After getting sorely outplayed in the first half of the game, the Columbus Blue Jackets thought they’d stolen a road win from the New York Islanders on Sunday in UBS Arena. But the Islanders, with two goals in the final 67 seconds of the game, stole it right back.

The Blue Jackets had their four-game win streak — and their four-game streak on the road — snapped with a 3-2 loss to the Islanders in front of 14,984, many of whom had already left before the home team rallied.

“It could be the two points we need at the end of the year, and you have to treat it like that,” veteran center Charlie Coyle told FanDuel Sports Network. “Not to put pressure on ourselves, but a little bit of ‘hey, this means a lot.’ We had it in our hands. You’ve got to play to the final buzzer, and it’s a shame. You know, it stinks to be on the losing end in that fashion when you have it. But we need to learn from it.”

The Blue Jackets got goals from Miles Wood and Denton Mateychuk, while goaltender Elvis Merzlikins had 36 saves and deserved a better fate. Mateychuk, who missed two shifts in the second period to nurse an injury, scored at 12:10 of the third period for 2-1 lead.

DENTO SCORES AND WE HAVE THE LEAD! 💥

CBJ x @FanaticsBook pic.twitter.com/VI71eYHc28

— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) November 3, 2025

At that point, it looked as if Columbus might get away with two points after a game in which they struggled at the start. Three minutes into the second period, the Jackets were being outshot 23-4, as they struggled to keep pace after playing back in Columbus less than 24 hours earlier.

Like most games between these two Metropolitan Division clubs, this was not an advertisement for the speed and skill of the NHL. It was a gritty, hard-nosed muck-fest, which is just the way the Islanders like it.

But the crushing collapse didn’t happen until late.

Matthew Schaefer, the Islanders’ No. 1 overall pick last June, scored his second goal of the game with 1:07 remaining to tie it at 2. Schaefer’s wrist shot appeared to glance off the stick of Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski at net-front before sailing over Merzlikins’ shoulder.

Then, with 38 seconds remaining, Anders Lee snuck a puck behind Merzlikins on his left post, the puck skidding across the goal line before Islanders forward Simon Holmstrom slammed it into the net to put the Islanders ahead 3-2.

Merzlikins, who was mostly tremendous throughout the game, jumped to his skates, spun around and slammed his stick into the crossbar twice in frustration, shattering it. His actions likely spoke for many of the Blue Jackets.

“It’s just a shame,” Coyle said. “It’s a shame. A guy who plays like that in front of us gives us a great chance to win a hockey game, just save after save. He deserves better, and we want to come back the next game and play the right way and fix things. You never want to leave it like that, especially when you have a goaltender stand on his head like he did tonight. It should be that way.”

Merzlikins was seen sitting alone on the Blue Jackets’ bench well after the game had ended. The rest of the Blue Jackets were in the dressing room and the cleaning crew was already working through the seats while Merzlikins stared across the ice, at times shaking his head.

CHAOS IN @UBSARENA. WE HAVE THE LEAD. #LGI | @FORD pic.twitter.com/Xr3d91i9ql

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) November 3, 2025

Before the Islanders’ rally, and when the Blue Jackets led 2-1, there was an odd sequence in the Islanders’ end that, for a moment, appeared to give the Jackets a 3-1 lead.

Coyle was backing toward the crease in front of Islanders goaltender David Rittich when he was pushed backward by a defenseman and bounced into Rittich, who tumbled to the ice and (rather dramatically) ended up almost completely in his net.

As Rittich was sprawled there, Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski shot the puck from above the right circle, and it rattled around in the cage with Rittich. The goal was immediately disallowed on the ice, but Evason wasn’t happy with the explanation.

The goal did not count. No penalty was called. It’s almost as if the entire sequence didn’t even happen. The game resumed, with the Jackets up 2-1.

“We’re not sure why that wasn’t a goal,” Evason said. “The puck goes in the net. The ref didn’t say there was goaltender interference. The onus should be on them (the Islanders) to challenge if the puck goes in the net or not, not for us to challenge a goal that actually goes into the net. I don’t understand that.”

Evason said officials told him he could challenge the call, but the Blue Jackets — who were already short-handed — would have put the Islanders on a five-on-three if they failed in their challenge.

“That’s too risky,” Coyle said. “But, you know, I didn’t go into him, I got pushed into (Rittich), so who knows? But I don’t think it’s worth it and we’re still in the driver’s seat (up 2-1). We have a chance to win the game and finish it off. So I’m not thinking twice about (that call).”

Evason decided to tweak the Blue Jackets’ lineup despite entering the game on a winning streak. The road streak was their franchise’s longest since 2022.

Yegor Chinakhov, who seemed to have found a home on the fourth line, was healthy-scratched so Zach Aston-Reese could get back into the lineup. Fourth-line winger Miles Wood was swapped with second-line winger Kent Johnson to give both lines a new look.

Evason seemed wise to elevate Wood, who scored his fourth goal of the season at 15:21 of the second to tie the score at 1. Johnson, meanwhile, tied with Mateychuk for a team-high three shots on goal. Mathieu Oliver had a whopping nine hits, matching the entire Islanders lineup combined.