We have one weekend left before Thanksgiving. Everyone will think about what they are thankful for. The St. Louis Blues are hoping to be grateful for a few wins before they sit down for Thanksgiving dinner. On Saturday afternoon, their road trip continues with a game against the New York Islanders.
Blues vs. Islanders Preview
The Blues and Islanders are meeting for the first time this season. Last season, the teams split the season series, with each team winning at home. In fact, the teams have been splitting the season series every season since 2018-19, when the Islanders swept the series. Furthermore, the Islanders lead the all-time series, 59-43-20-3.
Time: 3:30 P.M. Eastern Time
TV: FanDuel Sports Midwest (Blues), MSG Sportsnet (Islanders)
Blues’ Recent Game
The Blues are 6-9-6 on the season with 18 points. The team has lost four in a row, including losing three of their last four in overtime or a shootout. Their first two games of this road trip have seen a fall in overtime. Their previous game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday was an ugly trend that reappeared. The Blues got out to a 2-0 lead behind two goals by Justin Faulk. However, the Blues failed to hold on to the lead, and the Flyers won 3-2 in overtime.
Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, Justin Faulk and Jordan Binnington (The Hockey Writers)
If there were a bright side to the game, it would be that Jake Neighbours returned from injury and recorded an assist. Furthermore, Joel Hofer was strong in goal, and Pavel Buchnevich played a solid game as he looks to work out of a slump.
Projected Lineup (Subject to Change)
Jake Neighbours – Robert Thomas – Jimmy Snuggerud
Brayden Schenn – Dalibor Dvorsky – Pavel Buchnevich
Dylan Holloway – Pius Suter – Jordan Kyrou
Alexey Toropchenko – Oskar Sundqvist – Nathan Walker
Philip Broberg – Colton Parayko
Cam Fowler – Justin Faulk
Tyler Tucker – Matthew Kessel
Jordan Binnington
Team Leaders
Thomas leads the Blues with 13 points. There is a three-way tie for the team lead in goals. Faulk, Kyrou, and Neighbours all have six goals on the season. Thomas leads the team in assists with 10. Tucker leads in penalty minutes with 32. Lastly, among the skaters, the leader in plus/minus with a plus-1 rating is the recently sent down Hunter Skinner.
St. Louis Blues defenseman Justin Faulk celebrates his goal with right wing Alexey Toropchenko and left wing Nathan Walker (Eric Hartline-Imagn Images)
In goal, Binnington continues to lead in the major goaltending statistics. He has four wins, a 3.30 goals-against average (GAA), and a .872 save percentage (SV%).
Islanders’ Recent Game
The Islanders are 12-7-2 on the season with 26 points. They are on a two-game winning streak heading into play on Saturday. Their last game saw them shut out the Detroit Red Wings on the road, 5-0. Ilya Sorokin recorded his second shutout of the season, stopping all 29 Detroit shots. Winger Maxim Shabanov led the way for the Islanders’ offense, scoring two goals and adding an assist.
Interestingly, the Islanders did all this without rookie sensation Matthew Schaefer appearing on the scorecard. However, he was a plus-3 for the game.
Projected Lineup (Subject to Change)
Emil Heineman – Bo Horvat – Kyle Palmieri
Jonathan Drouin – Mathew Barzal – Simon Holmstrom
Anders Lee – Jean-Gabriel Pageau – Anthony Duclair
Casey Cizikas – Calum Ritchie – Maxim Shabanov
Matthew Schaefer – Ryan Pulock
Adam Pelech – Tony DeAngelo
Adam Boqvist – Scott Mayfield
Ilya Sorokin
Team Leaders
Horvat leads the Islanders in points with 25. Horvat is the team leader in goals with 14 and assists with 11. Mayfield leads in penalty minutes with 47. Horvat leads yet in another category with a plus-14 rating.
Between the pipes, Sorokin leads the Isles with seven wins, a 2.71 GAA, and a .905 SV%.
Blues’ Storyline
There are multiple things that we could discuss for the Blues. Many things have contributed to their struggling season. However, a recent trend is not making things any easier.
The Blues have gone three games without an even-strength goal by a forward. Their last even-strength goal by a forward was by Thomas in the third period of last Friday’s game. Since then, the Blues have scored five goals. Three have been scored by defenseman, one was a power-play goal by Dvorsky, and the other was a goal the Toronto Maple Leafs put in their own net (credited to Walker).
Seeing the defense generate offense is a great thing. However, it cannot be the only way the Blues score. The Blues need their forwards to step up in even-strength play. It is not the only trend hurting the Blues, and it may not even be the most significant one, but it is one that the Blues need to turn around to get back on track.
Islanders’ Storyline
The biggest story of the Islanders’ season has been Schaefer. The 18-year-old, first-overall pick, has taken the league by storm. He has 15 points in 21 games, including seven goals. Schaefer has the second-most goals by a defenseman to this point in the NHL season. Furthermore, he has the most goals by a rookie overall.
Related: Matthew Schaefer – 2025 NHL Draft Prospect Profile
However, the Ontario native has been left off the scorecard each of the last three games. The Islanders have been doing fine regardless, but they will want their rookie star to keep shining.
