An energized crowd at UBS Arena on Wednesday night chanted "We want playoffs," and the New York Islanders delivered.
The Islanders clinched a playoff spot for the fourth time in five seasons with a 4-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens. Brock Nelson (2G), Hudson Fasching and Anders Lee scored for the Islanders to secure their playoff spot, while Rem Pitlick and Nicholas Suzuki (SHG) scored for Montreal.
Ilya Sorokin made 17 saves in the clinching win and will see the postseason for the second time in his career.
The Islanders finished the season with 93 points with a record of 42-31-9. They currently occupy the first wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of the Florida Panthers (92 points), though the Panthers can reclaim the first wild card spot with a win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night.
Rapid Recap: Islanders 4, Canadiens 2
The Islanders clinch playoff spot in the last game of the regular season