COLUMBUS, Ohio — A Shaken Islanders Team
At least the Islanders are feeling shaken up after their recent game.
On Sunday, Matt Barzal was ejected for using his stick aggressively against Mason Marchment, which could have larger implications than the team’s late-game collapse in a 4-2 loss to the Blue Jackets. This loss was capped by Kirill Marchenko’s game-winning goal.
It wouldn’t be a shock if Barzal finds himself suspended for Tuesday’s match in Chicago, especially since the Islanders played without him for the last 38 minutes of Sunday’s game.
Despite his absence, the team managed to take the lead against a local rival, earning two points.
There was a noticeable lack of energy in the arena, and both teams seemed a bit out of sync for a time on Sunday. Honestly, it was evident that the Islanders were coming off another match less than 24 hours prior. The Blue Jackets might’ve felt similarly disoriented after the back-and-forth rhythm.
Penalties were rampant from both sides, but Barzal’s was particularly notable—he was assessed a five-minute major for slashing just 1:37 into the second period, following Marchment’s play that set up rookie Matthew Shafer for his second goal.
Marchment had already taken some hits, with a late hit and a knee trip earlier in the game. Ryan Pulock exchanged a few words with him, but Barzal seemed to feel the need to take action himself, swinging his stick at Marchment’s legs. This incident led to serious consequences for the Islanders in an already tense game tied at 1-1.
While the Blue Jackets managed to kill off Barzal’s major penalty, their own fouls negated much of the time. By the end of the second period, however, the Islanders had taken a 2-1 lead thanks to Bo Horvat’s goal, marking his return from a lower-body injury with a rush shot.
This put the Islanders in a familiar predicament, trying to defend a narrow lead against an increasingly aggressive opponent.
Then, Ivan Provorov tied the game 2-2 with a well-aimed shot that ricocheted off an Islanders stick with just over four minutes left in the game. The Islanders, however, seemed stuck in their own zone, unable to clear out, which made the tying goal feel inevitable.
Just over a minute after Provorov’s equalizer, Marchenko gave Columbus the lead again with a swift backhand shot that beat goalie David Rittich. Cole Schillinger’s empty-net goal sealed the Islanders’ fate just moments after they had briefly held a lead.
Initially, Marchenko had scored the first goal of the game 8:09 in, getting one past Rittich, who was in goal for consecutive days. Max Shabanov managed to respond later in the first period, knocking in a deflected shot from Jean-Gabriel Pageau.
Greaves, the Columbus goaltender, had a tough outing, allowing goals he likely wishes he could have back, including Horvat’s return goal.
On the lineup front, Cal Ritchie was a healthy scratch, appearing to be a potential third-line fixture, while Anthony Duclair returned after missing Saturday’s victory.
The loss of Barzal disrupted the Islanders’ lines, but the fourth unit mostly held up, even in a chaotic game. Shafer seemed rattled by Marchment’s provocations, and both Tony DeAngelo and Max Shabanov were starting to gel well together.
Ultimately, the Islanders’ defensive struggles in the third period were costly. They managed to fend off the Rangers, but couldn’t replicate that resilience here.
