PREVIEW: Blue Jackets host Islanders on Hockey Halloween

The last two games have followed a similar script for the Blue Jackets.

Columbus has extended its point streak to four games with back-to-back overtime setbacks vs. Anaheim and Montreal, but the Blue Jackets left each game thinking they could have had the full total of points in each of those games.

Against both the Ducks and Canadiens, the Blue Jackets started strong and carried a lead in the third period, only to see the opposition tie the score and then win in overtime.

“We really liked our first period and got rewarded,” captain Boone Jenner said after the game in Montreal. “We were engaged throughout the game. Obviously, you want to get the next one and we weren’t able to, but we’re playing some good hockey. We just have to find that next one or keep it out of our net there when we have the lead in the third.”

There’s a lot to like, including the Blue Jackets’ ability to handle momentum shifts in games and the way they’ve been able to have consistent puck possession in games. On the other hand, closing games has been an issue, in part because the squad has taken a few too many penalties.

Add it all up, though, and it’s been good enough to earn results, as the Blue Jackets are 2-0-2 in the last four. And if they clean up a few things, those close calls could start turning into wins.

"We always want two points obviously," head coach Pascal Vincent said. “But we know in this league nowadays, a one-goal, two-goal lead is not like it used to be in the past. But we have to find ways, and again, it's managing the game, managing the clock, managing the score. That's something that we need to get better at, that's for sure.”

Know The Foe: New York Islanders

Head coach: Lane Lambert (second season)

Team stats: Goals per game: 2.67 (22nd) | Scoring defense: 3.17 (19th) | PP: 15.0 percent (15th) | PK: 75.0 percent (19th)

The narrative: The Islanders are the Islanders, with largely the same cast of characters the Blue Jackets have battled with back on the Island for another run. One of the hardest teams to play against in the NHL has made the playoffs in four of the last five seasons, including last year when New York lost to Carolina in the opening round of the playoffs.

Team leaders: If there has been an exciting development for the Islanders the past few seasons, it’s been the emergence of Noah Dobson, as the 2018 first-round pick has become one of the most top-scoring defensemen in the league. Dobson’s 2-5-7 line leads the Isles, with Kyle Palmieri right behind with two goals among his six points. In his first full season in New York, Bo Horvat has a 3-2-5 line, while Mat Barzal has a goal and four assists to start the season and Brock Nelson has three goals.

In net, the Islanders have turned to Ilya Sorokin in five of six games thus far. The second-place finisher for the Vezina Trophy a season ago, Sorokin is 3-1-1 with a 2.80 GAA and .915 save percentage.

What's new: Since it’s the Islanders, the answer is not much. The midseason acquisition of Horvat last season was a big splash, but the offseason was a little quieter, with the team adding only bottom-six winger Julien Gauthier on the free agent market and saying goodbye to Zach Parise and Josh Bailey. There is some youth on the roster, though, in big defenseman Samuel Bolduc (2019 second-round pick) and wingers Simon Holmstrom (2019 first-round pick) and Oliver Wahlstrom (2018 first-rounder).

Trending: Columbus is just 4-9-2 in the series since 2018-19, but the squads have split the last four in Nationwide Arena.

Former CBJ: None

3 Stats to Know

• Boone Jenner is currently tied for third all-time in points (334) in CBJ history with Nick Foligno. Jenner also now has 174 goals in team history, passing Foligno (172) for third earlier this season.
• Jack Roslovic had a three-point night (1-2-3) on Thursday in Montreal, the seventh game with at least three points in his CBJ career. He has points in four straight games (2-4-6).
• Milestone watch: With 664 games played, Jenner is 10 games away from tying Rick Nash for the franchise record. … Kent Johnson is seven games from 100 for his NHL career (17-28-45, 93 GP). ... Jack Roslovic is four points from 200 and eight games from 400 for his NHL career (73-123-196, 392 GP).

Who’s Hot

Emil Bemstrom tallied twice at Montreal, giving him three goals in the past two games. … Ivan Provorov has assists in four straight games as well as an 0-6-6 line in the past six contests. … Justin Danforth has a 3-1-4 line in the last six contests. … Rookie forward Adam Fantilli has a 2-1-3 line in the past three games. … Rookie forward Dmitri Voronkov notched his first career assist and fight Thursday.

This Day in CBJ History

Oct. 28, 2005: Adam Foote scores at 19:18 of the third period and Trevor Letowski gets the tiebreaking winner in the eighth round of the shootout as the Blue Jackets take a 2-1 victory over Minnesota in Nationwide Arena. It was the first shootout victory in team history, as Mark Hartigan scored the first shootout goal for the franchise and goalie Martin Prusek stopped seven of eight Wild shots against.

Oct. 28, 2016: Sergei Bobrovsky posts his second shutout in seven days' time, making 35 saves in a 4-0 victory at Anaheim.

Oct. 28, 2022: First-round draft pick David Jiricek, 18, makes his NHL debut in a game vs. Boston in Nationwide Arena, becoming the second-youngest defenseman to do so in club history after Rostislav Klesla.

Roster Report

Projected Lineup (subject to change)

Johnny Gaudreau – Boone Jenner – Jack Roslovic
Alexandre Texier – Adam Fantilli – Emil Bemstrom
Kent Johnson – Cole Sillinger – Justin Danforth
Dmitri Voronkov – Sean Kuraly – Mathieu Olivier
Zach Werenski – Damon Severson
Ivan Provorov – David Jiricek
Jake Bean – Erik Gudbranson
Elvis Merzlikins OR Spencer Martin

Scratches: Kirill Marchenko, Adam Boqvist, Andrew Peeke

Injured reserve/Injured Non-Roster: Patrik Laine (day to day, upper body as of Oct. 20), Daniil Tarasov (knee, week to week)

Roster Report: Johnson took line rushes this morning in place of Marchenko, but Vincent said the team was still determining who would be in and who would be out. He also said the goalie would be a game-time decision between Merzlikins and Martin.