New York Islanders @ Columbus Blue Jackets: Season 25 12/28/25

 Our Columbus Blue Jackets left for the holiday break on a high note, beating the Kings in L.A. 3-1. Tonight, with Mathieu Olivier returning from injury reserve, the Blue Jackets would look to continue winning and gaining much-needed points. At 8:09, Kirill Marchenko would add his twelfth goal to his season total, as well as the first goal to the scoresheet tonight! Newly acquired Mason Marchment gets his tenth assist this season, but first as a Blue Jacket on the primary. Denton Meteychuk rounds out the assists with the secondary, giving him nine this season. A late lucky bounce would allow the Islanders to tie the game at 1-1 at 17:16 in Period 1. Max Shabanov gets the goal, giving him his fourth this season. Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Anthony Duclair each skate away with their ninth assist this season on this tying goal. The Blue Jackets played skilled hockey this period, not just by scoring the first goal, but by winning the shots on goal battle 15-9. 

Period 2 would start with a bang, and it didn't come from the cannon! Mason Marchment would trip the Islanders' young Matthew Schaefer, Mathew Barzal would go after Mason Marchment, and the end result would see him getting a five-minute major for slashing and a ten-minute game misconduct, while Mason Marchment would get just two minutes in the box for the initial trip that started the period! Nothing would come of the power play, actually, and the teams would trade penalties for most of this period. But, at 13:34, Bo Horvat would give his visiting Islanders their first lead of the game with goal number twenty of his season. Ryan Pulock would have the only assist on this goal, his sixteenth this season. When the clock his 00:00 in Period 2, the Islanders wouldn't just lead the game 2-1, but also take the shots on goal battle, 11-6. 

As Period 3 went on, Nationwide Arena was growing uneasy, as was I listening from home, as the clock ticked down to just minutes left in the game. Then, Ivan Provorov took a slap shot from the blueline at 15:27, slamming the game-tying goal into the back of the visitor's net! This is his fifth goal this season. Denton Mateychuk gets his second assist tonight, his tenth this season, as he hits double digits with the primary assist! Sean Monahan also gets back on the scoresheet with the secondary assist, giving him his thirteenth this season. But the Blue Jackets weren't done yet, pushing for a win, Kirill Marchenko would get his second goal of the night, his thirteenth this season, at 16:41! Adam Fantilli joins the point party with the primary assist, his twelfth this season, while Damon Severson adds his eleventh on the primary. Cole Sillinger would then seal the win with his fourth goal this season as he'd shoot the puck into the Islanders' empty net! Sean Monahan would get the only assist on this goal, picking up his second tonight, fourteenth overall this season! The Blue Jackets would go on to win the shots on goal in the final period, 13-6, and most importantly, the game, after a huge Period 3 rally, 4-2! 

I love these two wins because not only did we get much-needed points, and not go to overtime, but this team is proving that Zach Werenski, although a huge part of this team, can win if he's not avalible to play. Many thought this team would crumble without him, and although I can't wait to see him return to the ice, it is reassuring to see this team can rally without their best defenseman! 

The three Stars tonight would all be Blue Jackets! Jet Greaves, with a .923 save percentage after denying 24 of the Islanders' 26 shots on his net, comes away with the Third Star of the Game.   

After his inspired goal, tying the game 2-2, Ivan Provorov got the Second Star of the Game. 

Kirill Marchenko, after his two-goal night, including a game-winner, gets the First Star of the Game!  

Our boys now fly to Ottawa to face the Senators in Ottawa tomorrow night. The game will begin at the classic 7:00 p.m. 

GO CBJ!        


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