For 82 seconds in the second period Saturday, the Islanders held a lead. They had fought back from an early slumber to go up by a goal on the Blue Jackets, only to have it vanish and become a deficit again minutes later.
It made their second comeback and second lead — and then actually holding onto it — all the more rewarding.
Brock Nelson scored the winner at 5:14 of the third period and the Islanders buckled down for a white-knuckle ride from there to earn a crucial 4-3 win over the Blue Jackets at Barclays Center.