Game Preview: Islanders at Blues

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (1-1-1) AT ST. LOUIS BLUES (2-2-0)

8 PM | ENTERPRISE CENTER

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Looking to build off the momentum of a 6-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Monday night, the New York Islanders are in St. Louis to take on the Blues for the last leg of a three-game road trip.

The Islanders have seen steady improvement across the board through their first three games of the season, building off of the positives and negatives after each game. One area of improvement has been the penalty kill, which after going 0-for-2 on Opening Night has had its second consecutive perfect night on Monday, going 2-for-2 against Colorado, giving the whole team a boost of confidence.

“Special teams has been key,” Anthony Duclair said on Wednesday. “Last couple games, the penalty kill shut down top lines. That gives us confidence going into the next shift and want to carry that on. We've had some pretty solid road games, and it's a question I'll continuing that into tomorrow night and build some confidence heading into the homestand."

The Blues are coming off a 4-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night, which was their home opener. Mathieu Joseph scored the lone goal - and his first goal - for the Blues after he was acquired from the Ottawa Senators in the offseason. Jordan Binnington made 23 saves in a loss where the Blues surrendered a goalie goal to Filip Gustavsson with nine seconds remaining in the final frame. The Blues will host the Islanders in the second of a four-game homestand.

The Isles went 1-1-0 last season against the Blues, dropping a 4-0 decision on Feb. 22 at Enterprise Center and rebounding at home two weeks later with a 4-2 win on March 5th.

MORNING SKATE UPDATES

Ilya Sorokin is the confirmed starting netminder for the Islanders. It marks the second straight start of the season for the Russian netminder, who missed all of training camp and preseason. Sorokin sports a 3-1-0 record against the Blues, with a career .911 SV% and 2.51 GAA.

Joel Hofer is the expected starter for the Blues. It will mark his second start of the season; in his first game of the year on Oct. 10, the 24-year-old netminder allowed four goals on 29 shots in a 5-4 OT win over the San Jose Sharks. Hofer was between the pipes in the last meeting of the season between the Isles and Blues last year, where New York won 4-2.

ISLES NOTES

• The Islanders hit the ice for practice on Wednesday at Enterprise Center ahead of their matchup against the Blues. JG Pageau said it’s a luxury to have two days between games and the practice day to prepare for Thursday night.

“Just to get in a good sweat, to put in the work after a win, it’s big and it’s in our identity,” Pageau said. “We’re playing better and better, and as a team, since the first game. We want to keep improving and working on the details and work on our strengths, and it’s nice to have that extra time and be ready for tomorrow.”

• Ilya Sorokin is the likely starter for the Islanders on Thursday night, per Head Coach Patrick Roy. The Russian netminder made his season debut on Monday against Colorado and had a solid performance of 32 saves, limiting the high-octane Avalanche to two goals.

• The Islanders had an offensive showing on Monday, putting up six goals in a game for the first time since March 23rd, where they won 6-3 over the Winnipeg Jets.

• Anders Lee scored his first of the season on Monday to get the Islanders on the board on Monday and ended the game with a team-leading seven shots. The entire line of Lee, JG Pageau and Simon Holmstrom has been intact since the 2024 playoffs, and Roy pointed out how reliable and effective the trio has been.

“I think that line has been very good for us,” Roy said. “They’re not giving much and are getting a lot of chances… that’s the kind of hockey we want to see our whole team play, and they’re a good example of that. They’ve been playing like this since the playoffs last year. It’s a very good line, they can play against anyone.”

• Lee’s six goals against St. Louis leads the current team, while both the captain and Brock Nelson are tied for the team lead with 12 points against the Blues.

• With two goals in Monday’s win, Brock Nelson has 37 multi-goal games in his career, and included his third career shorthanded goal.

• Mathew Barzal potted an empty net goal against Colorado and now has 10 points (1G, 9A) against the Avalanche. Barzal has now scored a goal against every NHL team, except Utah.

BLUES NOTES

• Former Islander Nick Leddy is day-to-day with a lower-body injury and is unlikely to be in the lineup on Thursday, per Head Coach Drew Bannister. Leddy put up 28 points (3G, 25A) in 82-games last season. The veteran defenseman spent seven seasons with the Islanders from 2014-21, recording 243 points (45G, 198A) through 518 games played, his most of any team he’s played for in his career.

• Alexandre Texier (upper-body) has been placed on IR on Monday after missing two straight games, while Brandon Saad made his return and played in Tuesday’s 4-1 loss to the Wild.

• Jordan Kyrou leads the team with six points (2G, 4A) through the first four games of the season, including a two-goal performance in a 3-2 win against Seattle in their season opener. The 26-year-old forward led the Blues with 31 goals in the 2023-24 campaign.

• Robert Thomas collected four points (1G, 3A) in his first four games of the season and was the offensive powerhouse for St. Louis last season, leading the team with 60 assists and 86 points. The 25-year-old centerman, who was drafted 20th overall by the Blues in the 2017 NHL Draft, skated in his 400th career NHL game on Tuesday.

• The Blues signed 39-year-old Ryan Suter in the offseason to add a veteran presence to their blueline. Suter, who has amassed over 1,400 NHL games playing for the Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild and Nashville Predators in his career, netted his first goal for the Blues in a 5-4 OT win over the Sharks on Thursday.

• Pavel Buchnevich signed a six-year extension with St. Louis in the offseason, set to begin in the 2025-26 campaign. The 29-year-old forward has four points (3G, 1A) in his fourth season with the Blues and put up 63 points (27G, 36A) in the 2023-24 season. Buchnevich has 10 points (6G, 4A) in 22 career games against the Isles.