March 7, 2026; San Jose, California, USA; San Jose Sharks goaltender Jaroslav Askarov (30) and New York Islanders center Bo Horvat (14) compete for a loose puck at the goal crease in the third quarter at SAP Center in San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Image The New York Islanders hope to solidify their playoff position when they visit the suddenly hot St. Louis Blues on Tuesday.
The Islanders sit in third place in the Metropolitan Division, one point behind the second-place Pittsburgh Penguins and not far behind several division rivals fighting to move up the standings.
Losing the first two games of a four-game road trip didn’t help the Islanders in their postseason hunt, but they got back on track with a 2-1 overtime win over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. Bo Horvat scored the OT winner for the forward’s sixth goal in his last eight games.
It was another decisive win for the Islanders, who were a perfect 9-0 in overtime. New York is only the second team in NHL history to win its first nine overtime games in a season.
“This is a huge second point for us. Huge points, right? If you take away four or five of those, you’re sitting in a completely different spot,” defenseman Tony DeAngelo said. “So it’s a big thing for us. We’ve been good at just controlling the puck and not giving up too many (Grade A opportunities) even when we don’t.”
Tuesday’s game provides a quick reunion for Brayden Schenn and Jonathan Drouin. New York acquired Schenn from the Blues at Friday’s trade deadline, and St. Louis received Drouin, goaltending prospect Marcus Gidlof and two draft picks in return.
St. Louis also sent Justin Faulk to the Detroit Red Wings at the deadline as the Blues went into sell mode. But just when it looked like the team might have it all figured out, they started playing their best hockey.
The Blues returned home from a perfect 4-0-0 road trip, tying their longest winning streak of the season. The most recent win was a 4-0 rout of the Pacific Division-leading Anaheim Ducks on Sunday.
Coach Jim Montgomery praised the team’s remaining veterans for continuing to play hard during a difficult season.
“People who are here and have been here for a while have really rallied together. The energy in our room and the positivity in our room is very noticeable,” Montgomery said.
With four consecutive wins, the faint hope of advancing to the playoffs was rekindled. St. Louis is eight points behind the final Western Conference wild card spot and five teams stand between the Blues and a postseason spot.
Joel Hofer and Jordan Binnington have split starts, but Hofer has better numbers and has started three of four games during the winning streak. In the game against Anaheim, Hopper’s 22 saves and no runs were his fifth of the season.
Hofer now has one shutout behind the Isles’ Ilya Sorokin for the NHL lead, possibly setting up an exciting goaltending duel on Tuesday. Sorokin is having another great year, posting a 23-14-2 record, 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). Thomas and Jordan Kiru are tied for the lead in goals, while Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich are tied for the lead in assists.
Horvat leads New York with 27 goals. Mathew Barzal leads the team in assists (40) and points (57).
The Blues recorded a 2–1 away win over the Islanders on November 22 in the first meeting of the season between the two teams.
–Field level media
