NY Islanders 2, Columbus 0
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, March 23, 2014
Where: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York
Referees:
Jean Hebert, Wes McCauley
Linesmen:
John Grandt, Brian Mach
Attendance:
15008
By SportsDirect Inc.
Islanders 2, Blue Jackets 0: Evgeni Nabokov recorded 41 saves for his 58th career shutout and Cal Clutterbuck scored in the first period as host New York dealt Columbus a blow in its bid for the postseason.
Defenseman Travis Hamonic netted his first goal in 45 games for the injured-riddled Islanders, who rebounded from a listless 6-0 loss to Minnesota on Tuesday. Johan Sundstrom notched an assist on Clutterbuck's goal for his first NHL point.
Sergei Bobrovsky made his 18th consecutive start and turned aside 30 shots for the Blue Jackets, who fell for the fourth time in six contests (2-3-1) and dropped two points out of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Nabokov highlighted his third shutout of the season by stopping 17 shots in the third period. The veteran Russian netminder made a flashy glove save on Cam Atkinson in the session to keep Columbus at bay.
New York gave Nabokov all the offensive support he needed at 13:26 of the first period as defenseman Kevin Czuczman dumped the puck behind the net. Sundstrom's wraparound bid was denied by Bobrovsky, but Ryan Strome tapped the loose puck into the slot and Clutterbuck made no mistake for his 10th goal - and third in five games. Hamonic doubled the advantage during a power play with 52 seconds left in the second, making a scintillating end-to-end rush before wristing a shot past Bobrovsky for his first goal since Oct. 29.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Columbus LW R.J. Umberger returned to the lineup after sitting out the previous two games as a healthy scratch. He took the place of RW Corey Tropp. ... The Blue Jackets failed on all six power-play opportunities to drop to 0-for-36 since March 4. ... New York agreed to terms with LW Eric Boulton on a one-year contract extension.
Top Game Performances
| Columbus |
|
NY Islanders |
|
N/A |
Points |
Cal Clutterbuck 1 |
|
N/A |
Goals |
Cal Clutterbuck 1 |
|
N/A |
Assists |
Calvin de Haan 1 |
|
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
Travis Hamonic 1 |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Sergei Bobrovsky .938 |
Save Percentage |
Evgeni Nabokov 1.000 |
|
Sergei Bobrovsky 30 |
Saves |
Evgeni Nabokov 41 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Columbus
|
41 |
0 |
0-6 |
3-4 |
15 |
32 |
| NY Islanders
|
32 |
2 |
1-4 |
6-6 |
29 |
25 |
Upcoming Games
-
NY Islanders will play their next game on the road against Carolina. The Islanders have a W/L % of .296 after a win and .432 after a loss.
-
Columbus will play their next game at home against Detroit. The Blue Jackets have a W/L % of .514 after a win and .486 after a loss.