ELMONT, N.Y. — The Islanders snapped a two-game losing streak with one of their better team efforts in a 2-1 win over the Blues on Saturday afternoon at UBS Arena.
And that didn’t include two disallowed goals for Kyle Palmieri as the Islanders continued a six-game homestand in a surprisingly chippy game for two teams that hadn’t met since Feb. 27, 2020.
Ilya Sorokin made 27 saves for the Islanders (21-23-8), losing his bid for a second shutout in three games when Robert Thomas scored from a tough angle at 17:08 of the third period with the Blues skating six-on-five.
But Sorokin was solid after that, making several in-tight saves, including denying Brayden Schenn from the low slot with 61 seconds to go in regulation.
The Islanders are still 17 points behind the Capitals for the Eastern Conference’s final wild-card spot.
Jordan Binnington stopped 18 shots for the Blues (32-16-6), who have lost two straight but are still on a 6-2-1 run.
The Islanders improved to 4-16-2 against teams holding a playoff position, having been outscored 73-40 in those games.
The Islanders took a 1-0 lead on Oliver Wahlstrom’s sharp-angle shot to the short side from below the left circle at 6:36 of the first period. That was seconds after he pounced on a loose puck in the Blues’ zone but Binnington turned aside his backhander at the crease. It was Wahlstrom’s first goal in 12 games, dating to Feb. 1.
Palmieri’s first apparent goal at 16:43 of the first period — which would have been his seventh in 10 games — was overturned as Blues coach Craig Berube successfully challenged for goalie interference after Kieffer Bellows, setting a screen, knocked Binnington’s goalie stick out of his hands.
Palmieri’s apparent power-play goal at 11:34 of the third period, which would have made it 3-0, was waved off upon video review as it was determined Palmieri deflected defenseman Ryan Pulock’s blue-line wrister with a high stick.
Brock Nelson’s power-play goal, connecting from the right circle for his 20th of the season, made it 2-0 at 1:04 of the second period.
