| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
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CBJ GOALS: |
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Bo Horvat's goal in the second minute of the game was the only time the puck beat either goalie Sunday night, as the Columbus Blue Jackets 12-game point streak came to an end in a 1-0 loss to the New York Islanders.
The regulation win by the Isles pulls them into a wild card spot, as well as a tie for third place in the Metro division with the Blue Jackets. Both teams have 85 points, but the Jackets maintain the tiebreaker having played one fewer game.
Both teams are also one point behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for second place in the Metro.
Head coach Rick Bowness said the Blue Jackets played well enough to win.
“At the end of the game, you lose 1-0 and you say, ‘Did we do enough good things to give ourselves a chance to win the game?’ And we did,” said Bowness. “It’s just one of those nights; the puck didn’t go in.”
Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin was hot throughout but came up especially big in the third period: half of his 26 saves came in the final 20 minutes.
Greaves stopped the final 21 shots he faced, ending the night with a .954 save percentage.
Here's how the Blue Jackets came up just short on Long Island:
1st Period:
(1:25 — NYI Goal): One shot, one goal. The Islanders take a lead just 85 seconds into the game off the stick of Horvat. Anders Lee chips the puck ahead out of the Isles own zone and Horvat collects it ahead of the Columbus defense. He skates up and shoots from the circle, pinging it off the goalpost and in to make it 1-0 New York.
BO HORVAT STRIKES FIRST pic.twitter.com/Ai3PDgEvzP
— Isles Rumor (@IslesRumor) March 22, 2026
2nd Period:
No goals in the middle period, with the Islanders leading 10-5 in shots on goal for the frame. The Blue Jackets struggled to generate much, getting just five scoring chances and one high-danger chance according to advanced data from NaturalStatTrick.com. Perhaps their best chance of the period would've come on the power play, but the officials — to the surprise of the Islanders broadcasting team — failed to call this hook on Ivan Provorov late in the period.
The #Isles broadcast booth thought for sure wed see a hand go up.
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) March 23, 2026
The #CBJ are not playing their best, but the officials are (yet again) not making it any easier.
New York leads 1-0 after two. pic.twitter.com/bL7AbahtSI
3rd Period:
Another scoreless period is enough for the Islanders to hang on for the victory. A would-be goal by the Islanders with 7:54 remaining was successfully challenged by Bowness for goaltender interference to keep Columbus behind by just one. The Blue Jackets showed plenty of signs of life in the third, firing off 13 shots on goal to New York's six. Five of Columbus' seven high-danger chances came in the period, as well. A late non-call on what appeared to be a trip against Kirill Marchenko helped seal the the Blue Jackets' fate.
"Your guess is as good as mine"
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) March 23, 2026
The Islanders have their 2nd goal waved off for goaltender interference pic.twitter.com/8ztwEaisOR
| CBJ | GAME STATS | NYI |
|---|---|---|
| 26 | SHOTS | 22 |
| 51 | SHOT ATTEMPTS | 54 |
| 27 | SCORING CHANCES | 17 |
| 7 | HIGH-DANGER CHANCES | 6 |
| 40% | FACEOFF PERCENTAGE | 60% |
| 0/0 | POWER PLAY | 0/3 |
| 3/3 | PENALTY KILL | 0/0 |
| 24 | HITS | 24 |
| 15 | GIVEAWAYS | 16 |
| 1 | TAKEAWAYS | 5 |
| 16 | BLOCKED SHOTS | 17 |
Stat Chat:
-
Greaves' loss in this game ends his streak of 13 decisions without a loss. Greaves, was 11-0-2 dating back to Jan. 20.
-
This was the second straight game against the Islanders without a power play. Columbus did not receive a man-advantage in their 4-3 overtime loss to the Isles on Feb. 28. Dating back to Dec. 28, the Blue Jackets have played exactly 137 minutes against the the Islanders without a power play. New York has had five in that span.
- This was Columbus' first 1-0 loss in regulation since Jan. 8, 2023. That's a span of 276 games.
Up Next:
The second game of a three-game road trip is Tuesday night when the Blue Jackets are in the City of Brotherly Love to take on the Philadelphia Flyers. Puck-drop for the nationally televised game (on ESPN+/Hulu) is set for 7:00 p.m. The Flyers will enter that game trailing Columbus by just five points in the Metro division with one game in hand.
