Horvat scores twice, Islanders beat Blue Jackets 3-1

NEW YORK (AP) — Bo Horvat scored twice in New York’s three-goal second period, and the Islanders beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-1 on Monday night.

Simon Holmstrom also scored and Mathew Barzal had two assists as the Islanders won their second straight and fifth in seven games. Ilya Sorokin made 25 saves.

Kent Johnson scored for Columbus and Elvis Merzlikins had 22 saves, but the Blue Jackets ended a seven-game point streak (6-0-1).

The Islanders scored three goals in a span of 5:04 in the second period to take the 3-1 lead and held on to win consecutive games at home for the first time this season.

Barzal set up Horvat for the tying goal 43 seconds into the period. Holmstrom buried a one-time feed from Jean-Gabriel Pageau short-handed at 2:57 after Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski lost an edge and turned the puck over at the Columbus blue line. Barzal then set up Horvat for a power-play goal to end the barrage.

Johnson opened the scoring at 4:52 of the first period with a power-play goal from the faceoff circle.

Takeaways

Blue Jackets: Columbus committed 15 giveaways and spent much of the night hemmed in its own zone, struggling with the Islanders’ forecheck and unable to generate consistent offense.

Islanders: The last time New York scored both a short-handed and a power-play goal in the same period was Dec. 19, 2023, against Edmonton. Coincidentally, Horvat scored on the man advantage in that game, while Holmstrom also had a short-handed goal.

Key Moment

The Islanders’ penalty kill did not surrender a goal when Casey Cizikas committed his first of two offensive-zone penalties, and the Islanders took a 2-1 lead on Holmstrom’s short-handed tally to turn the tide.

Key Stat

The Islanders improved to 18-4-4 when scoring at least three goals (including shootout winners).

Up Next

Blue Jackets visit Toronto on Wednesday, and Islanders host Philadelphia on Friday.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl