If the New York Islanders are to complete another late-season surge and reach the Eastern Conference playoffs, they’ll probably damage the Columbus Blue Jackets’ postseason hopes in the process.
A pair of teams trying to remain in the wild-card race will meet in a pivotal game Monday night in Elmont, N.Y., when the Islanders host the Blue Jackets in a clash of Metropolitan Division rivals.
The Isles last played Saturday, when they squandered a lead late in the third period before losing to the visiting Calgary Flames 4-3 in overtime. The Blue Jackets continued their untimely skid Friday, losing their sixth straight by falling to the host Pittsburgh Penguins, 6-3.
The Islanders (32-28-9, 73 points) and Blue Jackets (31-29-9, 71 points) enter Monday next to one another in the Eastern Conference wild-card race. They have a chance to gain ground on the Montreal Canadiens (75 points), who occupy the second wild-card spot, and the New York Rangers (74 points).
A furious but ultimately unsuccessful comeback Saturday night by the Canadiens — who overcame a three-goal third-period deficit before falling to the Colorado Avalanche in a shootout — lessened the sting of the Islanders’ inability to close out the Flames and earn a valuable second point.
Kyle MacLean scored with 2:21 left to put the Islanders ahead 3-2, but Jonathan Huberdeau tied the score just 29 seconds later and Nazem Kadri collected the game-winner with 1:07 left in overtime.
“It was nice to score, but we wanted the two points and I think we all know in here we let it slip a little,” MacLean said.
The loss ended a three-game winning streak for the Islanders, who are trying to mount a late sprint into the playoffs for the third straight year. New York clinched the first wild card after ending the 2022-23 season by winning 14 of its final 23 games (14-7-2) and took third place in the Metropolitan Division last season by going 8-0-1 in April.
The Blue Jackets are running out of time to begin mounting their push. Columbus, which hasn’t made the playoffs since the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season, appeared to be in good position to end the drought when it opened March with a 5-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings in a Stadium Series game.
That victory gave the Blue Jackets sole possession of the top wild card over the Red Wings as well as a four-point cushion over the Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins, who were tied for ninth place in the East, and a seven-point lead over the 14th-place Islanders.
But the Blue Jackets have earned just three points in their last nine games (1-7-1), a span in which they’ve been outscored 34-16 and suffered four shutout defeats. Columbus hasn’t even held a lead during its six-game losing streak (0-5-1).
“It’s the time of year when you need points and you need results and we haven’t done that,” Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski said Friday night.
Boone Jenner, Justin Danforth and Kent Johnson scored Columbus’ goals against Pittsburgh. It was Jenner’s first of the season in his 13th game back from preseason shoulder surgery.
–Field Level Media
