Saturday night in St. Louis did not initially have the look of the 6-1 blowout it would become, but after a struggling Jordan Binnington robbed the Islanders early and the Blues scored late in the first period to take a 2-0 lead, the writing was on the wall.
Both teams were coming off late, emotional wins the night before, though the Blues were at home and their win meant something, whereas the Isles were traveling after salvaging something on a tough road stretch of a playoff-less season.
The game opened sloppily on both sides, but the Isles had some early chances that might have gotten them into the game and changed the story.