Game Preview: Islanders at Blue Jackets

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (13-8-0) AT COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (7-11-1)
FRI. NOV. 25 | 8 PM | NATIONWIDE ARENA
WATCH: MSGSN | MSGGO | ESPN+
LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | 1050 AM
Time to work off the turkey.
The New York Islanders take on the Columbus Blue Jackets in a Black Friday showdown at Nationwide Arena.
The Islanders enter the contest on a two-game winning streak, most recently shutting out the Edmonton Oilers 3-0 on Wednesday night behind a two-goal effort from JG Pageau and a 49-save shutout by Ilya Sorokin.

The win has the Islanders at 13-8-0 this season and in second place in the Metropolitan Division at the league's unofficial quarter mark. The Blue Jackets currently sit eighth in the Metro and are coming off a 3-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday.
The two teams met back on Nov. 12, with the Islanders scoring a 4-3 OT win in a game they never led. Zach Parise scored the OT winner after the Islanders fought back from three separate one-goal deficits. The Islanders are going for their fifth-straight win over Columbus, which would tie the team's mark for longest winning streak vs the Jackets (Oct. 20, 2015 - Mar. 31, 2016).

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• JG Pageau scored two goals on Wednesday night, netting both a power-play goal and a shorthanded goal in a span of 2:06, which is tied for the second shortest span per Eric Hornick. Pageau now has six points (4G, 2A) in his last six games.
  Also per Hornick, Pageau's shorty was the 17th of his, which is tied for seventh among active players; since he entered the NHL only three players have recorded more: Brad Marchand (27), Cam Atkinson (19) and Andrew Cogliano (18).
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  - Ilya Sorokin made a career-high 49 saves on Wednesday night, as he shut out the Edmonton Oilers. Sorokin's shutout was his second of the season and the 12th of his career, tying him with Jaroslav Halak for fifth on the Islanders all-time list. Sorokin's 12 shutouts came in his first 89 starts with the Islanders, compared to 163 for Halak.
  Sorokin is 9-5-0 this season with a 2.20 GAA and a .934 SV%. Sorokin's .934 SV% ranks second among goalies with at least 10 games this season, while his 2.20 GAA ranks third.
  - Simon Holmstrom made his NHL debut on Wednesday night, skating 11:11 on a line with Mathew Barzal and Oliver Wahlstrom. Holmstrom was recalled after Kyle Palmieri was deemed unavailable with an upper-body injury.
  - Sebastian Aho has points in back-to-back games (1G, 1A) after scoring his second goal of the season on Wednesday. Aho has five points (2G, 3A) in his last nine games and has spent the past two games paired with Noah Dobson.
  - Mathew Barzal is currently riding a six-game point streak with eight points (2G, 6A) over that span.
  - The Islanders power play is converting at 30.3% in November, which ranks fifth in the NHL. The Isles are 10-for-33 in November with five power-play goals in their last five games.

BLUE JACKETS NOTES:

• After a slow start to the season, the Blue Jackets are 4-2-1 in their last seven games since returning from the NHL's Global Series in Finland.
  - Johnny Gaudreau had his four-game point streak snapped in Wednesday's loss to Montreal. Gaudreau had six points (1G, 5A) over his four-game run and leads the Blue Jackets with 18 points (7G, 11A) in 19 games in his first season in Columbus.
  - Boone Jenner also had his four-game point streak snapped on Wednesday. The Blue Jackets' captain has 10 points (7G, 3A) in his last nine games after only posting four points (1G, 3A) in his first 10 games.
  - The Blue Jackets are still undermanned, with star defenseman Zach Werenski out for the season with a torn labrum, goaltender Elvis Merzlikins out one-to-two weeks with a hip injury, forward Jakub Voracek out indefinitely with an upper-body injury and Patrik Laine out three-to-four-weeks with an ankle injury. Defensemen Jake Bean (shoulder), Adam Boqvist and Nick Blankenburg (ankle) are also out.
  - The Blue Jackets are allowing 4.26 goals against per game, which ranks last in the NHL. Since returning from Finland, they've allowed 3.71 goals against per game, which ranks 22nd in the NHL.
  - While Columbus' power play is 31st in the NHL for the season, the Jackets' 28.6% conversion rate (6-for-21) in November is eighth in the league.