Stefen Rosner on Morning Cuppa Hockey Talking Islanders For the fourth time in 10 games, the New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/] were shut out, falling 2-0 to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday night. The lone goal on a goalie came at 5:43 of the third period when Blue Jackets defenseman Damon Severson's shot from the boards bounced off Ryan Pulock and in: Elvis Merzlikins recorded his first shutout of the season, stopping all 28 that came his way to help Columbus win consecutive games for the first time this year. Varlamov stopped 24 of 25. The Islanders are now 3-5-2 and have lost three straight games. Here's how the game unfolded: Islanders head coach Patrick Roy elected to split up Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat, but the new lines didn't muster much in the first period. The team only had five shots in what was a scoreless first period, with only three forwards recording one each: Barzal, Maxim Tsyplakov, and Casey Cizikas. Tsyplakov's chance came on a breakaway after he skated through the neutral zone and through the slot before Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins made the save. Goalie Semyon Varlamov was the Islanders' best player. He stopped all nine shots, including big stops on Kevin Labanc, Yegor Chinakov, and Sean Monahan. Defenseman Noah Dobson, who has played a lot for Roy, played only 5:30 minutes, which was the lowest among the blueliners. When the second period began, Roy returned to the blender, placing Tsyplakov on a line with Horvat and Barzal. With 9:48 to go in the second, the Islanders recorded their sixth shot, surpassing their first-period total as the line changes sparked the group a bit. The Blue Jackets looked like they were going to have a prime chance to score the game's opening tally, but while on an odd-man rush, Justin Danforth took an interference penalty. While on the power play, the Islanders had chances, allowing a shorthanded one, but failed to score. The power play has come through just four times on 31 opportunities this season. With under four minutes to play, Barzal cut to the slot on the backhand, feeding Horvat at the back post, but he failed to lift the puck, allowing Merzlikins to make the save. After two periods, the Islanders and Blue Jackets remained scoreless, with New York outshooting their opponent 13-7. In the third period, the Islanders had chances, Barzal getting one late to the right of Merzlikins before Palmieri got a chance to his left. And then came an empty-net goal for Danforth at 17:57 to play in the third, and that was all she wrote. UP NEXT: The Islanders travel to Buffalo to face the Sabres on Friday night at 7 PM.
