New York Islanders
Islanders Game 46: Chasing After Columbus; Lines, Notes & How to Watch

The New York Islanders (18-20-7) play host to the Columbus Blue Jackets (22-17-7) on Monday night on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in UBS Arena.
The holiday game features the Islanders coming off a strong 4-1 win over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night. That night, New York inducted Brent Sutter into the Islanders’ Hall of Fame. That same night, Brock Nelson hit another milestone, passing Sutter on the all-time goals list in franchise history.
Columbus’s season has quickly morphed into one of the best stories in the NHL. After the tragic off-season for that franchise, new coach Dean Evason has the Jackets rolling and firmly in the playoff mix, just one point behind the Boston Bruins with two games in hand. Despite the pomp, something tells me the people of Columbus might be focused on a different game tonight.
The previous meeting between these squads saw Columbus goaltender Elvis Merzlikins shut out the Islanders in Columbus. Islanders’ forward Mathew Barzal exited that contest with an injury and did not return to the lineup for over six weeks.
The puck drops tonight just after 7:30.
Islanders Projected Lines:
Anders Lee – Bo Horvat – Mathew Barzal
Anthony Duclair – Brock Nelson – Kyle Palmieri
Casey Cizikas – Jean-Gabriel Pageau – Simon Holmstrom
Pierre Engvall – Kyle MacLean – Marc Gatcomb
Defense and Goalie
Alexander Romanov – Noah Dobson
Adam Pelech – Ryan Pulock
Isaiah George – Scott Mayfield
Ilya Sorokin
Blue Jackets Projected Lines:
Dmitri Voronkov – Adam Fantilli – Kirill Marchenko
James Van Riemsdyk – Cole Sillinger – Kent Johnson
Zach Aston-Reese – Luca Del Bel Belluz – Mathieu Olivier
Mikael Pyythia – Sean Koraly – Justin Danforth
Defense
Zach Werenski – Dante Fabbro
Damon Severson – Ivan Provorov
Jake Christiansen – Jack Johnson
Elvis Merzlikins
Special Teams
Islanders Power Play: 11.8%, 32nd; Islanders Penalty Kill: 67.4%, 32nd
Blue Jackets Power Play: 23.1%, 12th; Blue Jackets Penalty Kill: 74.6%, 26th
Notes:
Anders Lee enters with 280 career goals, seven behind Pat LaFontaine and Brent Sutter for sixth in team history
The Islanders are 5-0-0 in their last five home games against Columbus and have won 8 of their last 9 against the divisional foe.
Brock Nelson enters with 885 career games played, 15 behind Bobby Nystrom for fourth-most in Islanders’ history
Mathew Barzal enters with 324 assists, four behind Patrick Flatley for eighth-most in franchise history
Brock is tied with Denis Potvin with 44 career game-winning goals, third most in franchise history. Anders Lee is two behind Nelson and Potvin, tied with John Tavares at 42 for fifth-most.
How to Watch:
TV: MSGSN; ESPN+ Out of Market
Radio: 88.7 FM WRHU