The New York Islanders want to solidify their playoff position when they visit the suddenly red-hot St. Louis Blues on Tuesday.
The Islanders sit in third place in the Metropolitan Division, a point behind the second-place Pittsburgh Penguins and not far ahead of several division rivals battling to move up the table.
Losing the first two games of their four-game road trip didn’t help the Islanders’ postseason hunt, but they got back on track with Saturday’s 2-1 overtime win over the San Jose Sharks. Bo Horvat scored the OT winner for the forward’s sixth goal in his last eight games.
It was yet another clutch victory for the Islanders, who are a perfect 9-0 in the overtime frame. New York is just the second team in NHL history to win its first nine overtime games in a season.
“It’s a huge, huge second point for us … They’re massive points, right? You take four or five of those away, you’re sitting in a way different spot,” defenseman Tony DeAngelo said. “So, huge for us. We’ve been great at just controlling the puck, and when we’re not, we’re not giving up too many (grade-A chances).”
Tuesday’s game provides a quick reunion for Brayden Schenn and Jonathan Drouin. New York acquired Schenn from the Blues at Friday’s trade deadline, with St. Louis receiving Drouin, goaltending prospect Marcus Gidlof and two draft picks in return.
St. Louis also sent Justin Faulk to the Detroit Red Wings on deadline day as the Blues shifted to sell mode. Just when it seemed like the team was destined to go through the motions, however, they started to play their best hockey.
The Blues return home after a perfect 4-0-0 road trip, marking their longest winning streak of the season. The most recent victory was a 4-0 shutout of the Pacific Division-leading Anaheim Ducks on Sunday.
Head coach Jim Montgomery praised his team’s remaining veterans for continuing to play hard during a difficult season.
“The guys that are here, and have been here for a while, have really rallied around each other … The energy in our room, and the positivity in our room is very noticeable,” Montgomery said.
The four-game winning streak has rekindled a faint hope for the playoffs. St. Louis is eight points behind the final Western Conference wild-card spot, with five teams standing between the Blues and a postseason spot.
Joel Hofer and Jordan Binnington have been splitting starts, but Hofer has better numbers and has started three of the four games during the win streak. Hofer’s 22-save shutout against Anaheim was his fifth of the season.
Hofer is now one shutout behind the Isles’ Ilya Sorokin for the NHL lead, possibly setting up an exciting goaltending duel for Tuesday. Sorokin is enjoying another excellent year, with a 23-14-2 record, a 2.50 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage over 39 starts.
Robert Thomas leads the Blues with 40 points (15 goals, 25 assists). Thomas and Jordan Kyrou are tied for the team lead in goals, while Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich share the lead in assists.
Horvat leads New York with 27 goals. Mathew Barzal leads the team in assists (40) and points (57).
The Blues recorded a 2-1 road win over the Islanders in the two teams’ first meeting of the season on Nov. 22.
–Field Level Media
