rest of this season can be a fantastic opportunity to develop as the Blue Jackets look towards the fall.

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