Kyle Palmieri scored twice Saturday night as the New York Islanders finally preserved a third-period lead in defeating the St. Louis Blues 3-1 in Elmont, N.Y.
Palmieri scored late in the first and even later in the third on an empty-netter for the Islanders, who snapped a three-game losing streak (0-2-1) inwhich they squandered a third-period lead each time.
Brock Nelson had a power play goal in the second and two assists for the Islanders. Goalie Ilya Sorokin earned his 100th career win by making 24 saves. Sorokin lost his previous four starts (0-2-2).
Jake Neighbours scored in the opening minute of the third for the Blues, who have lost seven of nine (2-6-1). Goalie Jordan Binnington recorded 28 saves.
Palmieri’s persistence paid off when he scored the game’s first goal with 1:09 left in the first. Ryan Suter’s pass glanced off the stick of Neighbours, who was hounded by Palmieri. The Islanders’ right winger couldn’t corral the puck, which skittered back to Suter near the St. Louis blue line.
Suter dished backward to Pierre-Olivier Joseph, but his pass off the boards in the neutral zone was picked off by Brock Nelson, who passed to Palmieri. His shot from the top of the slot sailed under Binnington’s stick.
A tripping penalty on Suter led to Nelson’s goal with 4:05 left in the second. Maxim Tsyplakov shuffled the puck behind the Blues’ net before sending a pass underneath Colton Parayko just as Nelson fell in the slot. But Nelson, from his knees, fired a shot over Binnington’s glove.
Islanders defenseman Isaiah George was whistled for cross checking just 35 seconds into the third to set up Neighbours’ goal 10 seconds later. Robert Thomas won a faceoff against Nelson before Neighbours, stationed next to Sorokin, took a cross-crease pass from Pavel Buchnevich and tucked a shot over Sorokin’s stick.
Noah Dobson’s goal with 8:27 left was overturned due to goalie interference on Palmieri, who fell into Binnington just before Dobson’s shot went past him. Anders Lee was robbed twice by Binnington with 3:01 remaining before Palmieri iced the win a little more than a minute after Binnington was pulled.
