This glimpse into the Islanders’ future was nothing short of thrilling.
Matthew Schaefer’s two goals, including a dramatic equalizer with less than a minute remaining, propelled the Islanders to a remarkable 3-2 victory over the Blue Jackets on Sunday night at UBS Arena. Simon Holmstrom delivered the winning blow with just 37 seconds left on the clock.
Since Mat Barzal injured his kneecap on February 1 last season, he returned to the top line for the first time, teaming up with Bo Horvat. This strategic move allowed Cal Ritchie to play in his preferred position at center on the second line, flanked by Jonathan Drouin and Kyle Palmieri.
This lineup, which has been promising since Ritchie impressed during training camp, could potentially unlock the Islanders’ full potential. However, it hinges on the 21-year-old prospect, who made his Islanders debut on Friday night in Washington, being ready to embrace the challenge.
Thus far, Ritchie is proving his worth, delivering standout performances, especially after transitioning to center. He continued to excel on Long Island, seamlessly fitting into the role against Columbus.
Consequently, the Islanders showcased a well-rounded offensive strategy as coach Patrick Roy confidently rotated through four lines throughout the game.
That did not, however, make it an easy night.
While the Isles dominated the shot count and the game early on, Schaefer’s power-play goal was their only breakthrough.
With the Blue Jackets sticking around, it felt only a matter of time before they tied it up, and indeed, Miles Wood’s redirection from Adam Fantilli made it a 1-1 game at 15:21 of the second.
With 7:50 to go in the game, Denton Mateychuk broke through, jamming in Kirill Marchenko’s rebound that came off him to make it 2-1 Blue Jackets. It was the 20th shot of the night for Columbus, and at that point, the Islanders were sitting on 35.
Alexander Romanov and Tony DeAngelo, who have continued to look shaky since Romanov’s return from injury in Carolina, were the pair caught on defense for the goal.
Coach Patrick Roy has taken to playing Romanov with Scott Mayfield and Schaefer with DeAngelo at certain points during games — particularly after penalty kills — and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Islanders tried to do so more regularly.
That wasn’t, however, the end of things.
Skating at six-on-five, Schaefer’s shot got through traffic and off the stick of Anders Lee to tie the game at two.
Seconds later, before the Blue Jackets could earn a point by getting to overtime, Holmstrom knocked the puck in on a scramble in the crease to win the game.
For the second straight game, the Isles’ penalty kill was perfect, keeping the puck out on a trio of Columbus power plays in the second period that could have turned the game, and a fourth in the third period.
David Rittich, who surprisingly got the start ahead of Ilya Sorokin — set to return to the net Tuesday against the Bruins — was much improved from his last showing at Carolina, stopping 20 shots.
In the main, though, this game served as another building block of evidence that Ritchie could be a long-term option to center the second line.
The 21-year-old has yet to get on the scoresheet through two games, but has looked solid in all phases, and particularly dangerous in transition. His line gave up next to nothing defensively, a highly encouraging development for a trio centered by someone playing his ninth NHL game, and second with the Islanders.
Had the Islanders converted their slew of early chances, this would have looked far more encouraging on the scoreboard.
Nevertheless, a second straight win since Ritchie has been called up — and a second straight win in which the lineup looked balanced and Ritchie looked right at home — is a pretty big building block all on its own.
