Islanders defeat Blue Jackets with goal by Anders Lee

"The Neutral Zone" Staff Report

The Islanders defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3
on Thursday night. (Getty Images)

The New York Islanders are in a situation where every game and win counts towards the team making the playoffs.

Last night, they moved one step closer to that goal.

Anders Lee scored the game-winning power-play-goal 5:23 into the third period to help the Islanders defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 on Thursday night.

"These were two points that we came in needing to get," Lee said. "To pull it out in the third is really important. All of these other teams around us in the standings seem to be winning, too. We have to take care of ourselves."

John Tavares and Thomas Hickey also scored for the Islanders. Tavares had two goals in the game.

Brandon Dubinsky, Brandon Saad, and Boone Jenner scored for the Blue Jackets.

Islanders defenseman Travis Hamonic played 2:56 before he left the game early in the first period with a lower-body injury and did not return.

"I don't know anything, but just the fact that [Hamonic] didn't return says something," Islanders head coach Jack Capuano said.

Thomas Greiss made 21 saves for New York, while Sergei Bobrovsky made 27 saves for Columbus.

The Islanders out-shot Columbus 27-24.