New York Islanders forward Fans Nielsen tallied the first goal of the game, but that's all the Isles could muster in a 5-1 loss to the host St. Louisville Blues at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis Thursday night. The Islanders (24-25-8, 56 points) allowed five unanswered goals, including a trio in the second period to the Blues (35-15-7, 77 points), who have won five of their last six games.
The Islanders, who have now traded wins and loses in their last eight games, received another poor effort frombackup goaltender Al Montoya, who started and allowed five scores on just 31 shots. Montoya has lost four straight starts.
Meanwhile, the Blues got goals from five different players with Kevin Shattenkirk tallying the game-winner at the 17:12 mark in the first period. St. Louis' defensemen Alex Pietrangelo collected three assists to earn the game's first star, while goaltender Brian Elliott made 26 saves.
On Saturday, the Islanders host the Carolina Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET).
For more on the Islanders, check out the SB Nation blog Lighthouse Hockey. For more on the Blues, head over to St. Louis Game Time.