Palmieri, Nelson lead Islanders to 3-1 win over Blues to end three-game skid

NEW YORK (AP) — Kyle Palmieri scored twice, Brock Nelson had a goal and two assists and the New York Islanders beat the St. Louis Blues 3-1 on Saturday night to end a three-game skid.

Ilya Sorokin stopped 24 shots and got his 100th career victory for the Islanders.

Jake Neighbours scored for St. Louis and Jordan Binnington made 28 saves in the Blues’ third loss in four games.

Nelson extended the Islanders lead to 2-0 with a power-play goal with 4:05 left in the second period. He buried a one-timer from his knees when Max Tsyplakov set him up in the slot.

Palmieri opened the scoring with 1:09 left in the first period.

Neighbours scored a power-play goal 45 seconds into the third to pull the Blues within a goal, but Palmieri sealed the Islanders’ win with an empty-netter in the final minute.

Takeaways

Blues: The power play has struggled significantly this season, ranking near the bottom of the NHL. However, Neighbours’ third-period goal could be a catalyst for improvement.

Islanders: New York held a third-period lead in each of their last four games but managed only a 1-2-1 record, with their lone regulation win coming against the Blues on Saturday. … Nelson moved ahead of Bob Bourne into a tie for ninth place with John Tonelli on the Islanders’ scoring list with 544 points.

Key moment

Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson scored midway through the third period to temporarily extend the Islanders lead to 3-1, but the goal was taken off the board after the Blues successfully challenged for goaltender interference.

Key stat

The Islanders’ allowed another power-play goal and continue to struggle at home this season, killing off just seven of 16 opportunities.

Up Next

Blues visit the New York Rangers on Monday, and Islanders host Detroit.

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