Columbus took on the New York Islanders for the second time this week, only this time it was back at UBS Arena, the Islanders' home building. Same result, too. The Islanders won 5-2, extending the Blue Jackets' winless streak to five (0-3-2).
The Islanders jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period, with goals from Sebastian Aho and Oliver Wahlstrom. Columbus struggled to hold the Islanders at bay and was down early again. The first period ended with the Islanders leading 14-5 in shots and 2-0 on the scoreboard.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLUE JACKETS | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| ISLANDERS | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
Unlike these teams' last meeting in this building, the Blue Jackets weren't completely run out of the building. At the 8:47 mark, Emil Bemstrom scored his fourth goal of the season to make it 2-1. Assists went to Eric Robinson and Jake Bean.
How 'bout that backhand sauce pic.twitter.com/LGkCM1y2Y2
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) April 1, 2022
Not even three minutes later, Justin Danforth drew the Blue Jackets level at 2-2 with his sixth goal of the season. The second period ended with the Islanders holding a 24-19 edge in shots, but Columbus had made it a brand new game with 20 minutes to play.
Just(in) Danforth Things pic.twitter.com/oKvXUXjVHj
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) April 1, 2022
The third period, though, was all Islanders.
They took the lead back (for good) 3:16 into the third period on a sharp-angle goal from Kyle Palmieri, a snipe just under the crossbar that seemed to surprise Elvis Merzlikins.
A turning point in the game came just moments later. Oliver Bjorkstrand, with a clear-cut breakaway chance on Semyon Varlamov, missed the net wide and it gave the Islanders a chance to breathe. At the other end of the ice, Mat Barzal split the Blue Jackets' defense with ease and gave the Islanders a 4-2 lead.
Ryan Pulock sealed the deal, and the 5-2 final, with an empty net goal in the final minute of regulation.
The game finished with the Islanders leading in the shot category 36-32, and in the special teams department, both teams came up empty on the power play. New York took the four-game series easily, 3-1 over Columbus.
Injury Update
The Blue Jackets remained without All-Star defenseman Zach Werenski, who is listed as day-to-day with an upper body injury. They also remained without goalies Daniil Tarasov and Joonas Korpisalo due to hip injuries. Forward Boone Jenner remained out of the lineup and listed as week-to-week with a lower back injury.
Next Up
Columbus has a day off before heading to Boston for a clash with the Bruins Saturday at 7 p.m. It's another home-and-home series, as the Bruins come to Nationwide Arena on Monday.
