For a disorienting 12:30 p.m. start, the New York Islanders and St. Louis Blues did not have a sleepy match Saturday at Belmont. The game was fairly feisty for cross-conference opponents, and the Islanders used the first two goals — a rarity for them this season — to hang on for a 2-1 victory.
Kyle Palmieri had as many disallowed goals as his teammates had allowed ones, but the Isles didn’t need the insurance thanks to 27 saves from Ilya Sorokin — some huge ones in the closing minutes — and disciplined defensive work from the team in front of him.