NHL: Isles keeping pace in wild-card chase with streaking Blues on deck

The New York Islanders aim to strengthen their playoff chances when they visit the red-hot St. Louis Blues on Tuesday.

The Islanders are currently in third place in the Metropolitan Division, just one point behind second-place Pittsburgh and closely followed by several division rivals fighting for a higher spot.

New York struggled at the start of their four-game road trip, dropping the first two games, but bounced back with a 2-1 overtime win against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. Bo Horvat scored the overtime winner, marking his sixth goal in the last eight games.

The victory highlighted the Islanders’ clutch performance, extending their perfect overtime record to 9-0. They are only the second team in NHL history to win its first nine overtime games in a single season.

“It’s a huge, huge second point for us … They’re massive points, right? You take four or five of those away, you’re sitting in a way different spot,” said defenseman Tony DeAngelo. “We’ve been great at controlling the puck, and when we’re not, we’re not giving up too many grade-A chances.”

Tuesday’s game also brings a reunion for Brayden Schenn and Jonathan Drouin. The Islanders acquired Schenn from the Blues at Friday’s trade deadline, with St. Louis receiving Drouin, goaltending prospect Marcus Gidlof, and two draft picks in return.

Meanwhile, the Blues traded Justin Faulk to the Detroit Red Wings as they shifted into sell mode. Despite expectations of a slow finish to the season, St. Louis has surprised many by hitting their stride.

The Blues return home after a perfect 4-0-0 road trip, their longest winning streak of the season. Their most recent win was a 4-0 shutout of Pacific Division-leading Anaheim on Sunday.

Head coach Jim Montgomery praised his veteran players for keeping the team motivated during a tough season.

“The guys that are here, and have been here for a while, have really rallied around each other … The energy in our room, and the positivity in our room is very noticeable,” Montgomery said.

The four-game winning streak has rekindled playoff hopes for the Blues. They remain eight points behind the final Western Conference wild-card spot, with five teams standing in their way.

Goaltenders Joel Hofer and Jordan Binnington have been splitting starts, but Hofer has been in net for three of the four wins and recorded a 22-save shutout against Anaheim, his fifth of the season.

Hofer trails only Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin in shutouts, setting up a potential goaltending duel on Tuesday. Sorokin is enjoying another strong season, with a 23-14-2 record, a 2.50 goals-against average, and a .914 save percentage in 39 starts.

Robert Thomas leads the Blues with 40 points (15 goals, 25 assists), sharing the team lead in goals with Jordan Kyrou and in assists with Pavel Buchnevich. For the Islanders, Horvat leads in goals with 27, while Mathew Barzal tops the team in assists (40) and total points (57).

The Blues won the first matchup of the season between the two teams, a 2-1 road victory over the Islanders on Nov. 22.

-Field Level Media/Reuters