The hard part began for the Blue Jackets on Wednesday night at Nationwide Arena, where they outlasted the New York Islanders, 2-0, in their first tilt against a Metropolitan Division opponent.

Thanks to outstanding work in net by Elvis Merzlikins, who pitched a 28-save shutout, the Jackets grinded out a victory against a physical, defensive team on a goal by Damon Severson early in the third period plus Justin Danforth's empty-netter.

“It’s great to get two points, obviously," defenseman Ivan Provorov said. "Every time you win within the division, it’s a big step for your team. It was kind of a grinding game out there, a lot of hitting, a lot of battling, but we found a way to win and that’s a big improvement compared to last year.”

Here's a review of updates and analysis provided before, during and after the game:

FINAL SCORE: Columbus Blue Jackets 2, New York Islanders 0

Merzlikins was outstanding for the second time in a row since returning from a hand injury that kept him out for two weeks, picking up his first shutout of the season and 11th of his career in the Jackets' 2-0 victory over the Islanders — a team that swept them in all three games last season.

Postgame comment:

“It feels really good to win games right now," Merzlikins said. "It’s obviously a nice feeling, as well, the shutout. It’s definitely not just me. It’s (the) team. They helped me a lot. They really worked hard for this, so this is our shutout.”

GOAL, 17:57 3rd period: Columbus Blue Jackets 2, New York Islanders 0

Justin Danforth puts the puck into an empty net with 2:03 left to play for his second goal of the season and a two-goal cushion for Merzlikins, who just missed a shutout Monday against Edmonton by 28.6 seconds. Will he get this one?

3rd period, 17:30: Columbus Blue Jackets 1, New York Islanders 0

The Islanders have pulled goalie Semyon Varlamov for an extra attacker with 2:30 left to play, trailing by a goal. Big final push for both teams has begun.

GOAL, 5:43 3rd period: Columbus Blue Jackets 1, New York Islanders 0

Finally, a goal. Damon Severson with the tally, which is his second of the season and scored by just sending the puck to toward the crease from the right wing corner. It hit Ryan Pulock's skate and deflected past Varlamov, which figures in a game with dynamic goaltending at both ends.

Like the goal that was disallowed, Severson spotted James van Riemsdyk in front of the net and decided to send the puck in his direction.

Postgame comment:

"I saw 'JvR' in front, just battling and he was out of the paint (crease) that time, so I figured it would be a better opportunity for him to score," Severson said. "I just got lucky hitting the (defenseman's) skate and going in."

3rd period start: Columbus Blue Jackets 0, New York Islanders 0

Here we go for the third. Not a ton of shots at either end thus far, but plenty of scoring chances that forced both goalies to make high-difficulty stops to keep this tied with no goals. The final 20 minutes are underway here in Columbus.

2nd intermission: Columbus Blue Jackets 0, New York Islanders 0

New York pushed hard in the waning seconds to get one past Merzlikins, but the Islanders couldn't do it. Merzlikins was fantastic from start-to-finish in the second, making 13 of his 18 saves to keep this knotted at 0-0. Just as Varlamov did for the Isles in the first, the Blue Jackets' backstop prevented New York from taking a multiple goal lead heading into the third.

The Blue Jackets were outshot 13-7 in the second and are behind 18-15 overall in shots through the first two periods. Who's going to crack first and worst?

2nd period, 13:50: Columbus Blue Jackets 0, New York Islanders 0

The Islanders are getting the game's first power play late in this second period, after Justin Danforth was sent to the penalty box for interference at the New York blue line. The Islanders rank 28th in the NHL in power-play success (13.3%).

2nd period, 10:12: Columbus Blue Jackets 0, New York Islanders 0

The "Ohhh!" have it tonight at Nationwide Arena, where Semyon Varlamov and Elvis Merzlikins are locked in a goaltending dual midway through the game. Merzlikins has caught up with Varlamov in highlight worthy stops, making two or three more in the first 10 minutes of the second period to keep the Islanders from scoring. It's still 0-0 as we head into the second half of the second.

2nd period start: Columbus Blue Jackets 0, New York Islanders 0

The puck's in play for the start of the middle stanza with the score still lacking a goal either way. Goalies Semyon Varlamov and Elvis Merzlikins were excellent in the first period, so we'll see if they can keep it up.

1st intermission: Columbus Blue Jackets 0, New York Islanders 0

Despite outshooting the Islanders 9-5 and finishing with six more attempted shots (21-15), the Blue Jackets couldn't beat goalie Semyon Varlamov in the first period. That's not a surprise given his career stats against Columbus, which can be found earlier in this blog roll.

Overall, it was a good opening period for the Jackets while facing their sixth of nine teams this season playing their second game of a back-to-back.

1st period, 18:28: Officials call off apparent goal by Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Damon Severson

The home crowd is not pleased after officials Kelly Sutherland and Furman South decided not to call Damon Severson's shot from the right point a goal, which would've given the Blue Jackets a 1-0 lead late in the opening period.

The ruling, apparently, was related to James van Riemsdyk's stick in front of the net. He raised it above his head while being boxed out, but replays were inconclusive about whether the puck deflected off him into the Islanders' net. The call on the ice was "no goal," and it's not reviewable. The game remains 0-0 after one period.

1st period, 15:23: Elvis Merzlikins comes up big for Columbus Blue Jackets vs New York Islanders

Call the cops! Merzlikins just flat robbed Maxim Tsyplakov late in the first to return serve on Varlamov's great work earlier in the period. Tysplakov split the Blue Jackets' defense for a break from the Columbus blue line to the net, but Merzlikins denied the goal with a sprawling effort to kill the scoring chance and stop the clock. It remains 0-0 late first.

1st period, 6:00: Semyon Varlamov comes up huge for New York Islanders vs Columbus Blue Jackets

Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov has made three fantastic stops early in the game to keep it 0-0, stuffing two close shots by Yegor Chinakhov off a 2-on-1 rush at 4:39 of the first period and then making a dazzling right skate save on Kevin Labanc at the 6:00 mark while sprawled on his belly.

Labanc deked Varalamov to the ice, waited him out, dragged the puck across the low slot to his backhand and tried to lift the puck into the net. The goalie just got his right skate high enough off the ice to deny the shot. Incredible effort there to prevent the Blue Jackets from taking the lead early.

1st period start: Columbus Blue Jackets vs New York Islanders

Warmup is over, and the puck is down Nationwide Arena. Here are the starters, scratches, lineups, coaches and officials.

Also, Halloween being celebrated tonight plus the release of Deadpool & Wolverine on Disney+ has led to the "decoration" of bathrooms along those lines.

Not sure if was simply coincidence or a planned thing with that promotion, but Cole Sillinger and Adam Fantilli got into the Deadpool/Wolverine festivities last week during the Jackets' team Halloween party. Sillinger dressed as Deadpool and Fantilli, who played one year at Michigan, was Wolverine ... of course.

Projected goaltenders for Columbus Blue Jackets vs New York Islanders

Columbus is going with Elvis Merzlikins again, after the Blue Jackets' most tenured and highest-paid backstop came within 28.6 seconds of pitching a shutout Monday against the Oilers. Merzlikins has faced the Islanders four times in his career, going 1-3-0 with a 3.08 goals-against average, .906 save percentage and no shutouts.

Roy didn't name his starting goalie, but the expectation is that Semyon Varlamov will get the net after Ilya Sorokin played Tuesday against the Ducks. Varlamov, 36, has faced the Blue Jackets 19 times in his career and boasts an 11-5-2 record with a 2.18 GAA and .937 save percentage, including two victories over Columbus last season that included a shutout.

New York Islanders lineup at Columbus Blue Jackets

Morning skate report ― The Islanders didn't hold a full morning skate after playing Tuesday in New York. The handful who skated Wednesday at Nationwide Arena included defenseman Alexander Romanov, who's day-to-day with an upper-body injury, forward Pierre Engvall and forward Oliver Wahlstom.

Forward Matt Martin returns to the lineup in place of Engvall, who is scratched after playing against the Ducks. Islanders coach Patrick Roy said the coaching staff continues to mix and match line combinations while looking for something that produces more goals.

Here's a look at how they're lined up:

Forward lines

Maxim Tysplakov — Bo Horvat — Simon Holmstrom

Kyle Palmieri — Brock Nelson — Mathew Barzal

Anders Lee — Jean-Gabriel Pageau — Hudson Fasching

Matt Martin — Kyle MacLean — Casey Cizikas

Defense pairings

Adam Pelech — Ryan Pulock

Mike Reilly — Noah Dobson

Dennis Cholowski — Scott Mayfield

Goalies

Semyon Varlamov

Ilya Sorokin

Scratched: F Pierre Engvall, F Oliver Wahlstrom

Injured: D Alexander Romanov (upper body), F Anthony Duclair (lower body)

Columbus Blue Jackets lineup vs New York Islanders

Morning skate report ― The Blue Jackets held an optional skate, so they didn't skate line rushes. Head coach Dean Evason said he's going with the same lineup as Monday's victory against Edmonton. Here's the expected lineup:

Forward lines

Yegor Chinakhov — Sean Monahan — Kirill Marchenko

Mikael Pyyhtia — Adam Fantilli — Cole Sillinger

Zach Aston-Reese — Justin Danforth — Mathieu Olivier

James van Riemsdyk — Sean Kuraly — Kevin Labanc

Defense pairings

Zach Werenski — Ivan Provorov

Jake Christiansen — Damon Severson

Jack Johnson — Jordan Harris

Goalies

Elvis Merzlikins

Daniil Tarasov

Scratched: D David Jiricek

Injured: F Boone Jenner (shoulder surgery), D Erik Gudbranson (shoulder surgery), F Dmitri Voronkov (shoulder), F Kent Johnson (shoulder) and F Gavin Brindley (fractured finger)

Injury update on Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid

Not a Blue Jackets update, per se, but some notable news about an NHL star who was hurt in Monday's game at Nation wide Arena. Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid will miss two to three weeks with an ankle injury sustained on his first shift against the Blue Jackets.

The superstar center was injured after crossing into the Blue Jackets' zone in front of the Columbus bench, where defenseman Zach Werenski reached for a poke check and inadvertently tripped McDavid. The fall sent McDavid crashing into the boards on the right wing, where his left skate jammed into the yellow kick plate at the bottom. He got up, finished a 37-second shift and left the game for medical assessment without returning.

McDavid is the Oilers' leader in assists (7) and is tied with Leon Draisaitl for the team lead in points (10).

Columbus Blue Jackets vs New York Islanders history

• All-time record: The Blue Jackets are  24-21-7 with one tie against the Isles, including 16-7-4 with one tie at Nationwide Arena, where New York took both games last season.

• Last meeting: The Blue Jackets lost 4-2 on April 4, 2024 in Columbus, allowing the Islanders to sweep the three-game season series. The game was knotted at 2-2 through two periods until New York surged ahead for good on a goal by Noah Dobson in the third period. Kyle Palmieri sealed it with an empty-net tally for the Islanders, who got 25 saves by Ilya Sorokin in net. Dmitri Voronkov and Kirill Marchenko scored the goals for Columbus, while Jet Greaves took the goaltending loss after relieving Daniil Tarasov because of a first-period injury.

• 2024 matchups: Oct. 30 in Columbus; Jan. 20, 2025 in Elmont, New York; March 24, 2025 in Elmont, New York; April 17, 2025 in Columbus

Who are the officials for tonight's Columbus Blue Jackets vs New York Islanders game?

Referee: Furman South (13)

Referee: Kelly Sutherland (11)

Lines official: Andrew Smith (51)

Lines official: Jesse Marquis (86)

Columbus Blue Jackets vs New York Islanders betting odds

Game lines and odds from BetMGM as of Wednesday, Oct. 30

• Spread: Blue Jackets (+1.5)

• Over/under: 6.5

• Moneyline: Blue Jackets +135, Islanders -160

Columbus Blue Jackets news

• Routing the McDavid-less Oilers: 3 takeaways

• Reviewing how the Blue Jackets blew out the Edmonton Oilers

• 3 takeaways from the Blue Jackets' latest loss in Music City

• Another unsuccessful trip to Nashville

• Dmitri Voronkov practicing with limitations

• Kent Johnson hopes to return this season with rehab, no shoulder surgery

Columbus Blue Jackets October 2024 schedule, record

Here's a look at the Blue Jackets' schedule for October, along with start times, television, and radio information of upcoming games:

• Thursday, Oct. 10: Blue Jackets at Wild (L, 3-2); Takeaways

• Saturday, Oct. 12: Blue Jackets at Avalanche (W, 6-4); Takeaways

• Tuesday, Oct. 15: Blue Jackets vs. Panthers (L, 4-3); Takeaways; Photos

• Thursday, Oct. 17: Blue Jackets vs. Sabres (W, 6-4); Takeaways; Photos

• Saturday, Oct. 19: Blue Jackets vs. Wild (L, 3-1); Takeaways; Photos

• Tuesday, Oct. 22: Blue Jackets vs. Maple Leafs (W, 6-2); Takeaways; Photos

• Saturday, Oct 26: Blue Jackets at Predators (OTL, 4-3); Takeaways

• Monday, Oct 28: Blue Jackets vs. Oilers (W, 6-1); Takeaways; Photos

• Wednesday, Oct 30: Blue Jackets at Islanders | 7 p.m. | FanDuel Sports Network Ohio | 97.1 The Fan

• Record: 4-3-1, T-5th place, Metropolitan Division

Columbus Blue Jackets vs New York Islanders records

• Records: Blue Jackets 4-3-1, 9 points, 5th place in the Metropolitan Division; Islanders 3-4-2, 8 points, 6th place in the Metropolitan Division

How can I watch/listen to Columbus Blue Jackets vs New York Islanders?

• TV channel: FanDuel Sports Network Ohio

• Streaming: ESPN+; FanDuel Sports Network app

• Radio: 97.1 The Fan; Blue Jackets website, Blue Jackets app

Columbus Blue Jackets vs New York Islanders start time

Date: Wednesday, Oct. 30Time: 7 p.m.Location: Nationwide Arena (Columbus, Ohio)

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets blank New York Islanders: Elvis gets a shutout