Islanders move into second wild-card spot after beating Blue Jackets

The Islanders are back in playoff spot.

Whether that remains fleeting or a prelude to the postseason is entirely up to them.

And whether they can get the consistent 60-minute effort they put forth in Thursday night’s 4-2 win over the short-staffed, Eastern Conference-trailing Blue Jackets in Columbus, Ohio will go a long way toward determining their fate over their challenging six-game stretch to finish the regular season.

“I thought we did a good job for those 60 minutes,” coach Patrick Roy told the media after the game as the Islanders extended their winning streak to three. “[The Blue Jackets] have nothing to lose. They’re pretty relaxed and they want to prove that they can play for that team. Four or five of them were coming from the minors.”

Defenseman Noah Dobson scored the winner — his first goal in 14 games though Roy said he was more pleased with his defensive game — at 3:21 of the third period and Kyle Palmieri clinched it with an empty-netter.

Coupled with the Capitals loss to the visiting Penguins, the Islanders (34-27-15) moved into the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot (which, right now, would mean a first-round matchup with the Rangers). They moved one point ahead of the Capitals, who have played one fewer game. The Islanders also have the same 83 points as the third-place Flyers in the Metropolitan Division with those teams even in games. The Flyers have two more regulation wins.

“It does feel like a playoff game for us every night,” Mathew Barzal said after notching two assists, including setting up Dobson’s goal. “We’re in a fight for our season right now and these are the best games of the year. Everyone comes together with one mind and that’s to get in.”

It was a deserved win given their 41-27 shot advantage and their 88-51 edge in attempts.

Ilya Sorokin made 25 saves for his second straight win, stopping all 18 shots he faced in the last two periods.

But after wins over the struggling Flyers, Chicago and the Blue Jackets (25-39-12), the opponents get tougher starting with Saturday night’s match against the playoff-bound Predators at UBS Arena. The Islanders also face the Rangers twice more and conclude the season against the visiting Penguins on April 17.

“We’re playing good hockey but I think we have another gear,” Barzal said.

Last season, the Islanders qualified for the playoffs as they won their season finale.

“This group has been in this position before,” Dobson said. “We know how to go about our business this time of the year.”

The Blue Jackets, already without core players Johnny Gaudreau, Boone Jenner, Patrik Laine, Adam Fantilli and No. 1 netminder Elvis Merzlikins, lost starting goalie Daniil Tarasov at 17:53 of the first period after he stopped 13 of 15 shots. Tarasov was hit in the head by the hip of teammate David Jiricek as the defenseman raced Pierre Engvall for the puck.

Tarasov needed support to wobble off the ice and to the Blue Jackets’ dressing room.

That brought in Jet Greaves, 23, for his fifth NHL appearance. He made 24 saves, stopping all 14 shots he faced in the second period.

Pierre Engvall opened the scoring with a power-play goal at 7:53 of the first period, getting to the crease to deflect defenseman Ryan Pulock’s point shot. But Brock Nelson slashed Alexandre Texier at 8:20 and the Blue Jackets tied it on Dmitri Voronkov’s power-play goal at the crease at 9:45.

Bo Horvat’s one-timer from the right circle regained a 2-1 lead at 13:48 of the first period but Kirill Marchenko banked a shot off Sorokin’s mask from behind the net to make it 2-2 at 17:22.

Notes & quotes: Roy said Semyon Varlamov, 4-1-1 in his last six starts, is likely to face the Predators. “We know we’re going to need both goalies,” Roy said . . . The Islanders are on a 9-0-1 streak against the Blue Jackets . . . The Islanders won 34-of-56 faceoffs (61%) and Jean-Gabriel Pageau won 10-of-14 (71%) . . . Defenseman Robert Bortuzzo drew back into the lineup for Sebastian Aho after being rested against Chicago . . . The Islanders announced The Park at UBS Arena will be offering free skating and skate rentals on all game and event days starting on Saturday.

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.