WHAT A WIN.
The Blue Jackets found a way to win tonight, defeating the New York Islanders in overtime. Patrik Laine scored the game-winner, and Cole Sillinger notched his first career goal.
After a sluggish start in Detroit, the Blue Jackets wanted to come out strong on Thursday night against the Islanders, and they did. They drew two penalties in the first period, and despite not converting on the power play, generated several quality looks. After 20 minutes, the clubs were tied at 0-0, with each team registering 11 shots on goal in the opening frame.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLUE JACKETS | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| ISLANDERS | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
The Islanders got the scoring going in the second period. After the Blue Jackets failed to clear their zone, Scott Mayfield took advantage. He threw the puck on net, and it deflected off Sean Kuraly before trickling past Merzlikins.
Then, the Blue Jackets fired back. First, Oliver Bjorkstrand tipped home a Jakub Voracek wrister from the point on the power play. Then, it was Sillinger's moment.
The 18-year-old buried an incredible pass from Vladislav Gavrikov past Islanders netminder Ilya Sorokin to give the Blue Jackets a 2-1 lead. It was Sillinger's first NHL goal, and it couldn't have come at a better time.
The Blue Jackets took that 2-1 lead into the third period, but it was short-lived. Mathew Barzal sniped one by Merzlikins to tie the game at 5:03 of the third period. The two teams battled for the rest of the final frame, but each team notched a point on their way to overtime in a 2-2 game.
Laine sniped one past Sorokin in overtime to give the Blue Jackets the extra point.
Next Up
The Blue Jackets will host the Carolina Hurricanes at Nationwide Arena on Saturday night. Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m. EST.
