PREVIEW: Blue Jackets start back-to-back by visiting Islanders

BLUE JACKETS (28-26-3) at ISLANDERS (21-24-8)

But it's also fair to say this season has been as much about establishing a new culture as it has anything else, and the Blue Jackets appear to be acing that part of the equation.
The latest lesson came Monday night, as the Blue Jackets nearly fought back from an early 3-0 deficit in a 5-4 loss to Toronto at Nationwide Arena. It's the same kind of fightback the team has used to get back into the playoff fray, and that resilience and battle level are the kinds of things head coach Brad Larsen has pushed his team to establish this season.
GAMEDAY GUIDE: Robinson, Korpisalo back in lineup at New York
And a team that entered the season as the youngest in the NHL has earned some valuable lessons as it has put itself back in the equation for postseason play.
"The longer you're in it, the more you just learn how hard it is," Larsen said. "You can talk until you're blue in the face, but you have to witness and feel those situations. It's just like playoffs -- until you get in it and feel the energy of the crowd and the different things that come with it, it doesn't really matter because you have to get in those skates and skate in it.
"For us, we have clawed ourselves back into contention for the playoffs, which is good. We have a long way to go, but it's just important that we stay focused on each and every game here and try to just pour it all into that game, try to get the two points and move on to the next day."
No matter what happens from here on out, the team's 10-5-2 run has at least put it in a position where the Blue Jackets are playing meaningful games down the stretch, which is all a team can ask for as the calendar flips to March and April.
A recent 1-2-2 homestand dulled the push for the postseason, but the Blue Jackets played a lot of good hockey in that span, and the team was tied or leading in all four of the losses. That at least shows a squad that has seen major change this season has been playing some pretty good hockey down the stretch, especially as it plays 13 of 17 games against teams in playoff position.
"Every game ramps up even more," captain Boone Jenner said. "The points are crucial and it's exciting. That's the hockey you want to play. I think we've been in that position before where you're playing playoff hockey for two or three months before it starts. That's why we play. You go through the ups and downs during the year, and we got ourselves into a spot here where we have some ground to make up but we just have to keep chipping away here."

Know the Foe

What was supposed to be a grand season for the Islanders, moving into the brand-new UBS Arena after three straight playoff appearances, has instead been a disaster.
The team was forced to play its first 13 games on the road because the new building was finishing construction, and after a slow start, Barry Trotz's team never recovered and currently sits 22 points outside of a postseason berth. Things haven't gotten much better, either, with the Islanders in the midst of a 4-7-2 run.
The biggest issue has been the team's inability to score, as New York enters the game 27th in the league with just 2.57 goals per game. It's been too much for a solid defense -- the calling card of the Lou Lamoriello era -- to overcome, as the Islanders are still ninth in the NHL with just 2.77 goals allowed per game and ninth in penalty kill with opponents scoring just 17.7 percent of the time.
At the end of the day, though, scoring has been hard to come by, with Mathew Barzal leading the team with just 37 points on 12 goals and 25 assists, but both he and Zdeno Chara are out tonight with injuries. Brock Nelson leads the team with 21 goals among his 31 points, while Noah Dobson is next with a 10-20-30 line. Anders Lee adds 16 goals and 23 points, while Zach Parlee (7-16-23) and Josh Bailey (3-20-23) match that points total.
In net, Ilya Sorokin has started a team-high 37 games and is 18-12-7 with a 2.38 goals-against average and .923 save percentage. Longtime Isles goalie Semyon Varlamov has struggled comparitively, though, going 3-12-1 with a 2.90 GAA and .911 save percentage.