Islanders collapse late in ugly loss to Blue Jackets after star’s ejection

· New York Post

COLUMBUS, Ohio — At least the Islanders went down swinging.

Mathew Barzal’s ejection Sunday for using his stick like a baseball bat and taking a hack at Mason Marchment, though, might have ramifications beyond the team’s eventual late collapse and 4-2 loss to the Blue Jackets on Kirill Marchenko’s game-winner.

It would be no surprise if Barzal was hit with a suspension for Tuesday’s game in Chicago, and the Islanders sorely missed him for the final 38 minutes of Sunday’s loss. 

Without him, the Islanders failed to hang onto a 2-1 lead against a division rival, giving up three goals in the game’s last five minutes as they appeared to run out of gas on the second end of a back-to-back.

“I think we didn’t do a great job, or as good as we would’ve liked, to weather that storm or push back against it,” Kyle MacLean said. “We knew it was coming. I think at times we maybe sat back too much. It bit us at the end there.”

Bo Horvat #14 of the New York Islanders celebrates with Emil Heineman #51 after scoring a goal during the second period of the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on December 28, 2025 in Columbus, Ohio. NHLI via Getty Images

There wasn’t much energy in the building and both teams looked disconnected for stretches Sunday. You did not need a well-trained eye to tell that the Islanders had played less than 24 hours prior, and you could have been fooled into thinking the Blue Jackets had, too.

Both teams committed a heap of penalties, but none more notable than Barzal seeing red 1:37 into the second period after Marchment, for the second time, took liberties with rookie Matthew Schaefer.

Marchment had been called for roughing on a late hit on Schaefer in the first period, and stuck his knee out to trip him in the second. That was when Barzal took things into his own hands, skating across the ice and whacking Marchment with a two-handed swing of his stick.

He was immediately hit with a game misconduct and five-minute slashing major which, in a game that was tied 1-1 at the time, could have been a killer for the Islanders. 

New York Islanders goalie David Rittich (33) makes a stick save as Columbus Blue Jackets center Charlie Coyle (3) looks for a rebound during the second period at Nationwide Arena. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Barzal’s teammates, including Schaefer, were glad to see him come to the rookie’s defense, even if it cost him (at least) the rest of the game.

“Obviously, thanks [to him] for doing that right there,” Schaefer said. “That just shows, an older guy helping me out there.”

Not only did they kill out the major with some help from the Blue Jackets, whose own penalties negated about four of the five minutes. But by the end of the second, the Islanders had taken a 2-1 lead on Bo Horvat’s goal off the rush, his first since returning from a lower-body injury Saturday.

That put the Islanders into a similar position as 24 hours prior, defending a one-goal lead against an increasingly desperate opponent.

New York Islanders right wing Maxim Shabanov (49) passes the puck as Columbus Blue Jackets center Sean Monahan (23) trails the play during the first period at Nationwide Arena. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This time, they broke down with 4:33 to go in regulation after Ivan Provorov’s shot from above the slot was deflected in by an Islanders stick on the way, tying the game 2-2 .

The goal had been coming, with the Islanders unable to exit their zone for more than a few seconds at a time and failing to clear out the blue paint around David Rittich’s net as well as they had 24 hours prior.

Before the Islanders could so much as reset, Kirill Marchenko gave Columbus a 3-2 lead off the rush with a backhand that beat Rittich just 74 seconds after Provorov’s goal.

Cole Sillinger sealed a game the Islanders had led mere minutes before with an empty-net goal.

“Ideally we’re not sitting back,” Adam Pelech told The Post. “We’re forechecking, spending time in their end.

“… We had lots of traffic [around the crease] all night, so I think we could’ve done a better job with that.”

Though the lines were necessarily jumbled after Barzal’s ejection, the fourth line largely stayed together and had a typically pesky, effective night. Schaefer was nonplussed by Marchment’s provocations and far more noticeable offensively than against the Rangers. Tony DeAngelo and Max Shabanov both are starting to stack good games on top of one another.

Replacing Barzal’s production, though, proved a tough ask, as the makeshift line of Anders Lee, Jonathan Drouin and Simon Holmstrom was ineffective. The power play, which struggled in both games over the weekend, did next to nothing in two attempts.

It was hard to argue, though, with Roy’s assessment that his team hit empty five minutes too early.