COLUMBUS, Ohio — Much of the pregame talk Saturday in advance of the Islanders’ game against the Blue Jackets centered on how Columbus would react in its first game back from the league-mandated five-day, in-season break.
Most teams have struggled to regain their footing in such situations. But there was no such luck for the Islanders, who watched the home team streak to a 3-0 lead after one period at Nationwide Arena and coast to a 7-0 victory.
This was not what interim coach Doug Weight had in mind for Game 3 of the Isles’ nine-game road swing, not after back-to-back victories in Detroit and Montreal in which the Islanders outscored their opponents, 6-1.