Bo Horvat scored the lone goal for the Islanders (40-26-5), who had lost two in a row and were beginning a five-game homestand.
New York moved into the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of the Detroit Red Wings, who have a game in hand.
“I mean, that was probably one of the high-stress games of the year for our group,” Horvat said. “I mean, it was a hard-fought battle by everybody. Everybody was contributing tonight. All four lines were rolling, and obviously, Sorokin was phenomenal.”
Jet Greaves made 21 saves for the Blue Jackets (37-22-11), who had won four straight, including a 5-2 win against the Seattle Kraken on Saturday, and were 8-0-4 during the streak.
Columbus remained in third in the Metropolitan Division, one point behind the Pittsburgh Penguins and tied in points with the Islanders, who have played one more game.
“Both teams played pretty. It was a pretty stingy game,” Blue Jackets forward Mathieu Olivier said. “We were both on back-to-backs. For sure, those games make a difference in the end. But I felt like we pushed really hard, and shots were even, even though the penalties were three to nothing. The quality of the ice wasn't that great. So, you could tell both teams were just kind of plain, simple. It was playoff-style hockey; it's a 1-0 game. I mean, both teams probably could have scored more. Both goalies were phenomenal, I thought. And, at the end of the day, one shot makes a difference.”
Horvat gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead just 1:25 into the first period with a snap shot from the right face-off circle that went off the left post and in behind Greaves to the blocker side.
