NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Islanders defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1 on Thursday night, thanks to goals from Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Mathew Barzal in the second period.
Ilya Sorokin made 20 saves as the Islanders won their third game in a row.
The Blue Jackets lost their seventh straight game and their tenth in 12 games overall. Emil Bemstrom scored Columbus’ lone goal, and Joonas Korpisalo made 34 saves.
Pageau scored at 7:12 of the second period, demonstrating his two-way prowess with smart plays on both ends of the ice. He intercepted a drop pass in the defensive zone before burying a loose puck that snuck past Korpisalo.
This season, the Islanders improved to 14-4-0 when scoring the first goal and 12-6 when playing at UBS Arena.
At 16:39 of the second period, Barzal scored on a power play. Pageau stopped the Blue Jackets from clearing the zone, and Brock Nelson set up Barzal with a cross-ice pass.
In the final minute of play, Marcus Bjork fired a shot from the point that deflected off Bemstrom, ending Sorokin’s shutout bid.
