Oliver Wahlstrom and Brock Nelson scored goals on Saturday afternoon for the New York Islanders, who withstood a furious late rally by the visiting St. Louis Blues in a 2-1 win in Elmont. N.Y.
Ilya Sorokin carried a shutout deep into the third and finished with 27 saves for the Islanders, who snapped a two-game losing streak despite the absence of Mathew Barzal (lower body) and Anders Lee (personal) and even though Kyle Palmieri had a pair of potential goals waved off.
Robert Thomas put back his own rebound for an extra-attacker goal with 2:52 left for the Blues, who have lost back-to-back games. Goalie Jordan Binnington recorded 18 saves.
Wahlstrom’s persistence paid off when he scored the Islanders’ first goal 6:36 into the opening period. The right winger was twice turned back — first on a breakaway generated during an ill-timed shift change by the Blues and then when Dakota Joshua blocked his shot — before he headed to the left goal line. New York rotated the puck around the ice and Adam Pelech fired to Wahlstrom, who shuffled for a moment before tucking a shot between Binnington’s arm and stick.
Palmieri had a goal waved off due to goalie interference on Kieffer Bellows with 3:17 left in the first, but a power play created when Pavel Buchnevich was whistled for slashing in the final five seconds of the period led to Nelson’s goal 1:04 into the second. Binnington turned back a shot by Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Zach Parise got a stick on the puck before it skittered out to Noah Dobson, who dished to Nelson in the right faceoff circle before the center sent a shot beyond Binnington’s glove.
Another potential goal by Palmieri was overturned on challenge with 8:26 left, when he raised his stick to redirect a shot by Ryan Pulock.
The Blues peppered Sorokin with three shots after Thomas’ goal and won a faceoff deep in the Islanders’ zone with 2.5 seconds left, but Cal Clutterbuck slid to block a shot by Thomas just before the buzzer.
–Field Level Media