If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It

Looking for more offense in the third period of the Halloween matchup against the Washington Capitals, Islanders Head Coach Patrick Roy shuffled his lines — moving Matthew Barzal alongside Bo Horvat and Emil Heineman. The change paid off immediately, as the trio clicked and generated sustained pressure. Roy stuck with the combination heading into Sunday’s matinee against the Columbus Blue Jackets, who entered the game sitting third in the Metropolitan Division.

The decision once again proved effective. The Islanders came out strong, dictating play from the opening faceoff. They smothered Columbus in all three zones, forcing turnovers and drawing the game’s first penalty when Damon Severson was called for cross-checking Jonathan Drouin at 5:43.

New York capitalized on the power play as Matthew Schaefer — recently named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for October — fired home a point shot off a feed from Horvat to open the scoring. The Islanders dominated the period, outshooting the Blue Jackets 18–4 and controlling nearly every shift.

The second period saw the pace continue, though Columbus began to push back. The Blue Jackets earned a power play early when Barzal was whistled for hooking at 3:06, but the Islanders’ penalty killers held firm. Columbus earned another opportunity midway through the period when Tony DeAngelo was called for slashing Kirill Marchenko at 11:32, but again, the Isles stood tall.

The Blue Jackets finally broke through at even strength, as Miles Wood buried a rebound from an Adam Fantilli shot to even the score. The Islanders took another penalty late in the frame when Anthony Duclair was sent off for tripping at 16:20. Though New York successfully killed all three penalties in the period, the time spent shorthanded limited their offensive rhythm. They were fortunate to escape the period tied 1–1.

Both teams traded chances in a fast-paced third period, but the Islanders struggled to sustain pressure in the offensive zone. Columbus took the lead at 12:10 when defenseman Denton Mateychuk scored on a backhander past David Rittich.

With time winding down, the Islanders’ push for an equalizer was interrupted when Alexander Romanov was called for interference. Fortunately, the ensuing Columbus power play was short-lived, as Dmitri Voronkov took an interference penalty of his own, leading to 4-on-4 play with few high-danger opportunities for either side.

After a brief Islanders power play, Roy pulled Rittich for the extra attacker. The gamble paid off as Schaefer struck again, netting his second goal of the night at 18:53 to tie the game. With momentum on their side, the Islanders swarmed the Columbus net in the final minute.

A sharp-angle shot from captain Anders Lee slipped past Elvis Merzlikins and trickled toward the goal line, where Simon Holmstrom pounced and tapped it home just 29 seconds after Schaffer’s goal to seal a thrilling 3–2 comeback win.

The Islanders have now won two straight and will look to carry that momentum into Tuesday night’s rematch against the Boston Bruins at UBS Arena.