COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Islanders dropped their third straight game, a 5-2 loss to the Blue Jackets on Saturday. The game was tied, 2-2, before a big third period broke the game open.
Frans Nielsen scored his ninth goal of the season, and Thomas Hickey notched his first for the Islanders.
Ryan Johansen and Brandon Dubinsky each had a goal and two assists, as the Blue Jackets snapped a five-game losing streak.
“[The players have] got to figure it out,” Islanders coach Jack Capuano said. “We’re not talking systems and structure. We’re talking battle. We lost a battle on Atkinson’s goal. We took a hit. It’s a game of physicality and we responded the wrong way,”
The Islanders fell to 0-3-0 on a four-game road trip. The final game will be in Montreal on Sunday.
Cam Atkinson, R.J. Umberger, and James Wisniewski also scored.
The Islanders had one power play and have not scored a man-advantage goal in seven games (0-for-22).
Columbus scored on two of four power-play opportunities.
“Our penalty kill let us down again,” Capuano said.
Evgeni Nabokov struggled controlling rebounds as the game went along. He stopped 24 of 28 shots and has allowed 17 goals in his last four games.
With the score tied, 2-2, Travis Hamonic was whistled for slashing 15 seconds into the third period and Umberger capitalized with his third goal 12 seconds later, redirecting Wisniewski’s point shot.
Atkinson followed at 3:24 with his fourth, shoveling Johansen’s rebound over Nabokov, positioned too deep in his net.
Thomas Vanek played one shift before suffering an upper-body injury. He left the game and did not return.