Takeaways: Islanders Beat Columbus 3-2 in Comeback Thriller

Two late goals turned into two regulation points.

The New York Islanders scored two goals in 29 seconds late in the third period to lift themselves to a 3-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday night at UBS Arena. The two-goal flurry ultimately powered the Islanders to their second straight win.

Down 2-1 with 1:07 remaining, Matthew Schaefer tied the game at two apiece with his second goal of the game after opening the scoring with a power-play goal. Instead of settling for overtime, Simon Holmstrom buried the game-winner with 38 seconds left for the regulation win. Miles Wood and Denton Mateychuk scored for Columbus.

David Rittich turned aside 20 of 22 shots in the win and Elvis Merzlikins made 36 games in the loss for the Blue Jackets. The win improved the Isles to 6-5-1 on the season.

“I thought we had a strong 60 minutes,” Head Coach Patrick Roy said. “In the third we showed character, we showed we were resilience by finding the game-tying goal and scoring right after. It was fun to watch.”

TAKEAWAYS

• The Islanders sustained pressure on the Blue Jackets for the majority of the night with a dominant 39-22 shot advantage – including a 18-3 advantage in the opening period - but were only rewarded for their effort after nearly 59 minutes. Anders Lee’s shot got behind Merzlikins, but not the post and Holmstrom charged at the crease and swiped in the rebound for the game-winning goal at the 19:22 mark of the third to break a 2-2 tie. Lee also played a role on the tying goal, using his big body to set a screen and draw Zach Werenski, who deflected Schaefer’s shot past his own goalie. It marked the latest game-tying goal where the Islanders ended up winning in regulation.

“We just kept the momentum going,” Holmstrom said. “Usually when you score a late goal, the other team might fall back a little bit. We did a great job pushing them and we were able to get that last goal.”

• Just one day after being named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for October, Schaefer kicked off the month of November on a high note with his first career multi-goal game, accounting for his fourth and fifth goals of the season. Schaefer scored his third power-play goal (which leads all rookies in the NHL) when his snipe from the point beat Merzlikins cleanly at 5:53 in the first period to open the scoring.

• Schaefer’s five goals on the season surpassed New Jersey’s Dougie Hamilton, Colorado’s Cale Makar and Werenski for the league lead of goals among defensemen. After his first two-goal outing of his career, Schaefer was humble as always, giving all the credit to his teammates. His teammates made sure he got a little credit, giving him the Iron Man mask as the team’s player of the game. He was also named the game’s first star.
• The Blue Jackets found their legs in the second period and outshot the Isles 14-10 and got on the board when Adam Fantill threw the puck on net for Wood to bat past Rittich to tie the game. The Blue Jackets had three power-play opportunities, but the Isles fended off all three penalties, which is a nod to how consistent the penalty kill has been lately, going 10-for-10 over their last three games.

“Guys are having good sticks,” said Kyle Palmieri, who had a nice break-up pass at the blueline on the Blue Jackets’ second power-play chance. “We changed some things out of camp that took a little bit to take hold but we’re building confidence on it.”

• With Sunday’s game-winner, Holmstrom has four goals in his last six games. Roy said postgame that the Swedish winger is being rewarded for his strong offensive play while highlighting his chemistry with JG Pageau at five-on-five on the penalty kill.
• Cal Ritchie dressed for his second straight game for the Islanders, this time starting the game centering a line with Jonathan Drouin and Palmieri, which was a line change Roy established midway through Friday’s contest against Washington. Ritchie recorded one shot on goal in 13:56 TOI and won two of six faceoffs. Roy said the 20-year-old played a strong game and learning curves are expected in the dot.

• Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal have been reunited on a line for four consecutive periods. Their line combined for 17 shots (eight on goal, six attempts blocked and three missed).
• With an assist against Columbus, Horvat added to his team lead of 14 points.
• The Islanders had a strong night in the dot overall, winning 32-of-47 faceoffs (68.1%).

NEXT GAME

The Islanders continue their three-game homestand with a matchup against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday. Puck drop is set for 7PM.