The Blue Jackets were looking uphill after two periods at the Nassau Coliseum. But like they did so many times last season, they found a way to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, beating the Islanders 3-2.
As one would expect, the New York Islanders – a fast team even without the added adrenaline of their home opener – came out buzzing in the opening period but the Blue Jackets held together and defended well in the opening 20 minutes. They played a far more composed game than they did Friday night at Nationwide Arena and were thusly rewarded: a power play goal from Mark Letestu got it started, Nick Foligno equalized a few minutes later, and Cam Atkinson notched the winner in the fourth round of the shootout to send the Jackets back to Columbus with their first win of the season.
But perhaps tonight’s biggest storyline was a dominating performance from goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who looked every bit the part of last year’s Vezina Trophy winning goaltender. He made 28 saves in regulation and overtime and added three more in the shootout, and was by far Columbus’ best player in the victory.
For the second consecutive game, the Blue Jackets’ power play scored a big goal and got them going. On Friday night, it got them level after a rocky start in the first period against Calgary and tonight, it cut a 2-0 deficit in half and gave them a fighting chance in the latter stages of the third.
After getting within a goal, the Blue Jackets kept pushing the pace and eventually, some dogged work around the net paid off. RJ Umberger carried the puck deep into Islanders territory and threw it into the crease, and Foligno chopped it toward the net and off Peter Regin’s glove before it trickled behind Nabokov.
Blue Jackets coach Todd Richards liked the way his team was engaged right from the opening face-off and didn’t let an energetic start from the Islanders set them back. Despite two assists from Islanders captain John Tavares, the Blue Jackets did well in defending New York’s top line and didn’t give them much room to operate at even strength.
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