The New York Islanders embarked upon a seven-game road trip two weeks ago as an intriguing team, albeit one stuck at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
The Islanders return home as an established playoff contender Saturday when they will look to remain red-hot while hosting the St. Louis Blues in Elmont, N.Y.
The Islanders completed one of the best road trips in franchise history Thursday night when Max Shabanov scored twice and Ilya Sorokin stopped all 29 shots he faced in a 5-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings. The Blues suffered their fourth straight loss Thursday by falling 3-2 in overtime to the host Philadelphia Flyers.
The lopsided win over the Red Wings provided an appropriate bookend to the Islanders’ trip. They hit the road Nov. 8 when Sorokin made 33 saves in a 5-0 win over the New York Rangers.
The Islanders went 6-1-0 on the trek, beating four teams that entered Friday in a playoff spot. The six wins tied a franchise record initially established in 2016 for the most victories on a road trip.
“I feel like a road trip like this should bring energy to our team,” Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said. “And I hope it’s going to bring energy also in the building and (that) fans are going to be excited about coming to the game.”
The Islanders displayed their mix of youth and experience during the trip, a span in which they rocketed from 15th place to third place in the Eastern Conference.
Rookies Matthew Schaefer and Calum Ritchie each had a pair of goals on the trip while 24-year-old Emil Heineman collected three goals and six points. Alternate captain Bo Horvat, 30, scored a team-high five goals while 34-year-old Kyle Palmieri and 33-year-old Jean-Gabriel Pageau had two goals apiece.
“There were a lot of big moments on this road trip,” Horvat said. “A lot of will, a lot of character shown by our group. So many different guys stepped up, too, in different ways. It was a solid team effort.”
The frustration has been widespread for the Blues, who entered Friday with 18 points, tied for the third fewest in the NHL, as well as the league’s worst goal differential (minus-24).
The losing streak is the second extended skid of the season for St. Louis, which lost seven straight (0-5-2) from Oct. 21 through Nov. 1.
The Blues are 0-1-3 during their current skid, and their inability to hold onto leads has cost them additional points. St. Louis squandered a two-goal lead against the Flyers for the second time in a week Thursday after Justin Faulk scored twice in the first period.
The Flyers overcame a two-goal third-period deficit in a 6-5 shootout win on Nov. 14. Four days later, St. Louis scored first in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“We’re trying to scrape out two points,” Blues head coach Jim Montgomery said. “We haven’t been able to. I liked our effort. I liked the way we’re playing hard for each other. We’ve got to find ways to extend leads. We’ve got to find ways to close out games.”
–Field Level Media
