GDT 65: 2/27/20 | 7:00 PM CT | vs Islanders | FSMW/101ESPN

[theohall]

The St. Louis Blues will try to build on their five-game winning streak when they play host to the New York Islanders Thursday night.

After allowing just two goals in their previous four victories, the Blues had to rally from 3-1 and 5-4 deficits to defeat the visiting Chicago Blackhawks 6-5 at home Tuesday night.

"You've got to win games a lot of different ways throughout the season and this is one of them," Blues coach Craig Berube said afterward.

"Crazy game," Blues center Robert Thomas said. "Obviously not our style of play. We have to tighten it up a little bit but happy we got the two points. A lot of run-and-gun, a lot of transition chances, and it's not our game, but we're happy we got the two points."

The Islanders have hit a rough patch, going 2-4-1 in their last seven games. Since winning 4-3 in overtime Jan. 7 at New Jersey, they are just 8-8-4.

Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello explored multiple trades before the deadline while seeking to give his team a jolt. He acquired center Jean-Gabriel Pageau from the Ottawa Senators Monday for first- and second-round draft picks, plus a potential third-rounder.

Pageau quickly signed a six-year contract with the Islanders to bypass free agency. He scored in his Islanders' debut, a 4-3 overtime loss to the New York Rangers on Tuesday night.

He also instigated a fight with Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba after Trouba knocked forward Michael Dal Colle out of the game with a big hit.

"We wanted him, we got him for six years, he's impactful and he changes our team in so many ways," Islanders coach Barry Trotz said of Pageau. "You saw how he stepped up. What a great pickup by Lou. The (traded draft) picks are nothing. A lot of picks never play and we have a solid guy and he fits right into our team. You saw his character, how he plays, his smarts and all that. He's going to be impactful for us. I'm glad he's on our side."

The Blues will look to get back to their tight-checking game against the Islanders, particularly on the penalty kill. They killed all 16 power plays they faced during a five-game span before allowing the Blackhawks to score three times with the man advantage.

"We know that was an issue tonight," center Ryan O'Reilly said. "We're usually better than that on the penalty kill. We gave up way too much. We left (goaltender Jordan Binnington) out to dry there. We're usually better and we shut it down, keep it to the outside and not give them that many point-blank opportunities. It's an adjustment that we have to make, and I think we will."

Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov is 10-10-3 in his career against the Blues with a 2.32 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage.

Varlamov was not in goal Oct. 14 when the Islanders won the previous meeting between these teams 3-2 in overtime at home. Thomas Griess made 21 saves that day. Binnington took the loss for the Blues.

Also, St. Louis defenseman Jay Bouwmeester said Wednesday that he will miss the rest of the season due to the cardiac incident he suffered earlier this month. The 36-year-old collapsed during a road game against the Anaheim Ducks on Feb. 11, and doctors used a defibrillator to revive him before transporting him to a nearby hospital.

Dal Colle and defenseman Andy Greene are questionable to play for the Islanders on Thursday after sustaining upper-body injuries Tuesday.

[glen a richter]

Dal Colle got absolutely rocked in the last game against the Rags. No penalty, no suspension, no nothing. But he got destroyed and I would doubt he plays tonight.

[gaijin]

I wonder if we see Allen in net tonight, to give Binner some rest.

[Robb_K]

The Blues look kind of shaky so far. They seem to be unconfident and off kilter. And they're off on a lot of their passes. They don't seem to have much energy. I hope they perk up soon.

[ibldbl]

They look like complete and total dogshit. 0-2 for now

[Robb_K]

Schenn take the quick pass from O'Reilly and blasts it by Greiss!!!! Blues cut the lead to 1 in the last minute!!!

[glen a richter]

Can’t catch a break

[Toasted Oates]

DUNN

[Robb_K]

Dunn scores with less than 2 minutes!!! The Blues tie it up at 2!!!!

[Robb_K]

Let's when this in OT!

[Robb_K]

Parayko scores on a beautiful wraparound!!!! Blues win in OT!!! 2 More points!!!!

[glen a richter]

That was a winning teams win, stick with it, keep the pressure on and get the goals when you need them.

[Robb_K]

Great, gutsy, comeback win. The Blues are peaking at the right time. Even when they start games not ready to play they are clawing their way back in and winning. Let's hope they can play this way all the way until thelast game of the playoffs. But I hope they don't start off any more games as sloppily, and out of it, as they did this game. Good thing it was the low-scoring islanders, who got only 2 goals before The Blues woke up. If it had been Colorado, it might have been 4-0 at the start, and a LOT tougher to come back.

[Robb_K]

In about 70 years of watching and playing hockey I've NEVER seen an Overtime STALL! What kind of strategy is that? If you win the initial faceoff, play "keepaway" till the last 20 seconds, and then try to score??? If the other team NEVER gets possession they can't beat you??? Did they think they were a LOT better off in a shootout than OT on the ice???

[ibldbl]

Once Schenn scored, the Blues really turned it on, and kept the shots against really down. Didn't they allow like 4 or 5 shots for the 2nd AND 3rd period? WOW!

[Robb_K]

Once Schenn scored, the Blues really turned it on, and kept the shots against really down. Didn't they allow like 4 or 5 shots for the 2nd AND 3rd period? WOW!

The Blues were helped a lot by Trotz's turtling style. The Isles didn't even try to score after they went up 2-0. On so-called offence, they kept dumping the puck into The Blues' Zone, and trying to "forecheck" feebly, by sending only one man in, and praying that he gain possession inside. Meanwhile. their other 4 would hang back to make sure they'd always have enough back to smother The Blues in The Neutral Zone and on their Blue Line, to avoid The Blues having any room to operate. The Blues were lucky The Isles tried to stall for the first 80% of OT, not even trying to score.

[WaukeeBlues]

Once Schenn scored, the Blues really turned it on, and kept the shots against really down. Didn't they allow like 4 or 5 shots for the 2nd AND 3rd period? WOW!

The Blues were helped a lot by Trotz's turtling style. The Isles didn't even try to score after they went up 2-0. On so-called offence, they kept dumping the puck into The Blues' Zone, and trying to "forecheck" feebly, by sending only one man in, and praying that he gain possession inside. Meanwhile. their other 4 would hang back to make sure they'd always have enough back to smother The Blues in The Neutral Zone and on their Blue Line, to avoid The Blues having any room to operate. The Blues were lucky The Isles tried to stall for the first 80% of OT, not even trying to score.

On your first point I tend to agree, they weren't being aggressive. What puzzles me is their choice of opponent in deploying that strategy: the defending cup champions? I would argue basically as a general rule to NEVER sit back and try to protect a lead against the defending cup champions unless you're up by 4+. By their very definition, they know how to win and will find a way to. Silly.

As to the OT it didn't strike me so much that they were stalling so much as they were obsessively concerned with maintaining possession and only shooting if they had a good look down the gut, which they never got. The irony then being Parayko scores on what essentially amounted to a garbage scramble play trying to make something out of nothing.

[theohall]

That's the way the Islanders play. If they get a lead, they sit on it. As to OT, Binnington doesn't have that good a record in shootouts, so getting to the shootout would be a valid strategy.