The NY Islanders have turned their overtime weakness into their strength

Winning in OT is so much better than collecting loser points all year, right?

For the New York Islanders, that mindset is defining their season. After Saturday’s 4-3 overtime win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Islanders improved to 8-0 in games decided during sudden death. They are the only NHL team this season not to allow an overtime goal — a remarkable combination of execution and discipline in 3-on-3 play.

It’s a dramatic shift from past seasons when overtime losses padded the standings but left lingering frustration. Now, the Islanders are finishing the job. Their eight straight overtime wins are a franchise record. They’re also 6-0 in road games decided in overtime, with those six straight road OT victories marking another club best.

League history shows how rare this is. The only comparable run belongs to the 2021 Vegas Golden Knights, who went 9-0 in overtime during a shortened 56-game season. The Islanders have 22 games remaining to tie or surpass the franchise record of nine overtime goals set in 2023-24.

“I think it’s a lot of puck possession,” Bo Horvat said. “Our structure within our 3-on-3 game — we don’t give up much.”

That structure was evident again in Columbus.

After briefly losing the opening draw, the Islanders quickly regained control and never surrendered the puck. Smart changes and patient puck management tired out the Blue Jackets before Simon Holmstrom buried the winner off a feed from Tony DeAngelo.

“It’s just a matter of possessing the puck and making the right plays at the right time,” Holmstrom said. In a tight playoff race, overtime isn’t about survival anymore. It’s become a weapon — and perhaps the biggest reason the Islanders control their own destiny.

The Islanders have shown a belief regardless the circumstances this season, and that belief is no stronger than when playing 3-on-3 in the extra session.