Preview: Blues at Islanders

When: Saturday, Nov. 23 at 6:30 p.m. CT
Where: UBS Arena in Elmont, NY
Watch: FanDuel Sports Network
Listen: 101 ESPN, Blues App

QUICK HITS

BLUES Goaltender Jordan Binnington made history Thursday as the St. Louis Blues (9-11-1) secured a 3-2 shootout victory at home against the San Jose Sharks. The team will head to the Big Apple for a three-game road trip starting on Saturday against the New York Islanders.

The Blues wasted no time getting on the board, as Nathan Walker scored 11 seconds into the game to take an early lead. The Blues put goalie Yaroslav Askarov, who made his Sharks debut on Thursday, to work as they had 15 shots on goal in the first period alone.

Midway through the second, Jordan Kyrou netted his sixth goal of the season for a 2-1 lead. However, in the final eight seconds, San Jose’s Alex Wennberg scored his second goal of the night to send the game into overtime. After a scoreless five minutes of extra time, the two teams forced a shootout, with Jake Neighbours scoring the lone goal.

Binnington stopped all three shootout attempts, earning him his 151^st career victory and cementing his name in the record books alongside his agent, Mike Liut, as the winningest goaltenders in franchise history.

After matching the record, Binnington reflected on what this achievement meant to him.

“It’s very cool,” Binnington said. “I think I’m proud in many ways and just being with this organization - one organization - my whole career so far... Tonight we competed hard. The guys really made it easy right into the end, and they really led the charge tonight.”

The Blues will look to sweep the season series with the New York Islanders as they face off for the final time this season. In their first matchup on Oct. 17, the Blues clinched a 1-0 victory, with Neighbours scoring the game-winning goal in overtime.

ISLANDERS The New York Islanders (7-8-5) are coming into Saturday night’s matchup following a 2-1 loss against the Detroit Red Wings.

Simon Holmstrom of the Islanders capitalized first, finding the back of the net within the first six minutes of the game. However, the team was unable to maintain its lead, conceding two goals in the final five minutes of the game.

This marked the third consecutive game where the Islanders gave up their lead in the third period, ultimately costing them five points.

The Islanders will be without four players when the two teams meet on Saturday. Most notably, defenseman Mike Reilly underwent heart surgery after being diagnosed with a preexisting condition. Veteran Adam Pelech will also be unavailable after taking a puck to the jaw. Lastly, forwards Anthony Duclair and Mathew Barzal both suffered injuries last month and are not set to return until December.

Since the two teams met in October, the Islanders have gone 6-7-3 and rank fifth in the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

BLUES Goaltender Jordan Binnington is on the verge of franchise history. With his next victory, Binnington will hold the sole record for most wins as a goalkeeper in the Blue Note with 152. In his 295 games as a Blue, Binnington has posted a .907 save percentage and has 15 career shutouts.

ISLANDERS Veteran Kyle Palmieri leads the Islanders in points (16) and shares the team lead in goals (seven) and assists (nine). In Palmieri’s 837 career games he has 495 points (253 goals and 242 assists).

BLUE NOTES

• Starting Saturday in Long Island, the Blues will play their next three games on the road, as well as seven of their next eight games.
• The Blues are 7-4-1 in one-goal games this season, the most wins in one-goal games in the NHL.
• Robert Thomas has an assist in back-to-back games (two assists) and has four assists in his last three games played
• Jordan Kyrou scored his sixth goal of the season on Thursday vs. San Jose, giving him a three-game point streak (one goal, two assists). Kyrou has recorded a point in nine of his last 10 games (four goals, five assists) and has 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in his last 15 games.