Islanders center Bo Horvat, center, is congratulated by Mathew Barzal...

Islanders center Bo Horvat, center, is congratulated by Mathew Barzal (13) after scoring against Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins, right, in the second period on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. Credit: AP/Adam Hunger

Happy anniversary.

The Islanders, still in last place in the Metropolitan Division and with their playoff hopes flickering, celebrated Patrick Roy’s first full year on the job by playing exactly how the coach has preached they should.

They spent most of the game in the offensive zone thanks to a dominant forecheck, beat the speedy Blue Jackets to most pucks while winning one-on-one physical battles, and had their special teams make a positive difference in a 3-1 victory over Columbus on Monday night at UBS Arena.

“Especially the last couple of games, I thought we did a lot of good things,” said Bo Horvat, who scored twice in a three-goal second period. “Our forecheck was way better than previous games and our special teams has gotten better. But it’s about consistency in this league and we’ve just got to continue to keep playing like that.”

The only downer was top-pair defenseman Noah Dobson exiting at 1:16 of the third period after his right leg bent awkwardly underneath him when he was checked by Cole Sillinger. Roy did not have an immediate update after the game.

The Islanders (19-20-7) went 1-for-2 on the power play — Horvat capped the scoring with a man-advantage goal off Mathew Barzal’s feed at 5:47 — and 3-for-4 on the penalty kill. All three kills came in the second period, two after the Islanders took a two-goal lead. That included Simon Holmstrom’s shorthanded goal off a two-on-one rush with Jean-Gabriel Pageau at 2:57 that gave the Islanders a 2-1 lead.

Ilya Sorokin stopped 25 shots. According to NaturalStatTrick.com, the Islanders had a 12-2 edge in high-danger chances skating five-on-five and a 30-10 advantage in scoring chances.

“It’s just crunch time, I guess,” said Barzal, who also set up Horvat’s goal 43 seconds into the second period from behind the net to tie it at 1-1. “It should be there every game, but it’s just one of those desperate times of the year where we’ve got to win.”

The Islanders, seven points behind the Bruins for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot, moved within six points of the surging Blue Jackets and improved to 2-2-0 on their seven-game homestand, which continues Friday night against the Flyers.

“We’re just playing closer to full games of late and we’re getting the results that we’ve been aiming for,” Anders Lee said. “We were playing some good hockey at times earlier in the season and not getting results, and then playing good hockey and shooting ourselves in the foot. I think we’re slowly getting rid of some mistakes and that’s helping us within the game.”

Roy replaced the fired Lane Lambert on Jan. 20, 2024, and still has a less-than-satisfactory 38-35-18 mark behind the Islanders’ bench. But the Islanders have won five of seven while playing some of their most consistent hockey of this rocky season.

The Blue Jackets (22-18-7), who got 22 saves from Elvis Merzlikins, had a seven-game point streak snapped after entering Monday on a 10-2-2 run.

“We were quick on them,” Roy said. “Our defense zone was so good. We’re five guys low, and when there’s a battle, we’re in the battle, and when we break out, we’re together. I think the guys are starting to understand that when we play as a unit of five coming back and we’re together and we’re connected, it’s a lot easier on us.”

The Islanders dominated five-on-five play in the first period but could not get many pucks to the net. They trailed 1-0 on Kent Johnson’s power-play wrist shot from the left circle at 4:52.

“It was almost like the foundation of the rest of the game,” Lee said. “We were doing the right things and coming up a little bit short on them. In the second, it really started to come.”

Notes & quotes: The Islanders scored a power-play goal and a shorthanded goal in the same period for the first time since a 3-1 win over the visiting Oilers on Dec. 19, 2023. That game also marked Holmstrom’s last shorthanded tally ... The Islanders were credited with a season-high 40 hits, including rookie Marc Gatcomb’s team-high eight ... The Islanders won consecutive home games for the first time this season ... Hudson Fasching (upper body/injured reserve) missed his sixth game but participated in the Islanders’ optional morning skate wearing an orange non-contact jersey.

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