COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Islanders were down two goals to the NHL’s worst team, which was playing two men short because of injuries. A chance to extend their lead for the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot was 20 minutes from disappearing.
Instead, they managed to take the game to overtime. But Boone Jenner’s power-play goal 40 seconds into overtime gave the Blue Jackets a 4-3 win and snapped the Islanders three-game winning streak.
The one point for the overtime loss was a nice consolation. But every point matters in this tight playoff race and the Islanders let a good opportunity slip by against a much weaker opponent.
Anders Lee was called for an offensive-zone high sticking with 28.3 seconds left in regulation to put the Blue Jackets on the power play going into overtime.
The Islanders (37-27-9), who face the Sabres on Saturday at UBS Arena, lead the Penguins by three points and the Panthers by four. Ilya Sorokin made 22 saves while Michael Hutchinson (34 saves) got his first win in seven appearances.
Kyle Palmieri brought the Islanders within 4-3 at 3:34 of the third period, getting to the crease to deflect defenseman Adam Pelech’s shot. Brock Nelson’s second goal, a power-play one-timer from the right circle after Bo Horvat won an offensive-zone draw, tied it at 4-4 at 8:00.
The Islanders were helped Thursday as both the Penguins and Panthers lost in regulation.
“We have to worry about our games,” coach Lane Lambert said. “But we’re certainly not immune to wanting help.”
“It definitely helps,” Nelson said. “You want to control what you can control and that’s your own destiny and the games that you play and take care of business. But when you’re able to get some help, it’s definitely nice. Especially with how tight the standings are with the time we have left.”
The Blue Jackets (22-41-7) have been beset by injuries this season, coming into Friday’s match with 454 man-games lost to injury. Leading goal scorer Patrik Laine injured his triceps taking a shot during practice on Thursday and right wing Mathieu Olivier exited after blocking defenseman Ryan Pulock’s blast at 1:00 of the first period. Then defenseman Erik Gudbranson (upper body) exited in the second period.
Johnny Gaudreau’s power-play goal at 4:58 started the Blue Jackets’ second-period goal barrage after Kirill Marchenko’s apparent goal at 3:42 was overturned via Lambert’s challenge for goalie interference on Boone Jenner. Nelson regained a 2-1 lead at 5:30 after Palmieri forced an offensive-zone turnover. But Liam Foudy beat defenseman Noah Dobson to the crease to make it 3-2 at 8:59.
Kent Johnson, with a "Michigan" goal — lifting the puck onto his stick blade and flipping it over Sorokin as he came around to the left post — put the Blue Jackets ahead 3-2 at 17:46 of the second period. Eric Robinson, establishing position at the crease against defenseman Scott Mayfield, deflected Emil Bemstrom’s feed for a 4-2 lead just 40 seconds later.
The Islanders, as has been their wont, started slowly with the Blue Jackets taking six of the game’s first seven shots. And they weren’t easy saves for Sorokin, either, particularly as Jack Roslovic got open at the left post at 4:58 of the first period.
Still the Islanders took a 1-0 lead as Hudson Fasching, extending his point streak to four games, found Zach Parise in the slot with a pinpoint feed. Parise’s goal was his 20th of the season, making him and his late father, J.P. Parise, the fourth father-son duo to notch 20 goals for the same team.
At 38, Zach Parise, who has a four-game goal streak, is the oldest Islander to reach 20 goals.
