Opinion
3 min read

St. Louis Blues Set to Clash with New York Islanders at UBS Arena

As the St. Louis Blues prepare to face off against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena, fans are eager for what promises to be an electrifying game. The Blues have had a rocky performance in their recent outings, and this upcoming match is a chance for redemption.


Dec 3, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA;  St. Louis Blues center Brayden Schenn (10) skates up ice with the puck against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. The Penguins won 6-2. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

In their last game on December 6th against the New York Rangers, the Blues scored 4 points but ultimately fell short with a loss of 6 points against them. Despite showing strength in even situations and scoring three goals during even strength play, their goaltending only saved 18 out of 24 shots, which translated into a save percentage of merely 75 percent. This area clearly needs tightening up if they hope to stand strong against the Islanders.


The powerplay opportunities were somewhat capitalized upon by the Blues as they managed one goal out of four chances; however, their faceoff win percentage was low at just over 45 percent throughout all strengths combined. This indicates that while there's potential in special teams play, there's also room for improvement in controlling puck possession from faceoffs.


On December 4th versus the Pittsburgh Penguins, St. Louis again faced defeat despite putting up a good fight with two goals on even strength and an overall shooting percentage of about seven percent from their total shots taken. Their defense was more aggressive as evidenced by higher hits but still suffered due to penalties that led to two shorthanded goals by Pittsburgh.


Looking back further to December 2nd when they played Carolina Hurricanes at home shows another tough loss despite scoring four goals and having an impressive shooting percentage of over fifteen percent during powerplays. However, it wasn't enough as they conceded six points including two empty-netters which inflated the scoreline unfavorably towards them.


The pattern emerging here is clear: while St. Louis can find the net and has moments where special teams shine through with powerplay goals or high shooting percentages in those moments; it's consistency across all areas—defense included—that needs addressing before heading into UBS Arena.


The New York Islanders will not make this easy for them either; known for being formidable opponents especially on home ice where crowd support can be quite influential.


For fans looking forward to this matchup scheduled on December 7th at UBS Arena starting at 7:30 PM Eastern Time (ET), you can catch all action live via ESPN+ online or tune into MSGSN channel number 635 if you're following from home territory or BSMW channel number 671 away from home base – ensuring you don't miss any part of what could potentially be a turning point game for St Louis Blues' season trajectory.

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