Simon Holmstrom scored with 3:12 left in overtime for the visiting New York Islanders, who remained perfect in the extra session and earned another comeback win by beating the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 on Saturday night.
Islanders defenseman Tony DeAngelo skated back deep into the New York zone before firing a pass to Holmstrom, who was wide open at the Blue Jackets’ blue line. Holmstrom bore in on Jet Greaves, went to his forehand and beat Greaves over his blocker.
Anders Lee, Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Scott Mayfield also scored for the Islanders, who trailed 2-0 before earning their fourth straight win and improving to 8-0 in games decided in overtime. Three of New York’s last four victories have been of the comeback variety.
Goaltender Ilya Sorokin made 27 saves for the Islanders.
Isac Lundestrom, Mason Marchment and Adam Fantilli scored for the Blue Jackets, who have lost two straight (0-1-1) following a seven-game winning streak. Greaves recorded 22 saves.
Lundestrom won the faceoff with Casey Cizikas to start the sequence that ended with his deflection just 2:30 after the game’s opening faceoff. Miles Wood picked up the puck and dished to Dante Fabbro, whose shot glanced off Lundestrom as he and Cizikas glided across the crease before the puck trickled through Sorokin’s legs.
The teams combined for five goals, two ties and one lead change during a chaotic second period.
The Blue Jackets doubled their lead at 3:58, when Zach Werenski’s cross-ice pass glanced off the stick of Charlie Coyle and to Marchment, whose shot sailed over Sorokin’s stick shoulder.
The Islanders began their comeback bid with three unanswered goals in a span of fewer than six minutes in the back half of the period.
Greaves got a glove on Mayfield’s shot before Lee put back the rebound with 8:23 left. Pageau tied the score just 22 seconds later when his shot glanced off Greaves and off Fabbro’s stick before it ticked off Pageau’s stick and into the net.
Mayfield collected his first goal since Dec. 16 in similarly unusual fashion with 2:50 remaining, when his shot rattled in the crease and off Werenski, who was battling for position with Islanders center Bo Horvat.
Fantilli tied the score with 1:02 left when he redirected Werenski’s shot from above the left faceoff circle.
–Field Level Media
