Game Preview: Islanders vs Blues

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (12-7-2) VS ST. LOUIS BLUES (6-9-6)

3:30 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS

WATCH/STREAM: MSGSN | GOTHAM SPORTS APP

LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | ISLANDERS + UBS ARENA APP

HOCKEY FIGHTS CANCER

After a 6-1-0 road trip, the New York Islanders are back on home ice to kick off a seven-game homestand, starting with a matinee matchup with the St. Louis Blues.

They picked up 12 of a possible 14 points this season, with 17 different players finding the scoresheet over that span. They’ll look to keep the momentum rolling as they return home to UBS Arena, where they’re 4-3-1 this season.

"A road trip like this should bring energy to our team,” Head Coach Patrick Roy said. “I hope it's going to bring energy also to our building and the fans are going to be excited about coming to the game."

PROJECTED LINEUP

The Islanders did not practice on Friday and will not host a morning skate on Saturday, so any lineup news will come closer to puck drop.

Emil Heineman - Bo Horvat - Kyle Palmieri
Jonathan Drouin - Mathew Barzal - Simon Holmstrom
Anders Lee - JG Pageau - Anthony Duclair
Casey Cizikas - Cal Ritchie – Max Shabanov

Matthew Schaefer - Ryan Pulock
Adam Pelech - Tony DeAngelo
Adam Boqvist - Scott Mayfield

SOROKIN MOVING UP SHUTOUT LIST

Ilya Sorokin recorded his 24^th career shutout on Thursday, putting him one shy of tying Chico Resch for first place in franchise history. Sorokin went 4-1-0 on the road trip with a 1.59 GAA, a .948 SV% and two shutouts. Sorokin looks dialed in, shaking off a 3-4-2 start that saw his GAA at 3.33 and his SV% at .879.

PENALTY KILL POWERING ISLES

The Islanders penalty kill went 22-of-24 shorthanded situations (91.7%) on the team’s road trip. The PK percentage ranks fourth in the NHL since Nov. 8, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. The Islanders also scored a pair of shorthanded goals, making them one of two team (LA being the other) with an even shorthanded goal differential over that span.

HORVAT STAYS HOT

Bo Horvat scored his 14^th goal of the season on Thursday, which are tied for second in the NHL with Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl and Boston’s Morgan Geekie, just two back of Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon. Horvat led the Isles with nine points (5G, 4A) on the road trip. Horvat’s on a heater, with points in 10 of his last 11 games.

BACK TO BACK

The Islanders are kicking off a back-to-back set on Saturday, as they’ll take on the Seattle Kraken on Sunday afternoon.

The Isles are 1-2-0 on the front end of back-to-backs and are 3-0-0 on the back end. Expect the Isles to split goaltending duties during the back-to-back stretch.

ISLES VS BLUES

The Islanders are 7-1-1 in their last nine home games against the Blues. Anders Lee leads active Isles with 12 points (6G, 6A) in 19 games against St. Louis.

BLUES NOTES

The Blues have struggled out of the gate, sitting third last in the Western Conference with 18 points.

St. Louis is 0-1-3 in their last four games, most recently falling 3-2 in OT against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Blues have allowed leads to slip away this season, including a 2-0 lead against the Flyers on Thursday.

Robert Thomas leads the team with 13 points (3G, 10A) while Justin Faulk, Jordan Kyrou and Jake Neighbours are all tied for the team lead in goals with six.

Neighbours was activated off IR on Thursday returning to the lineup after missing 12 games with a right-leg injury. Neighbours, the Blues 2020 first-rounder (26^th overall) recorded an assist in his return and has eight points (6G, 2A) in nine games.

The Blues’ power play is ranked seventh in the NHL, converting at 24.5%. St. Louis has power-play goals in each of their past two games and is 4-for-12 (33.3%) since Nov. 8.