In the span of two games after the NHL’s 2026 Winter Olympics break, the Blue Jackets have gone from scorching hot on a seven-game winning streak to ice cold after losing twice to teams they’re chasing and whom they’ve largely outplayed.
More: Zach Werenski gets hero’s welcome from Columbus Blue Jackets fans after Olympic gold
After falling 4-2 in Boston coming out of the break, the Jackets blew a 2-0 lead in the second period against the New York Islanders and lost 4-3 in overtime Feb. 28 at Nationwide Arena. Simon Holmstrom scored at 1:47 of the 3-on-3 OT to give the Islanders (34-21-5) a win to move seven points ahead of the Blue Jackets (29-21-8) for third place in the Metropolitan Division.
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Alex, Knox, Xander and Jaxson Mick of Mt. Vernon, Ohio take photos with Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski’s Team USA Olympic gold medal prior to the NHL hockey game against the New York Islanders at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on Feb. 28, 2026.
Carrying the puck up the right wing, Holmstrom cut inside Adam Fantilli, slid across the goal mouth and tucked the puck between goalie Jet Greaves’ right skate and left post to end it.
“If we score three goals at this time of year, that should be winning hockey games,” Fantilli said. “If we’re going to score three a game, that’s got to be enough to win hockey games. We can’t let in four, however they go in, and we’re not having this conversation if I don’t get beat back to the net in overtime. That can’t happen.”
Anders Lees, Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Scott Mayfield scored the first three Islanders goals, all in the second period to overcome a 2-0 deficit, and Ilya Sorokin earned the goaltending win with 27 saves. Isac Lundestrom, Mason Marchment and Fantilli scored for the Blue Jackets, who got 22 saves from Greaves and two assists from star defenseman Zach Werenski to push his points streak to nine straight games.
Prior to the game, Werenski received an ovation for helping the United States defeat Canada to win the gold medal in men’s hockey at the Milano Ciortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins, who played for Latvia, was also recognized along with Islanders Olympians Bo Horvat (Canada) and Ondrej Palat (Czechia).
Lundestrom put the Jackets up 1-0 just 2:30 into the game when a puck shot by Dante Fabbro deflected off his leg and into the Islanders’ net without him even realizing what happened until the goal horn sounded. That was the lone goal of the first period.
Teammates celebrate a goal by Columbus Blue Jackets center Isac Lundeström (21) during the first period of the NHL hockey game against the New York Islanders at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on Feb. 28, 2026.
Marchment made it 2-0 at 3:58 of the second on his 14th goal of the season, which extended Werenski’s point streak to nine straight games with an assist. The Blue Jackets nearly made it 3-0 on back-to-back shifts spent buzzing around New York’s zone, but they couldn’t beat Sorokin and allowed the Islanders to climb back into the game.
Lee cut it to 2-1 with a goal from the net-front with 8:23 left in the second, Pageau tied it 22 seconds later and the Islanders then took a 3-2 lead on Mayfield’s goal with 2:50 left in the period. The go-ahead goal was scored after Greaves stopped Mayfield’s shot with a pad save and sent the puck off Werenski’s leg and back into the Blue Jackets’ net.
It was a giant shift in momentum that could’ve led to the Islanders breaking the game open, but Werenski and Fantilli combined for a tying goal that made it 3-3 with 1:02 left. Fantilli won a faceoff at the left circle inside the islanders’ zone, Werenski scooped the puck and wheeled to fire a shot that skipped off Fantilli’s back side and went into the net for his 15th goal.
Columbus Blue Jackets center Isac Lundeström (21) shoots during the first period of the NHL hockey game against the New York Islanders at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on Feb. 28, 2026.
The overtime loss drops the Blue Jackets seven points behind the Islanders for the third place in the Metropolitan Division, which is one of three guaranteed divisional playoff spots. The Jackets gained a point on the Boston Bruins in the race for the second wild-card spot, the last ticket into the playoffs in the Eastern Conference, thanks to the Philadelphia Flyers defeating Boston on Feb. 28 in regulation.
Columbus stayed one point ahead of Philadelphia with its overtime point but was caught at 66 points by the Ottawa Senators, who defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Blue Jackets also stayed three points behind fourth in the Metro after the Washington Capitals lost to the Montreal Canadiens in regulation.
The East continues to be a log-jam of potential playoff teams, while the Western Conference has a little more separation. If the Blue Jackets had the same point total (66) in the West, they’d be three points up for the second wild card.
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: New York Islanders deflate Columbus Blue Jackets in overtime