COLUMBUS, Ohio _ The NHL trade deadline is approaching and as much as Thursday night's game at Nationwide Arena was a chance for the Islanders to increase their lead in the Metropolitan Division, which they did, it was also a chance for a firsthand look at two Blue Jackets stalwarts who may be on the market.
The common thought is that the Islanders are looking for scoring help, quite possibly on the wing, and the Blue Jackets' Artemi Panarin may be available as a rental.
Then again, the Islanders have prospered with balanced scoring all season.
This time, it was fourth-line center Casey Cizikas, who notched his third career two-goal game on two breakaways, who stood out as the Islanders rebounded from a rare, sub-par performance Tuesday in Buffalo to beat the third-place Blue Jackets, 3-0, at Nationwide Arena.
Cizikas extended his career high to 15 goals while goalie Thomas Greiss (31 saves) set a career high with his fourth shutout. Greiss has allowed just three goals in his last six starts and he stretched out his left pad to deny Cam Atkinson at the post at 12:39 of the third period to preserve his latest shutout.
The Islanders (34-17-6), who opened this two-game road trip with a 3-1 loss at Buffalo on Tuesday night in which they spent the first two periods struggling to break out of their defensive zone or gain the offensive zone, moved seven points ahead of the Blue Jackets in the division.
"It was a little bit of an outlier on our part," said captain Anders Lee, who skated in his 400th NHL. "We've been pretty good but we let one get away. We learned from it."
The Blue Jackets (32-21-3) had a four-game winning streak snapped as they ponder their options going into the Feb. 25 trade deadline.
Eight teams sent representatives to scout Thursday's game, including the Rangers, but Islanders president and general manager Lou Lamoriello, in attendance on Thursday, never tips what he is thinking. The Penguins have also been following the Islanders, as have the Ducks.
The Blue Jackets may decide to trade the dynamic Panarin, an impending unrestricted free agent who has said he wants to test the market after completing a two-year, $12 million deal. Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (24 saves), is also coming to the end of a four-year, $29.7-million deal and could be moved.
But moving either would be a tough move for the Blue Jackets as they battle for playoff position.
Cizikas extended the Islanders' lead to 2-0 as defenseman Devon Toews sprung him for a breakaway and Cizikas went to his forehand to beat Bobrovsky.
That became 3-0 with 40.2 seconds remaining as Mathew Barzal, controlling the puck behind the crease, found Tom Kuhnhackl, in the lineup for rookie Michael Dal Colle, open in the left circle. Josh Bailey poked in the puck at the crease on the backhand after Kuhnhackl's wrist shot.
The Islanders took a 1-0 lead at 7:06 of the first period as Cal Clutterbuck, after taking an outlet from Greiss, sprung Cizikas into the Blue Jackets' zone and Cizikas went to his backhand to beat Bobrovsky.
But the Islanders did not get another shot on net in the first period until Jordan Eberle, who had hit the post with a backhander at 1:44, tested Bobrovsky at 17:31.
The Blue Jackets took eight straight shots in that span, forcing Greiss to stop Josh Anderson on a shorthanded breakaway backhander at 8:34 and defenseman Zach Werenski on a two-on-one at 13:47.
The Islanders went 0 for 2 on the power play against the Blue Jackets' second-ranked penalty kill, which is now 41 of 42 since Dec. 31.
