The Islanders and Blue Jackets, who play on Monday night at NYCB Live’s Nassau Coliseum, are a study in contrasts in terms of how the playoff contenders approached the NHL trade deadline.
The Islanders stood pat, trusting the chemistry their group had built. The Blue Jackets acquired top-six forwards Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel from the Senators, physical defenseman Adam McQuaid from the Rangers and goalie Keith Kinkaid of Farmingville from the Devils.
It hasn’t worked out great for either team, so far.
The Islanders, 3-4-0 after the Feb. 25 trade deadline and coming off Saturday night’s 5-2 loss to the Flyers at the Coliseum, have fallen out of first place in the Metropolitan Division and trail the streaking Capitals, who have won seven straight, by four points.