PK Cronin
Bailey Fan Club Prez
- Feb 11, 2013
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- 23,591
NEW YORK ISLANDERS (33-27-15) AT COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (25-38-12)
7 PM ET | NATIONWIDE ARENA
WATCH: MSGSN | MSG+ | ESPN+
LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | 1050AM
Every New York Islanders game down the stretch is a big one - and Thursday is no exception as the Isles take on the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.
The Islanders grinded out a 2-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night at UBS Arena, sweeping a back-to-back set for the first time this season. Bo Horvat’s third period power-play goal got the Islanders on the board, while Simon Holmstrom’s follow-up tally held as the game-winner. Ilya Sorokin made his first start since Mar. 24 and locked it down with 18 saves.
The Islanders are one point back of the Washington Capitals (82 points) for the final wild card spot, though the Caps have played one fewer game. The Caps are idle on Thursday, so if the Isles win, they’ll leapfrog the Caps, as well as the Detroit Red Wings (82 points) who are also idle on Thursday.
The Islanders are two points back of the Philadelphia Flyers (83 points) with a game in hand, but the Flyers hold the tiebreaker against the Isles with 28 regulation wins vs New York’s 24. The Flyers are currently third in the Metropolitan Division.
The Penguins (79 points) lurk two points back of the Isles with an equal number of games played.
The Blue Jackets took down the Colorado Avalanche 4-1 on Monday night. The win marked their second in a row after they beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 in a shootout on Saturday.
The Islanders lead the Blue Jackets 2-0-0 in the season series following a 2-0 win in Columbus on Oct. 28 and a 7-3 feat at UBS Arena on Dec. 7. Thursday’s tilt will mark the Islanders’ final matchup outside the Tri-State Area this season.
ISLES NOTES
- Simon Holmstrom slotted back into the lineup after missing three games as a healthy scratch, arising as a hero in Tuesday’s 2-1 win. The Swedish winger netted his fourth career game-winning goal and snapped a 15-game goalless drought in the process.- Bo Horvat netted his 31st goal of the season and 10th power-play goal of the season on Tuesday night. Horvat has scored in back-to-back games, with Mathew Barzal earning the primary assist on both tallies.
- Anders Lee skated in his 753rd game as an Islander on Tuesday, passing Mike Bossy for sole possession for 10th in franchise history.
- Mathew Barzal had a four-point performance (2G, 2A) against the Blue Jackets on Dec. 7. Barzal has 21 points (8G, 13A) in 19 career games against Columbus.
- Kyle Palmieri scored against Columbus in both meetings of the season series this year, potting a goal in each. The winger has 24 goals this season and is one shy of his fifth career 25-goal season. He has not his the 25-goal mark since the 2019-20 season when he was with New Jersey.
- Semyon Varlamov earned his 40th career shutout against the Blue Jackets on Oct. 28. The Russian netminder has stellar career numbers against the Blue Jackets, going 11-5-2 lifetime against Columbus along with a .937 SV% - which is his highest save percentage against any opponent in the league – and a 2.18 GAA and four shutouts. Ilya Sorokin also has a strong track record against the Blue Jackets with a .913 SV% and a 2.32 GAA. Sorokin has not surrendered a game in regulation to Columbus through six career appearances (4-0-2).
BLUE JACKETS NOTES
- The Blue Jackets rank eighth in the Metropolitan Division with 62 points and are destined to miss the playoffs for the fourth straight year.- The Islanders will not see 2023 third overall pick Adam Fantilli on Thursday, as the rookie has not played since Jan. 28 when he sustained a calf laceration. Initially, he was expected to miss eight weeks, but Head Coach Pascal Vincent revealed on Saturday that Fantilli's recovery is going slower than expected and he may miss the rest of the season. Prior to the injury, the 19-year-old forward was tied for third in goals (12) and was fourth in points (27) among rookies in 49 games.
- Justin Danforth made his return to the lineup on Monday against the Avalanche after missing 11 games with a concussion suffered in a matchup against the Edmonton Oilers on Mar. 7 The 31-year-old forward racked up 21 points (10G, 11A) through 64 games this year after missing the majority of last season with a shoulder surgery, playing six games in the 2022-23 campaign.
- Johnny Gaudreau leads the Blue Jackets with 56 points and 45 assists, while Boone Jenner is the team leader in goals with 22.
- The Blue Jackets made some moved ahead of the NHL trade deadline, shipping forward Jack Roslovic to the New York Rangers and defenseman Andrew Peeke to the Boston Bruins in exchange for draft picks.
- The organization placed Spencer Martin on waivers in January and Carolina Hurricanes claimed the 28-year-old netminder. Martin started 13 games for the Blue Jackets this season, including both meetings of the season series against the Islanders this year.
- Patrik Laine has entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program and has not played since Dec. 14.
- The Blue Jackets’ power play ranks 31st in the NHL, converting at 14.4%.
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