Mar 24, 2025; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders left wing Anders Lee (27) celebrates his goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets with center Jean-Gabriel Pageau (44) and left wing Anthony Duclair (11) during the second period at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Adam Fantilli scored the lone goal in the shootout, and the Columbus Blue Jackets came back twice to defeat the New York Islanders 4-3 on Monday night at UBS Arena.
The loss keeps New York out of a playoff spot, as it entered the night just two points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the second and final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Islanders had a regulation, game-winning goal waved off with 8.9 seconds left in the third period after it was deemed that Kyle Palmieri made contact with Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikens a second-and-a-half before he tipped an Alex Romanov point shot into the back of the net. On-ice officials immediately waved the goal off — a call that withstood after a review from the NHL offices in Toronto.
Prior to the controversy, New York squandered a third-period lead for a third-straight game when Kirill Marchenko’s blast made its way through heavy traffic to beat netminder Ilya Sorokin with 7:04 left in regulation.
Sorokin single-handedly secured at least a point for the Islanders, making a flurry of saves in the final minutes, including a stop of a wide-open Fantilli, who already scored, at the left circle. Columbus outshot New York 17-4 in the final period.
Anders Lee gave the Islanders a slim advantage heading into the final period with his 26th goal of the season with 46.6 seconds left in the second.
Pierre Engvall and Palmieri also contributed goals while goaltender Ilya Sorokin picked up his fourth straight win, making 28 saves. Merzlikens made 30 stops.
One of the teams the Islanders have jumped during this hot stretch was the Blue Jackets, who have hit a significant slump at as bad a time as possible. They have not held a lead in each of its last seven games and remain winless at UBS Arena in seven tries
Engvall put the Islanders on the board at the 13:16 mark of the first period with his second goal in the last four games. On the rush down the right wing, he cut in toward the inside of the right circle and shot back past the glove hand of Merzlikins, who was shifting in the opposite direction.
The goal was assisted by defenseman Adam Boqvist, who was moonlighting as New York’s third-line right-winger on Monday night.
Palmieri doubled the lead with 1:19 to go in the opening frame when he received a perfect touch pass from Bo Horvat in the left corner, hitting the veteran winger perfectly in stride between the circles. He snapped his wrister home, again past the glove side of Merzlikins, for his 22nd of the year.
Fantilli drew the Blue Jackets within one 5:31 into the second period seemingly out of the blue with the Islanders dominating for the first 25 minutes of the night, though momentum was gained from a lackadaisical New York power play just moments earlier. The burgeoning Columbus star, in just his second year in the league, whizzed a perfectly placed wrister through a Noah Dobson screen and into the top-right corner of Sorokin’s goal.
They tied it up 14 seconds into another Islanders power play when Boone Jenner’s wrister from the right circle deflected off Dobson and past Sorokin with 2:47 left in the second.
Lee provided a quick answer to regain an Islanders lead. The captain redirected Mike Reilly’s point shot past Merzlikens with 46.6 seconds remaining — just over two minutes after Jenner’s equalizer — and a secondary assist coming from Boqvist.
