Islanders shut out Blue Jackets, end three-game winless streak

Anders Lee scored for New York (17-5-2), which ended a three-game winless streak (0-2-1).

"Honestly, this one goes to [Varlamov]," Lee said. "Coming in cold, quick change there and really shutting the door on a team that had quite a bit of chances. I think the shot totals might have been a little high for what we would like to see, but a shutout nonetheless and [Varlamov] deserves a lot of credit for that."

[WATCH: All Blue Jackets vs. Islanders highlights]

Thomas Greiss made nine saves before leaving the game at 14:06 of the first period. He remained on the Islanders bench.

Varlamov made 17 saves in the third period.

"Probably just a little sickness or whatever," New York coach Barry Trotz said of Greiss. "He just said, 'I don't know if I should stay in.' [Varlamov] did a real good job. He came in cold, and I thought our bench responded pretty good. The next few shifts, we kept in their end a little bit until he could get warmed up and into the game.

"I thought he made some real timely saves. He looked huge in the net, just real confident."

Video: Greiss, Varlamov combine to shut down Columbus

Elvis Merzlikins made 25 saves for Columbus (11-11-4), which lost defenseman Zach Werenski at 3:37 of the first period because of an upper-body injury after a collision with Lee in front of the Blue Jackets net.

Columbus coach John Tortorella did not have an update on Werenski's condition.

"Obviously, [Werenski's] an important part to our back end," Tortorella said. "I thought we played a good hockey game."

Lee gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead at 1:18 of the first period when he one-timed Josh Bailey's pass from the edge of the right circle. It was his first goal since Nov. 1 and first point in nine games.

"We've played a lot of hockey together, so we're really familiar with one another and read off each other and understand each other's games," Lee said. "He did a great job there setting me up."

Video: CBJ@NYI: Lee beats Merzlikins from the high slot

Varlamov preserved the one-goal lead when he got his left pad on Oliver Bjorkstrand's wrist shot from the slot during a 3-on-2 rush at 8:10 of the second period.

Barzal made it 2-0 at 16:01 of the second after being sent on a breakaway by Adam Pelech. It was his 10th goal of the season.

"I just found an extra gear and I was fortunate enough to bury it," Barzal said.

They said it

"We've got to pick up the slack. Zach is a very key part of our team. I think he's the engine of our offense most nights. It's a big void to fill, but we have a lot of depth. We have guys that have been scratching to get in the lineup, and I know they'll come in and do a great job for us, and the guys that are playing as well need to step up and do a little bit more and be a little better too." -- Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones

"It's nice to come back and get a quick 'W' and feel good about our game a little bit. I thought there was some good chemistry out there. I just everyone actually had a pretty good game tonight, so it's nice to get back on track a bit." -- Islanders center Mathew Barzal

Need to know

Bjorkstrand's six-game point streak ended (two goals, seven assists). … Columbus had the lone power play of the game, which came with 3:01 remaining. … New York finished 9-2-2 in November and 6-0-1 at home. … Islanders defenseman Nick Leddy returned after missing a 4-1 loss at the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday because of a lower-body injury. He had no shots on goal in 18:55 of ice time. … New York tied a team record by alternating goalie starts for the first 24 games of a season (Kelly Hrudey and Billy Smith, 1984-85).

What's next

Blue Jackets: Host the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; FS-O, FS-A, FS-A PLUS, NHL.TV)

Islanders: At the Detroit Red Wings on Monday (7:30 p.m. ET; FS-D, MSG+ 2, NHL.TV)

Video: Lee, Barzal score in 2-0 win vs. Blue Jackets