Game Preview: Islanders at Blue Jackets 

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (3-2-1) AT COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (3-2-2)

7 PM | NATIONWIDE ARENA

WATCH: MSGSN | MSG+ | ESPN+

LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | ESPN STREAM

The New York Islanders head to Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Saturday night in search of their first road win of the season.

The Islanders are looking to build off an important 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night at UBS Arena. Bo Horvat (1G, 1A), Cal Clutterbuck and Noah Dobson (GWG, 1A) found the back of the net in the win, while Claude Giroux and Jakob Chychrun scored for the Senators in the loss. Ilya Sorokin turned aside 45 of 47 in the win while Joonas Korpisalo stopped 35 of 38 shots.

The Blue Jackets are coming off a 4-3 OT loss to the Montreal Canadiens. Emil Bemstrom scored a pair of goals and Jack Roslovic (1G, 2A) had a three-point performance, but Montreal's Sean Monahan forced overtime with a third period tally to knot the score at three. Cole Caufield notched two assists and lit the lamp in the final minute of the extra frame to win it for Montreal.

ISLANDERS NOTES

- The Islanders went 3-0-1 last season against the Blue Jackets and have not lost a game in regulation on the road against Columbus since Mar. 26, 2019.

- The last time the Islanders faced the Blue Jackets, Brock Nelson potted a pair of goals in the 5-4 OT loss on Mar. 24. Nelson has four points (3G, 1A) through six games this season.

- The Islanders killed seven-of-eight penalties (both season highs) on Thursday and are averaging four penalties taken per game, seventh highest in the leauge.

“I don’t think it’s a discipline thing,” Head Coach Lane Lambert said on Thursday. “We had a lot of stick infractions and we put ourselves in bad spots where we had to finish checks. I think they’re more than preventable, and you're not going to prevent all of them, but we’re putting ourselves in bad positions where we have to take penalties."

- Ilya Sorokin faced 47 shots on Thursday night, 16 of which came on the penalty kill. Per Islanders team statistician Eric Hornick, Sorokin is the first Islander goalie to face at least 16 power-play shots since Mikko Koskinen faced 22 shots on Feb. 11, 2011, vs. Pittsburgh.

- Noah Dobson picked up his second multi-point game of the year with the game-winner and an assist on Thursday against Ottawa, hitting the scoresheet for the fifth straight game to tie his longest career point streak with two goals and five assists over that span. The defenseman also captured the team lead in points (7) in the process. Dobson is one of seven defensemen in the NHL playing at over a point per game, ranking second in the among defenseman in points per game played (1.17), sitting right behind Cale Makar (1.29).

“I think every game he’s getting better,” Lambert said. “He looks comfortable with Adam [Pelech] and they’re playing against top lines. He’s making some poised decisions, so the confidence is definitely there for him.”

- Per Hornick, Dobson played a career-high 27:42 on Thursday, marking the most ice-time for an Islander in a game that ended in regulation since Nick Leddy played 28:05 on Oct. 27, 2016, vs. Pittsburgh. Dobson also leads the team in blocked shots (23).

- Mathew Barzal extended his point streak to five games (1G, 4A) with an assist on Thursday.

- Casey Cizikas is expected to play in his 752nd game as an Islander on Saturday, which would tie him with Mike Bossy for ninth place in franchise history in games played.

BLUE JACKETS NOTES

- The Blue Jackets competed in overtime contests for the past three games - picking up four of six possible points - but are on a two-game winless skid.

- Elvis Merzļikins made 25 of 29 saves in Thursday's 4-3 OT loss to the Canadiens and sports a .903 SV% and a 2.93 GAA through five starts for Columbus this season.

- Patrik Laine (upper body) was placed on IR on Monday after an illegal check by Rasmus Andersson late in a matchup with the Calgary Flames on Friday. The NHL upheld a four-game suspension for Andersson on Tuesday.

- The Blue Jackets recalled Dmitry Voronkov as a result of Laine’s injury and slotted him into the lineup on Thursday against Montreal. The 23-year-old winger notched an assist in his NHL debut.

- The Islanders will get their first look at Adam Fantilli on Saturday, who was drafted third overall in the 2023 NHL Draft. The highly touted prospect has four points (2G, 2A) in his first seven NHL games, including his first multi-point game (1G, 1A) on Oct. 24 against Anaheim.

- Zach Werenski is back in the lineup to start the season after a season-ending upper-body injury on Nov. 10 last year. The 26-year-old defenseman has four points (1G, 3A) through five games this season, his eighth with Columbus. He was injured in Columbus' first game of the season, but returned after a two-game absence.

- Johnny Gaudreau led the Blue Jackets in points (74) and assists (53) last season. The 30-year-old forward has four points (4A) through seven games this season.

- Boone Jenner led the team with 26 goals last season and leads Columbus with four this season.