The New York Islanders are in St. Louis to conclude a tough time zone-hopping trip that included a loss in Dallas and a last-minute win in Raleigh last night.
A 1-1 record against playoff-bound teams isn’t bad, and tonight offers the chance for bonus points. The Blues also played last night, but they were at home, pulling out a third-period comeback and OT win against their rivals for home-ice advantage, the Minnesota Wild.
For some remarkably stupid reason, Casey Cizikas is suspended and will not be in the lineup tonight. Barry Trotz said Kieffer Bellows will be in the lineup, but we’ll see who slides over at center, because:
Semyon Varlamov should get the start since Ilya Sorokin was in last night.