Game Preview: Islanders vs Blue Jackets

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (39-26-5) VS COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (37-21-11) 

7 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS 

WATCH/STREAM: MSGSN | GOTHAM SPORTS APP 

LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | ISLANDERS + UBS ARENA APP

Every game is a big game for the New York Islanders at this point in the season, but Sunday’s tilt against the Columbus Blue Jackets feels a little bigger.  

The Islanders (83 points) are currently chasing the Blue Jackets (85 points) for one of the final playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. Columbus currently sits in third place in the Metropolitan Division, while New York is the first team on the outside of the playoff picture. (The Islanders also sit one point back of the Detroit Red Wings for the second Wild Card berth in the East.)  

Columbus also has a game in-hand on the Islanders, so while an Islanders win would tie the teams in points, it would not swap their places in the standings. An Islanders loss would create a three-or-four-point gap.  

The Islanders are also looking to snap a two-game losing streak, most recently falling 7-3 to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night. The Isles have not lost three consecutive games in regulation this season.  

The Blue Jackets also played on Saturday, beating the Seattle Kraken 5-2 to extend their winning streak to four games.

PROJECTED LINES 

The Islanders will not hold a morning skate on Sunday, so any lineup news will come closer to puck drop. Here is how the Islanders lined up against the Canadiens on Saturday.  

Anders Lee – Bo Horvat – Mathew Barzal  
Emil Heineman – Brayden Schenn – Anthony Duclair 
Ondrej Palat – JG Pageau – Simon Holmstrom 
Cal Ritchie– Casey Cizikas – Marc Gatcomb  

Matthew Schaefer – Ryan Pulock 
Adam Pelech – Tony DeAngelo 
Carson Soucy – Scott Mayfield

SOROKIN TO START 

Ilya Sorokin will start for the Islanders on Sunday, Head Coach Patrick Roy announced after Saturday’s game.  

Sorokin was pulled in the third period after allowing six goals on 32 shots in Saturday’s loss, specifically to conserve his energy for Sunday’s start. Sorokin started on consecutive days three times last season going 2-1-0 in the second half of those sets.  

BACK HOME 

Sunday kicks off a five-game homestand for the Islanders, who will play 10 of their final 12 regular season games on home ice. The Islanders are 18-11-2 on home ice. 

SEASON SERIES  

This is the fourth and final regular season meeting between the Isles and Blue Jackets this year. New York is 2-1-0 against Columbus, most recently coming back from down 2-0 to edge out a 4-3 overtime victory at Nationwide Arena on Feb. 28.

BLUE JACKETS NOTES 

- The Blue Jackets have been one of the NHL’s best teams in the second half of the season, currently on an 18-2-4 run since Jan. 12 with a league-leading .833 points percentage over that span.  

Columbus was last in the Eastern Conference on Jan. 12, with a 19-19-7 record, but have shot up the standings and into a playoff position. The turnaround corresponds with the arrival of Head Coach Rick Bowness, who took over midseason for Dean Evason.  

Columbus is averaging 3.79 goals per game over that span, fourth in the NHL, and are averaging 2.54 goals against per game, good for third in the league.  

The Blue Jackets are riding a 12-game point streak (8-0-4). 

 - Since Jan. 12, Charlie Coyle has recorded a team-high 29 points (10G, 19A) in 24 games. Coyle has 55 points (17G, 38A) in 69 games, five points shy of tying his career-high (60 points) set during the 2023-24 season with Boston. 

- Defenseman Zach Werenski leads Columbus with 75 points (20G, 55A), which is second among all NHL d-men this season. Werenski had three assists on Saturday against Seattle, giving him back-to-back games with three helpers. Werenski is up to seven assists during a three-game point streak. He has 28 points (4G, 24A) in 21 games since Jan. 12, second only to Coyle.  

- Jet Greaves is the expected starter for Columbus on Sunday. Greaves is 11-0-2 since Jan. 11 with a 2.34 GAA, a .914 SV% and two shutouts over that span. Greaves’ 11 wins are tied for fourth in the NHL over that span.  

Greaves is 2-1-1 lifetime against the Islanders with a 2.17 GAA and a .930 SV%. Greaves has started two of the three meetings this season between the Isles and Jackets, going 1-0-1.  

- The Blue Jackets acquired Conor Garland from Vancouver at the NHL Trade Deadline. Garland has six points (5G, 1A) in eight games since joining the Blue Jackets.