At least one team in Columbus had nothing to celebrate Monday.
For the Islanders, it was a must-win game against a Blue Jackets team that is chasing them in the wild card race (that is, if they believe the Islanders are still in the wild card race). Combined. It was a 60-minute effort that they lacked early in this homestand to win 3-1 at UBS Arena.
This was the kind of effort that would make the Islanders look like a playoff contender if they could replicate it consistently.
Just like on Saturday against the Sharks, the Isles chased the puck all night, ran the forecheck hard, and their top six lived up to expectations — especially the duo of Matthew Barzal and Bo Horvat. gave Horvat two feeds for the goal.
Thanks in part to special teams efforts, the Isles scored a power-play goal, had a net-zero night on the penalty kill, and shorthanded Columbus on the penalty kick to end the Isles' scoreless streak.
This 4-on-5 attack was the linchpin of a solid defense in front of Ilya Sorokin, stopping 24 of 25 shots and allowing the Islanders very little inside.
The only downside to the night was a possible injury to Noah Dobson. Noah Dobson was ejected early in the third period following a hit by Cole Schillinger and did not return.
Quietly, the Islanders have won five of their last seven games, but their two losses came against other teams ahead of them, and they haven't been able to move up in the standings. Even after a four-point game against the Blue Jackets, they are still seven points behind the second place wild-card spot.
Still, there's not much debate that the Islanders played their best hockey this season since the new year.
A typical example is the second hour on Monday.
After falling behind 1-0 in the first inning on Kent Johnson's power-play goal, the Islanders pulled themselves together and got to work. Horvat's line with Barzal and Anders Lee was dominant, and Barzal fed Horvat from behind the goal to score just 43 seconds into the period.
The duo scored a similar goal on a power play 5:47 into the period, with Barzal circling the offensive zone before picking off Horvat for the other goal.
In between, the penalty kill took advantage after Zach Werenski stumbled in the neutral zone, with Jean-Gabriel Pageau scoring on a short shot to Simon Holmstrom.
It was one of three penalties the Islanders converted on the second. And at 5-on-5, they continued to play ice constantly.
For the second straight game, the Islanders had to hold a 3-1 lead in the final 20 minutes, but again held the lead without incident.
The third period, the first six weeks of the season, continues to be a disaster, but it's safe territory for the Islanders, who hold the lead.
If they can improve on the fly, there might be some hope that a few weeks of strong play on special teams might be sustainable.
The Islanders are in a position in the standings where they need to keep winning if they have any chance of making a run for it. One loss could hurt them as much as multiple wins could help, especially against another team in the East.
So even if the Islanders have really found something in their game lately, the odds are stacked against them.
However, the goal remains to advance to the playoffs.
