The New York Islanders feel good about their five-on-five play but can’t seem to kill a penalty kill if their salaries depended on it.
The St. Louis Blues have a bad power play — although it’s gotten better since the firing of Craig Berube — and a bad penalty kill, which could be a nice match to the Isles’ eighth-ranked power play.
Both teams have fired their coaches this year and gotten nominal bounces from the move, though they chose separate tactics: The Isles hired Patrick Roy, supposedly the only candidate Lou Lamoriello had on his radar.