It came in a flash, not with sustained pressure or emphatic play. And it might amount to nothing in the end.
But the power-play drought that dogged the Islanders since Dec. 9, when Brock Nelson scored against the Devils, finally and mercifully came to an end at the 28th time of asking on Thursday, with Mathew Barzal notching the eventual game-winning goal in a 2-1 victory over the Blue Jackets at UBS Arena, his one-timer from the left circle getting past Joonas Korpisalo at 16:39 of the second period.
“It was good to get a bounce,” Anders Lee said. “Needed it. It was more than a bounce, it was a great play from Nelly to Barz. We’ve been dry for a little bit there, it was getting a little bit frustrating.”
A modicum of that frustration seemed to show itself at practice on Wednesday, when coach Lane Lambert became visibly annoyed with a question asking whether he had considered changing the personnel. He made it clear he was confident in the group he had.
Mathew Barzal celebrates with teammates after scoring a power play goal in the Islanders’ 2-1 win over the Blue Jackets. AP
“Sometimes it comes in our head,” Jean-Gabriel Pageau told The Post. “We’re having some chances. That first one, sometimes that’s what you need for the snowball to keep rolling. We’re not quitters, we’re all competitors, we want the power play to do well. We know it’s a game-changer.”
One goal on the power play does not come close to solving the Islanders’ issues, and it is worth noting that in their other two tries on Thursday, they struggled to sustain possession and create any dangerous chances. They are 21-for-112 on the year, which equates to an abysmal 18.75 conversion rate.
Still, the momentum from one does take the weight off, and can turn into more.
“When things don’t go your way, sometimes you try to change things,” Pageau said. “But I feel we have to get back to the basics. Put pucks on net.”
That worked well enough Thursday.
Kyle Palmieri, Semyon Varlamov and Cal Clutterbuck will travel with the Islanders on the team’s four-game western trip. Adam Pelech, Oliver Wahlstrom and Simon Holmstrom will not make the trip. Lambert had no update on the availability of any of the players who were traveling, or whether third-string netminder Cory Schneider would come.
Ilya Sorokin started for the fifth straight game in nets, stopping 20 of 21 shots. … Ross Johnston drew into the lineup for the first time since Nov. 29 in Philadelphia, playing 10:32 in a fourth-line role.
