After losing their first game in seven tries, the Blue Jackets would have liked to bounce back against the Islanders. Unfortunately, after a good first period, the Islanders took control and never looked back. The Jackets will want to forget this one.
Mateychuk was a last-minute scratch due to an illness. Jack Johnson laced up in replacement.
1st Period
The Islanders came out with more energy and a sense of urgency, but that momentum was lost when Lee went to the box for tripping. Kent Johnson made them pay. Marchenko passed it to KJ from the point, and KJ skated towards the net on the left side. A Voronkov screen gave Sorokin no chance when KJ ripped a shot past his glove side.
CBJ PP Goal 1-0: K. Johnson (Marchenko, Voronkov) 4:52
It was all Blue Jackets in the middle part of the period. The Islanders pushed back with about six minutes left. The defense, however, was up to the task. They did a great job of clogging any shooting lanes as the Barzal line had them on their heels. Elvis was able to cover up to get a whistle.
LDBB had an excellent shift late in the period. First, he sprung Olivier for a breakaway, though Olivier missed the pass. Then, he nearly scored on a wraparound attempt. Lastly, he got a shot through traffic on Sorokin. No points, but you love to see those shifts from a young center.
The Jackets did a great job of blocking shots in the first period. The Islanders had 25 shot attempts, but only 11 went unblocked. It was a good overall road period. They managed a 1-0 lead while limiting the home team’s scoring chances.
2nd Period
Nelson nearly scored to start the period. A wraparound on Elvis got about three-quarters of the way across the line before the Columbus goaltender kicked it away. The officials went to video review and confirmed the call on the ice.
It only took a few seconds after the next puck drop for the Islanders to get that first goal. Fabbro left his assignment in front of the net, and a behind-the-net pass found Horvat for the easy goal.
NYI Goal 1-1: Horvat (Barzal, Pelech) 0:43
Marchenko got tripped by Cizikas to give the Jackets their second advantage of the night. The second unit was forced to start because the first line was out when the penalty happened. That threw everything off, and the Islanders took advantage. Werenski lost his footing and coughed the puck up, leading to a 2-on-1 the other way. Holmstrom buried the shortie.
NYI SH Goal 2-1: Holmstrom (Pageau) 2:57
The Islanders killed off the rest of the penalty, and then Fantilli immediately went off for interference. Horvat scored again on the power play. Just like that, it was 3-1.The Jackets all of a sudden faced the most adversity they had seen in eight games.
NYI PP Goal 3-1: Horvat (Barzal, Dobson) 5:47
Fantilli got hauled down on a 3-on-2 rush, giving the Jackets an opportunity to get a goal back. Unfortunately, the team with the worst penalty kill in the league was able to keep their two-goal lead.
Cizikas went to the box again, giving the Jackets yet another chance to get within one. The hockey gods were providing the opportunities, but the boys in white weren’t responding. This time was no different.
It was the worst period the Blue Jackets had put together in a long time, giving up a 5v5 goal, a short-handed goal, and a power play goal. The Islanders are dead last on both the power play and penalty kill, adding insult to injury.
Through two periods, the Islanders led 23-7 in 5v5 scoring chances.
3rd Period
Danforth got called for holding early in the period. It wasn’t a great call – Scott Mayfield really sold it. Either way, that’s not how you want to start a period down two goals. Luckily, the penalty was killed off.
Kuraly took out some frustration in a scrum by getting a few cheap shots in on Engvall. Fortunately, offsetting penalties made it 4-on-4.
The Islanders continued to clog the middle of the ice, not giving the Blue Jackets many opportunities to get clean looks on Sorokin. When they did, Sorokin gobbled up pucks and gave no second chances.
Elvis went to the bench for the extra attacker with three minutes left. Sorokin made a beautiful blocker save on Marchenko, and that was all she wrote.
Final Thoughts
The Islanders dominated all facets of this game.
Looking ahead at the schedule for the next two weeks, this was one you really would have liked to win. Instead, the Jackets laid an egg, giving up multiple special teams goals to the worst special teams team in the league.
If you are wondering whether or not Mateychuk should stay in Columbus for the rest of the season, let me present you with this game. His absence led to a disjointed defensive lineup. Specifically, Provorov was paired with Severson, and they were awful.
The Blue Jackets are now out of a wild-card spot. With the Senators, Rangers, Canadiens, and Flyers surging, the Jackets are going to need to find some tough road wins against some good teams. If they aren’t careful, they could find themselves way behind before the February break even starts.
Up Next
The Blue Jackets will be in Toronto on Wednesday night. The puck drops at 7:30 PM EST.