The New York Islanders face a must-win game on Monday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets. I know it seems odd to be talking about must-win games in the middle of January. But given the Isles’ current circumstances, the Isles have to continue racking up as many points as possible.
The Islanders got the job done on Saturday night, beating the hapless San Jose Sharks. That was a game the Isles had to win, and they did.
Now, the attention turns to the Blue Jackets. The suddenly resurgent Blue Jackets are fourth in the Metro Division and creeping up on the third-place Carolina Hurricanes. The Canes have struggled somewhat over their last 10, going, 7-2-1, while the Blue Jackets have gone 7-2-1.
That trend has allowed the Blue Jackets to pull away from the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins. The New York Rangers seem to be showing some signs of life a 6-3-1 in their last 10 and looking to get back to relevance this season.
Meanwhile, the Islanders are stuck in last place in the Metro. But as we have pointed out earlier, the Islanders are still within striking distance. The Isles have 43 points with eight points separating them from the Blue Jackets.
As Columbus has demonstrated, a strong run can help close the gap in the standings. However, the Isles’ recent losses to the Flyers and the Ottawa Senators have not helped their chances in the standings. But that’s in the past.
It’s time to look now at what’s ahead. That’s Monday night’s game. The Isles must win the game in order to continue closing the gap. Another strong run over the next 10 games could put the Isles back into contention.
Looking at New York Islanders' lineup against Columbus Blue Jackets
The New York Islanders are expected the roll out the following lines:
- Lee-Horvat-Barzal
- Duclair-Nelson-Palmieri
- Cizikas-Pageau-Holmstrom
- Engvall-MacLean-Gatcomb
Rookie Marc Gatcomb continues to get a look as the Islanders are rightfully looking at what they have in the farm system. Gatcomb hasn’t looked out of place and should continue to find his footing in the team.
Defensively, the pairs look like this:
- Romanov-Dobson
- Pelech-Pulock
- George-Mayfield
Isaiah George continues to be another young player who’s earning more flight hours this year. At this rate. George could earn a full-time spot next season.
Meanwhile, Romanov was not at practice on Sunday. It remains to be seen if he’s dealing with something or if it’s just a precautionary move.
Ilya Sorokin is expected to be in the crease on Monday. Marcus Hogberg has been playing well during Semyon Varlamov’s absence but should be on the bench against the Blue Jackets on Monday.
It will be interesting to see what happens to Hogberg once Varlamov is set to return. At the very least, the Isles won’t have to rush Varlamov back thanks to Hogberg’s strong performances.