Game Preview: Islanders vs Canadiens 

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (36-27-15) VS MONTREAL CANADIENS (30-36-12)

7:30 PM ET | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS

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The New York Islanders are looking to match a season-long six-game winning streak when they host the Montreal Canadiens Thursday night at UBS Arena.

A three-goal first period powered a 4-2 win over the New York Rangers on Tuesday night. Mike Reilly, Bo Horvat (1G, 1A), Kyle Palmieri and Anders Lee (ENG) scored in the fifth straight victory, while Noah Dobson notched a pair of assists. Semyon Varlamov made 31 saves in his sixth start in the last nine games for the Islanders.

The Canadiens exploded for nine goals in a 9-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night. Juraj Slafkovsky recorded his first career hat trick, Brendan Gallagher capped off a three-point night (2G, 1A), while Sam Montembeault made 33 saves in the win. The Flyers’ winless skid hit eight games (0-6-2) as they stand outside the playoff picture.

The Islanders (87 points) are in third place in the Metropolitan Division and have four games remaining in the regular season to attempt to lock that position down. All five teams who stand four points apart in the airtight race for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference were idle on Wednesday night, but the Washington Capitals (85 points), Pittsburgh Penguins (84 points), Detroit Red Wings (84 points), and Philadelphia Flyers (83 points) are all in action on Thursday as the Isles host the Canadiens.

The Islanders dropped a pair of losses to the Canadiens this season. The Isles fell 5-3 on Dec. 16 and on 4-3 on Jan. 25, both in Montreal. Montreal is the only eastern conference opponent the Isles have yet to record at least one point in the standings against this season. The last time the Islanders hosted the Canadiens at UBS Arena was on Apr. 12, where they clinched a playoff spot with a 4-2 win in game 82 of the 2022-23 season.

MORNING SKATE UPDATES

- Sebastian Aho, who has been a healthy scratch in nine of the last 10 games, will draw into the lineup for Robert Bortuzzo. 

- Semyon Varlamov wil start against the Montreal Canadiens, per Head Coach Patrick Roy. Varlamov is 5-1-0 in his last six starts, along with a .938 SV%, allowing 13 goals over that span. Thusday will mark his seventh start in the last 10 games for the Islanders. 

- Sam Montembeault is the confirmed starter against New York. Montembeault was in net for both wins against the Islanders (5-3 on Dec. 16 and 4-3 on Jan. 25). He has a record of 3-2-2 through eight career appearances against the Isles, along with a .930 SV% and a 2.40 GAA.

ISLES NOTES

- The Islanders are riding the longest active winning streak in the NHL with five straight victories where they outscored opponents 16-8 over that stretch. The streak lifted the Isles to nine games over the NHL-.500, which ties a season-high.

- Noah Dobson notched two assists on Tuesday against the Rangers, extended his point streak to three games (2G, 2A), and joined rare company as a result of hitting the 70-point mark for the first time in his career. He became the first Islander defenseman with at least 70 points in a season since Denis Potvin accomplished the feat for the seventh time in 1983-84. The only other defenseman to have ever hit 70 points is Denis’ brother Jean who had 72 points in 1975-76. He also recorded the fifth 60-assist season by an Islander defenseman, with Potvin recording the other four in Isles history.

- Mathew Barzal extended his point streak to five games (6A) and bolstered his team-leading 80 points with an assist on Horvat’s goal on Tuesday.

- Anders Lee achieved his eighth career 20-goal season with an empty-net goal on Tuesday. The captain has put up 20-goal campaigns in seven of his last eight seasons, with his only miss coming in the shortened 2020-21 season with the 56-game slate that also saw Lee limited to 27 games due to injury.

- Kyle Palmieri is riding a three-game goal streak (3G) and is up to 27 on the season. The winger’s 27 goals and 48 points mark his best numbers as an Islander and highest since the 2018-19 season.

- The Islanders have scored empty-net goals in three straight games following a stretch where they potted two in the first 75 games of the season.

- With four games remaining in the regular season, the Islanders are keeping pace with their point totals at this point last year. The Isles have racked up 87 points, matching last year’s 87 points (39-30-9) through 78 games played.

CANADIENS NOTES

- The Canadiens rank eighth in the Atlantic Division with 72 points and will miss the playoffs for the third straight season. They snapped a three-game losing streak with a 9-3 win over the Flyers on Tuesday night on home ice.  

- Nick Suzuki leads the team and set career highs with 33 goals and 75 points in his fifth season, all with the Canadiens. The 24-year-old forward has six points (3G, 3A) in his last five outings.

- Juraj Slafkovsky recorded his first career hat trick on Tuesday, becoming the sixth player in franchise history age 20 or younger to score a hat trick. The 2022 first overall pick has 19 goals and 48 points in his first full season in the NHL. 

- With an assist on Tuesday, Cole Caufield hit the 60-point mark for the first time in his career. The 23-year-old enters Thursday’s contest against the Islanders on a five-game point streak, with four goals and one assist over that span. Caufield skated in his 200th NHL game on Sunday against the Rangers. 

- The organization announced on Tuesday that Arber Xhekaj will undergo shoulder surgery after he was injured in a 7-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Apr. 4. The defenseman will miss the rest of the regular season but is expected to be ready for next season. The 23-year-old recorded 10 points (3G, 7A) through 44 games this season and leads Montreal with 81 penalty minutes. 

- Montreal has struggled defensively this year as their 3.40 GA/GP ranks 26th in the NHL and their penalty kill (76.6%) ranks 25th.