Game Preview: Islanders at Blue Jackets

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (35-34-12) AT COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (39-33-9)

7 PM | NATIONWIDE ARENA

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LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | ISLANDERS + UBS ARENA APP

The New York Islanders are going up against the Columbus Blue Jackets in the final game of the 2024-25 season.

The Islanders fell 3-1 to the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night at UBS Arena in their final home game of the season. JG Pageau scored the lone goal for the Islanders and Ilya Sorokin turned aside 33 of 35 shots in defeat.

The Blue Jackets are coming off a 3-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night, where Dante Fabbro, Kent Johnson (PPG) and Adam Fantilli scored for Columbus and Jet Greaves made 29 saves for the shutout. The win kept their playoff hopes alive for an extra day, but they were eliminated when they were idle on Wednesday as the Montreal Canadiens clinched the second wild card spot with a 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes.

SEASON SERIES

The Isles are 1-1-1 against the Blue Jackets, most recently falling 4-3 in a shootout to Columbus on Mar. 24. The Islanders are 10-1-2 in their last 13 games against the Blue Jackets and 4-1-1 in their last six trips to Ohio.

MORNING SKATE NOTES

- Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock will not dress on Thursday against the Blue Jackets for their final game of the season, per Head Coach Patrick Roy. Pelech has 21 assists through 60 games played this season and Ryan Pulock has 23 points (5G, 18A) through 74 games this season.

- Alexander Romanov, who missed Tuesday's contest with an illness, is unlikely to play against the Blue Jackets, per Roy. The defenseman was on the ice for morning skate but left the session early.

"We'll see how Romanov feels this afternoon," Roy said. "He didn't really feel good so there's a big chance he won't play."

- Marcus Hogberg will get the start, making his first appearance since Apr. 12 in Philadelphia. Hogberg is 2-5-3 this season with a 3.14 GAA and a .887 SV%.

- Jet Greaves will get the start for the Blue Jackets. The 24-year-old was named the NHL's First Star for the week after he went 3-0-0 with a 1.00 GAA and .968 SV%, stopping 90 of 93 shots faced in the week ending on Sunday. The 24-year-r is 6-2-2 this season, along with a 2.00 GAA and a .934 SV%. The 22-year-old signed with the Blue Jackets in 2022, playing 20 games across three seasons for the club.

ISLES NOTES

- Alexander Romanov missed Tuesday’s game with an illness and his status against Columbus is yet to be determined. The defenseman has 20 points (4G, 16A) through 64 games this season, along with a team-high 165 blocks and 147 hits. Scott Perunovich drew into the lineup as a result, playing in his first game since Feb. 25.

- JG Pageau netted his 14th goal of the season on Tuesday, which marks the most goals he's had since he scored 18 in the 2021-22 campaign.

- Matt Martin was named the Islanders nominee for the 2024-25 King Clancy Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to the player for leadership qualities and humanitarian contributions in the community. This marks Martin’s third nomination (2015-16 and 2019-20). Captain Anders Lee won the King Clancy last season.

- Kyle Palmieri will skate in his 900^th career game on Thursday. The winger has 48 points (24G, 24A) this season, which marks his fifth-highest point total in his career and second-highest as an Islander.

- Simon Holmstrom will skate in his 200^th career game on Thursday. The Swedish winger is rounding out a breakout year, where is 45 points (20G, 25A) through 74 games surpass last season’s total of 25 points (15G, 10A) through 75 games.

- The Islanders are poised to finish the regular season first in faceoff wins (54.9%).

BLUE JACKETS NOTES

- The Blue Jackets (87 points) were the final team in the NHL to be eliminated from playoff contention, as the Canadiens (91 points) clinched the second wild card spot with a 4-2 win over the Canadiens on Wednesday night. The Blue Jackets will miss the playoffs for the fifth straight year, but made it close and fought to the finish, showing resilience all season season in light of the sudden and tragic passing of Johnny Gaudreau. Regardless of Thursday's result, Columbus will finish with their best record since the 2018-19 season, where they accumulated 98 points in the regular season and made it to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

- Greaves became the hero between the pipes in the past week after Elvis Merzlikins – who has started in 52 games for Columbus this season – left morning skate on Apr. 10 with an undisclosed injury. The starting netminder against the Islanders is unknown.

- Zach Werenski leads the Blue Jackets in scoring with 80 points, which marks his first career 80-point campaign. The 27-year-old is having a breakout season, setting career highs in goals (22) and assists (58) while shattering his previous career high of 57 points, which he set last year. Werenski is riding a five-game point streak (2G, 4A) and leads the team with 21 multi-point games this season.

- Kirill Marchenko is having a breakout year, leading the team with 31 goals and setting a career-high 73 points in his third full NHL season, surpassing last season’s totals of 23 goals and 42 points. The Russian winger was drafted in the second round of the 2018 NHL Draft (49^th overall).

- Adam Fantilli recorded his first 30-goal campaign in his second season in the NHL. The Blue Jackets' third overall pick in 2023 has five goals in his last three games.