The New York Islanders earned a 1-0 victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets on March 23 at UBS Arena, securing two crucial points in the standings. Bo Horvat scored the only goal of the game, while Ilya Sorokin stopped all 26 shots he faced for his league-leading seventh shutout of the season.
The result was significant for both teams, as they entered the game separated by just two points in a tight playoff race. With this win, the Islanders moved back into a playoff position, overtaking the Detroit Red Wings for the second Wild Card berth and ending a two-game losing streak.
Sorokin described the tense closing moments: “The last minute was tough, and the last five minutes were tough,” Sorokin said. “But when the game was finished it was a big breath after.”
Horvat emphasized how important it was to bounce back after recent losses: “It was such a great effort from everybody tonight,” Horvat said. “We definitely weren’t happy with our last performance and we knew how big this game was. The crowd was behind us, they were buzzing early.”
Head Coach Patrick Roy said he did not see his team simply holding onto their lead: “We didn’t hold onto the lead at all. We forechecked. We kept pressing them,” Roy said. “The only thing we did a little bit different was we made few turnovers Other than that we did not change our game.”
A disallowed goal midway through the third period could have changed momentum but did not deter New York’s focus. “A disallowed goal, that’s a stinger,” Horvat said. “But we never stopped fighting. Every line was going and contributing in some type of way. Sorokin was phenomenal again.”
With his seventh shutout this season, Sorokin tied Semyon Varlamov (2021), Chico Resch (1976), and himself (2022) for most single-season shutouts in franchise history.
Looking ahead, New York will continue its homestand against Chicago on Tuesday night.
