The New York Islanders’ 4–2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday was defined as much by a late third-period collapse as it was by Mathew Barzal’s ejection, which drew a clear and unapologetic response from head coach Patrick Roy.
Playing the second game of a road back-to-back and less than 24 hours after their previous contest, the Islanders held a 2–1 lead late into the third period before surrendering three unanswered goals. Kirill Marchenko scored twice for Columbus, including the go-ahead goal with 3:19 remaining, while Ivan Provorov tied the game and Cole Sillinger added an empty-net goal. The Blue Jackets finished with a 4–2 win despite New York scoring first-period and second-period goals from Max Shabanov and Bo Horvat.
The sequence that shifted the game unfolded 1:37 into the second period, as Mason Marchment tripped rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer and Mathew Barzal responded with a two-handed slash to Marchment’s foot. Officials assessed Barzal a five-minute major for slashing and a 10-minute game misconduct, ejecting him from a game that was tied 1–1 at the time. Barzal did not return, and the Islanders played the final 38 minutes without their top center.
Roy’s postgame reaction left no ambiguity.
“Teams seem to be physical on Schaefer. I like the response by Barzal,” Roy said. “We’re never going to blame a teammate defending a teammate.”
New York successfully killed off the five-minute major, helped by offsetting penalties to Columbus that reduced the man advantage.
Barzal’s exit didn’t immediately derail the Islanders, who grabbed control for a brief spell. Horvat scored his team-leading 20th goal of the season at 13:24 of the second period, finishing a rush chance to give the Islanders a 2–1 lead. Horvat was on the ice for 21:25, won 11 of 19 faceoffs, and scored in his second game back after missing five contests with a lower-body injury.
However, New York fatigue became evident in the third. Provorov tied the game when his point shot deflected through traffic with 4:33 remaining, and just 74 seconds later, Marchenko beat David Rittich with a backhand through a screen to put the Blue Jackets ahead. Rittich, starting both games of the back-to-back, finished with 31 saves on 34 shots.
Shabanov’s first-period goal ended a 16-game scoreless drought and gave him 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in 26 games. Anthony Duclair returned to the lineup after being a healthy scratch and recorded a secondary assist, while Jet Greaves stopped 24 shots for Columbus.
The loss snapped a two-game Islanders winning streak and dropped them despite holding a one-goal lead deep into regulation. They will continue their road trip on Tuesday night against the Chicago Blackhawks.
