Despite John Tavares’ third period heroics, the New York Islanders lost a crucial point in the wild card chase.

  • New York Islanders 2 (33-26-12, 78 points)
  • Columbus Blue Jackets 3 (46-18-6, 98 points)
  • NHL, Final (OT), Box Score
  • Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York

These days, every point is a crucial point.

After, to quote Isles head coach Doug Weight, “probably the worst two periods I’ve seen in a year and a half,” captain John Tavares delivered like he usually does: scoring a game-tying goal — from the blueline, of all places — midway through the game’s final frame to steal New York a much-needed point in the standings.

It would be remiss not to mention the Isles’ painfully egregious start, of which Weight told his team to “thank your lucky stars it’s only 2-1 and you have a chance to win this game.” This is particularly alarming; the Isles had done a great job of rebounding from awful losses until Saturday night, when they failed to bounce-back from a dispiriting 4-2 home loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday.

Both the Lightning (one point behind; one game in hand) and Maple Leafs (tied with the Isles; two games in hand) are in action tonight, with major playoff implications at stake. But, at the end of the day, New York can’t count on other teams bailing them out: they need to take care of business themselves.