3 Takeaways: Islanders Roll Past Blue Jackets in 5-2 Win

The New York Islanders claimed their second-straight win with a 5-2 result as they wrapped up their home-and-home set - and season series - against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night at UBS Arena.
Kyle Palmieri broke a 2-2 tie early in the third period, while Mathew Barzal (1G,1A), Sebastian Aho, Oliver Wahlstrom and Ryan Pulock (empty net) also scored. Semyon Varlamov made 30 saves on 32 shots in the victory and his second-straight start.

Emil Bemstrom and Justin Danforth scored for the Blue Jackets, while Elvis Merzlikins made 31 saves on 35 shots in the loss.
"It comes down to pride," Barzal said of the Islanders' determined mindset. "We're professionals here and at the end of the day, we're building towards something that's bigger than catching Columbus or anything. We're building towards building a Stanley Cup. Whenever that time comes to get that opportunity, we're just trying to be ready for it. It doesn't matter who we're playing or what the circumstances are, we're just trying to find that playoff hockey game and I thought we played pretty well tonight."

ISLANDERS SHOW 'NO QUIT' MENTALITY IN DECISIVE WIN

The game featured a dominant effort from the Islanders who showcased their no-quit mentality as they regained control of the game in the third period to come out with a decisive win.
With the score tied 2-2 heading into the final 20 minutes of regulation, the Islanders regained their lead at 3:16 with Palmieri's go-ahead goal and a breakaway goal from Barzal midway through the period.

After a disengaged and costly second period, the Islanders amplified their intensity right from the start of the third period and quickly capitalized on their 3-1 shot advantage. After collecting a spring pass from Josh Bailey, Palmieri jetted up ice and wired in his shot from a sharp angle inside the right circle over Merzlikins' left shoulder to give the Islanders the 3-2 lead.
After successfully killing off a penalty taken by Noah Dobson at 7:19, the Islanders kept their foot on the gas. With the puck left exposed in between two skaters in the neutral zone, Barzal poked away the puck from Andrew Peeke's reach and used his explosive speed to gain separation. As he approached the net, Barzal zipped his high shot past Merzlikins to double the Islanders' lead 4-2.

"Our response in the third was good," Trotz said. "It was mature. We got [a goal] right off the bat. We got back to straight-line hockey, put the puck in play, made plays off of shots in traffic. We made good decisions at the red line and the blue line."
The Islanders got off to a dominant start over Columbus as they took a 2-0 lead and a 14-5 shot advantage heading into the first intermission. After outshooting the Blue Jackets 8-0 through the first five minutes of play, the Islanders capitalized on two quick strikes from Aho and Wahlstrom in the span of 11 seconds.
Aho provided the game's icebreaker at 8:39 as he returned to the lineup after sitting out two games. After exchanging a give-and-go along the boards with Brock Nelson, the Swedish defenseman skated into space, curled up and released his snap shot over Merzlikins' glove to give the Islanders' a 1-0 lead. The goal marked Aho's first of the season and the third of his career.

On the subsequent center ice faceoff, the Islanders managed to double their lead just 11 seconds after their opening goal. Zach Parise jetted up ice and centered the puck on the back door to a crashing Wahlstrom, who put in the one-timer. The goal established a new career-high for Wahlstrom as he recorded his 13th of this season.
The Blue Jackets flipped the script in the second period as they tied the score up 2-2 in a similar fashion to the Islanders, as they scored their pair of goals in the span of 1:39.
Columbus scored its first goal at 8:47 as they hemmed the Islanders in their own zone. From below the goal line, Eric Robinson slid a backhander to the net front. With traffic around the crease, Bemstrom redirected the feed over Varlamov to cut the Blue Jackets' deficit down 2-1.
Just 1:39 later on a similar play, Columbus tied the score 2-2. From the right boards, Yegor Chinakov sent a cross-slot pass to the traffic-filled net front. His pass hit off Vladislav Gabrikov before Danforth tapped the puck past Varlamov at 10:26.

VARLAMOV STAYS SHARP IN SECOND-STRAIGHT START

For the first time this season, Varlamov made consecutive starts and was sharp with his 30-save performance.
ISLANDERS 5, BLUE JACKETS 2
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KINGER'S CALLS
Aho Opens the Scoring
Wahlstrom Finishes Feed
Palmieri Scores From Sharp Angle
Barzal Buries Breakaway
Pulock's Empty Netter
While it was a light first period with only five shots sent Varlamov's way - and he stopped all of them - he faced 14 in the second period. Prior to Columbus' brace of goals, the Russian netminder gloved down a sharp shot from Patrik Laine in the high slot.

Varlamov continued his steady netminding as he made 13 saves in the final frame, including denying a shot from Gustav Nyquist late in the period.
With the win, the 33-year-old improved his record to 8-13-2 in what was his 23rd start of the season. Cory Schneider served as backup as Ilya Sorokin is still sidelined and listed as day-to-day with an upper body injury.

CHEMISTRY BUZZING FROM THE PARISE, BARZAL, WAHLSTROM LINE

The line of Zach Parise, Barzal and Wahlstrom continues to rev up the production and chemistry as a trio.
After providing Tuesday's game-winning goal over Columbus scored by Parise - and a two-assist night for Barzal - the line continued their momentum with a two-goal effort from the threesome.
"Great hand-eye by Zach to knock the puck down that I originally tried to get deep," Barzal said. "I thought he was shooting the whole way from behind the play, but what a pass and then obviously Wahlstrom with a great bury. We've had chances, so anytime you can get on the board, it feels good."

All three skaters were engaged and combined for four points (2G, 2A) and six shots. Their chemistry was on display as they all contributed to Wahlstrom's first-period strike.
Parise logged 17:16 - including 1:12 on the power play and 1:51 on the penalty kill - fired off two shots, recorded one assist, and blocked one shot.
With his first-period goal, Wahlstrom established a new career-high for the 21-year-old winger as he recorded his 13th of this season. He skated 13:59, had two shots, threw two hits and finished the game with a plus-one rating.
Barzal's breakaway tally marked his 13th goal of the season as well. The centerman played 16:17 of ice time, posted two points with a goal and assist, fired off two shots and earned a plus-two rating.

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders close out their back-to-back set as they head to Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Rangers to start the month of April. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m.