Game preview: New York Islanders look to bounce back against Columbus Blue Jackets

The New York Islanders look to bounce back against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday night at the Nationwide Arena. The Isles play their second game in as many nights, dropping a 3-1 decision to the Anaheim Ducks in their previous outing.

Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets continue to surprise fans across the league after beating teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, and Colorado Avalanche. As such, Wednesday night’s matchup should prove to be an interesting matchup between two teams seemingly at different points.

Fans can catch the action on MSG+ and ESPN+.

LAST GAME

The Islanders play the second leg of back-to-back games this week. The Isles played a solid game, putting 40 shots on the Ducks, but could only get one goal past Lukas Dostal. Dostal made 40 saves, keeping the Islanders at bay. Meanwhile, the Isles managed to get on the board until 5:31 of the third when a Mathew Barzal power play goal brought the Islanders to within one. An empty-netter sealed the 3-1. Ilya Sorokin had a decent start, stopping 19 of 21 shots in the losing effort.

The Ducks are coming off a 6-2 pounding at the hands of the New Jersey Devils. While the Ducks opened the scoring in that matchup, it was all Devils from there. New Jersey scored five unanswered goals to open up a 5-1 lead. Backup James Reimer was lit up in the game, giving up all six goals. The loss sent the Ducks to a 4-4-1 record, a much more respectable mark than most expected.

HISTORICAL MATCHUP

Wednesday night’s meeting marks the first time these two clubs meet this season. The Islanders swept the season series last year, winning 2-0 on October 28, 2023, 7-3 on December 7, 2023, and 4-2 on April 4, 2023.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

For the Isles, the major storyline has been the lack of offense plaguing the team. While the club has played a solid all-around game, the need for more scoring has never been more evident. So, fans should keep an eye on the top two lines to see what changes coach Patrick Roy could make.

There’s no indication that Roy could make any changes at this point. However, a shakeup is due given the need to spark more offense. Additionally, Semyon Varlamov should get the start. Varlamov’s performance will be interesting to watch as Varlamov’s last outing was a 6-3 loss against the Florida Panthers.

As for Columbus, Sean Monahan has been productive lately. Monahan had two goals against the Oilers. Also, young stars like Adam Fantilli and Kirill Marchenko play a dynamic style. They should make the game entertaining to watch.