Dec 7, 2023; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders center Mathew Barzal (13) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the second period at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-USA TODAY Sports
ELMONT, N.Y. — The New York Islanders bucked the trend of disastrous third periods to close out a 7-3 victory over the last-place Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night at UBS Arena — just two nights after blowing a three-goal third-period lead in a 5-4 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks.
“It’s what we’ve talked about and what we expect,” Islanders head coach Lane Lambert said. “It was nice to see it.”
It’s the first time this season that the Islanders won a game at home by more than one goal.
Mathew Barzal scored twice and added two assists for the Islanders (11-7-7), his second of the night coming 5:33 into the third period to snuff out a Blue Jackets comeback attempt after they cut a New York 4-2 lead in half early in the frame. Barzal’s four-point night continues a hot streak that has now seen him record 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) in his last four games.
Bo Horvat proceeded to score twice in just 20 seconds later in the third period to put things to bed and cap off a three-point night on a personal note.
“We just killed their momentum right away,” Barzal said of his team’s third period. “It was a bit win… It was a good opportunity for us to catch a team with some ailments so we did a good job.”
The Islanders created that two-goal advantage by scoring three goals in a 4:49 stretch behind tallies from Cal Clutterbuck, Barzal, and Kyle Palmieri, which came on the power play, to overcome a period in which they were largely outplayed.
Rather than keep their foot on the gas against a last-place team following Pierre Engvall’s first-period tally, the Islanders were dominated by the Blue Jackets in the first half of the second period, falling behind after yielding two goals in…
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