UBS Keys to the Game: Islanders vs. Blues

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (20-23-8) VS ST. LOUIS BLUES (32-15-6)12:30 PM ET | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETSWATCH: MSG+ | MSG GO | NHLNLISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | 98.7 FM
Saturday matinee.
The New York Islanders and St. Louis Blues meet on Saturday afternoon at UBS Arena in the first meeting of the season and first since 2020 for the two clubs.

The Islanders opened their six-game homestand with a 4-3 loss to Vancouver on Thursday night. Noah Dobson, Kyle Palmieri and Anthony Beauvillier scored for the Islanders, while Semyon Varlamov made 34 saves on 38 shots. The loss marked the Islanders' second-straight.
The Blues are coming off a 5-3 defeat to the New York Rangers on Wednesday night, which snapped their previous four-game win streak. After going down 2-0 to the Rangers, the Blues received three-straight second period goals from Ryan O'Reilly (1G, 1A), Ivan Barbashev and David Perron (1G, 1A). Ville Husso made 24 saves on 28 shots in the loss.

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• Dobson tallied his 10th goal of the season, all 10 of which have come since December 5th. The 22-year-old leads all NHL defensemen over that span. Colorado's Cale Makar and Devon Toews are tied for second with eight goals in that span. Dobson has totaled 27 points (10G, 17A) through 49 games.
• Palmieri potted his seventh goal of the season and now has goals in two-straight games. Through 38 games this season, Palmieri has produced 14 points (7G, 7A).
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• Beauvillier notched his ninth goal of the season and now has 20 points (9G, 11A) through 48 games.
• With an assist on Dobson's goal, Andy Greene extended his point streak to three-straight games, marking his first time doing so as an Islander.
• Varlamov made his 15th start of the season, while his record dropped to 3-11-1. The veteran netiminder has a 2.76 GAA and a .912 SV%.
• Matt Martin drew back in the lineup in place of Ross Johnston. Martin skated alongside Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck.
• In the last four games, the Islanders have been outshot 150-108.
• The Islanders are 1-1-3 in matinee games this season.
• Mathew Barzal (lower body) and Zdeno Chara (upper body) missed their third-straight game due to injuries. Both are listed as day-to-day. Barzal leads the team in scoring with 37 points (12G, 25A) through 45 games.

BLUES NOTES:

• O'Reilly tallied his 12th goal of the season. The St. Louis captain has totaled 35 points (12G, 23A) through 49 games. O'Reilly ranks sixth overall among skaters in the league at FOW% with his 55%.
• Barbashev scored his 17th goal of the season and extended his point streak to seven games where he's posted as many points (2G, 5A) in that span. Through 52 games this season, the Russian winger has compiled 41 points (17G, 24A).
• Perron buried his 12th goal of the season and third goal in his last two games. The veteran winger now has 29 points (12G, 17A) through 40 games.
• Against the Rangers, defenseman Torey Krug fired off a game-high six shots on goal.
• With an assist on Barbashev's goal, Jordan Kyrou extended his point streak to five games, where the 23-year-old center has put up seven points (3G, 4A) during that stretch.
• Husso made his 20th start of the season and now has a 13-4-2 record. The Finnish netminder has a 2.13 GAA, a .913 SV% and two shutouts this season.
• The Blues' other netminder Jordan Binnington owns a 13-10-3 record, a 3.12 GAA, a .904 SV% and two shutouts.
• St. Louis was 0-for-3 on the power play and 1-for-2 on the penalty kill against the Rangers. In the NHL, St. Louis' power play ranks second overall at 26.5% while their penalty kill checks in at fifth at 84.5%.
• Their 3.57 goals for per game are ranked the fifth-most in the league.
• On the injury front, defensemen Marco Scandella (lower body) and Scott Perunovich (upper body) are both sidelined.