A pair of teams trending in opposite directions square off at Enterprise Center on Thursday as the New York Islanders (6-4-0) will be looking to extend their winning run when they head to take on the stumbling St. Louis Blues (3-5-0). New York is coming off a 3-1 win over the Blackhawks on Tuesday, their fourth win in a row.
The Islanders committed five penalties in the game, conceding one power play goal. Brock Nelson, Zach Parise, and Anders Lee each scored once for the Islanders. Nelson added an assist to lead the team in scoring. Ilya Sorokin saved an impressive 21 of 22 shots (.954%) in the win.
St. Louis dropped their fifth straight game, falling 5-1 to the Kings on Monday. Alexey Toropchenko netted the only goal for the Blues. Jordan Binnington saved only 14 of 19 shots (.736%) after starting in the loss.
HEAD TO HEAD
The teams split their two meetings last season, the last of which was a 6-1 victory for the Blues in April. Justin Faulk (2G 1A), Vladimir Tarasenko (1G 2A), and Robert Thomas (1G 2A) each had three points to lead St. Louis. Grant Hutton scored New York’s only goal. Binnington got the win, saving 30 of 31 shots (.967%).
FACING OFF
New York is averaging 3.60 goals per game so far this season, sixth in the NHL, and they are taking on a Blues team that is allowing 3.75 goals a game (27th). Meanwhile, St. Louis has found the net a league-worst 2.38 times a game on average and won’t find goals any easier to come by against the Islanders’ stout defense, which is holding opponents to 2.50 goals per game (4th).
The Islanders’ 12.50% power play percentage is the fourth-lowest in the league, while the Blues rank 11th with a conversion rate of 23.81%. While inefficient on the power play, New York has been successful at penalty killing, boasting the league’s third-highest PK% at 94.29%. St. Louis ranks 19th at 78.95%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 11 points this season, Nelson is the top skater for the Islanders. He has four goals and seven assists in 10 games. In the net, Sorokin (3-3-0) is New York’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 2.21 GAA and a .933% save percentage.
Faulk and Brayden Schenn lead the Blues in scoring with nine points apiece. Faulk has three goals and six assists in eight games, while Schenn has two goals and seven assists. Binnington (3-3-0) has the best goals against average for St. Louis at 3.27. He has a save percentage of .882%.
HOME AND AWAY
New York is 2-2-0 on the road this season. St. Louis is pursuing a fourth successive win at home this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
St.Louis Blues (-125)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
