Takeaways: Isles Outlast Habs, Win 4-3 in Marathon Shootout 

It took three periods, one overtime, and a nine-round shootout, but the New York Islanders found a way to outlast the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.

Noah Dobson’s first-career shootout tally held up as the game-deciding goal, giving the Isles a 4-3 win in their first game back at UBS Arena following a three-game road trip.

“Finally,” Dobson joked about his first shootout goal, which came on his fourth-career attempt. “It felt good. Obviously, not the most common spot for us d-men, but as we getting down the line, we're getting ready and just try to make the most of the opportunity. Obviously, a huge win.”

Dobson also finished the game with two assists and a game-high seven shots, while Bo Horvat (PPG), Kyle Palmieri and Anders Lee scored in regulation for the Isles. Cole Caufield scored a pair of goals, including a power-play goal, while rookie defenseman Logan Mailloux’s first-career NHL goal rounded out the scoring for the Habs.

Semyon Varlamov stopped 21-of-24 shots in regulation and OT, plus another seven in the shootout, while Cayden Primeau stopped 33-of-36 in regulation and six in the bonus round.

The shootout win was the Islanders first since Nov. 18, 2023 in Calgary and first nine-round shootout since Jan. 18, 2022 against Philadelphia.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Islanders built a 2-0 lead in the first period on a power-play goal by Horvat and an even strength tally from Palmieri in a 2:26 span late in the frame.

Horvat’s power-play goal, a one-timer from the bumper position on a feed from Mathew Barzal, snapped the Isles’ 0-for-9 drought with the man advantage. Palmieri made it 2-0 shortly after, taking a home run pass from Dobson, skating down the wing and snapping a wrist shot far side on Primeau at 16:58.

The lead did not last long, as Caufield ripped a slap shot under the bar on a Canadiens power play with just over three seconds left in the first period. Mailloux tied the score 59 seconds into the second period, skating undetected into the slot and snapping a wrister past Varlamov.

The Islanders had a golden opportunity to reclaim the lead, hemming the Habs in their own end for approximately three minutes, but could not convert.

Lee eventually broke the 2-2 deadlock with 4:36 remaining in the third period, crashing the net depositing a JG Pageau rebound. Again, the lead did not last, as Caufield beat Varlamov with 2:10 remaining on a long-range wrister through traffic.

The Isles had a chance to put the game away with a power play in overtime, but clanked a pair of posts to force a shootout. The nine-round shootout saw Palmieri, Simon Holmstrom and Dobson score for the Isles, while Oliver Kapanen and Emil Heineman scored for the Canadiens.

While the Isles saw blown leads turn into an OT loss in the season opener against Utah, the Isles regrouped after the late goal and rallied for the win.

“We regrouped after the goal, called the timeout, just to make sure that we stay focused and keep the same energy level,” Roy said. “I was proud the way that guys responded after this. It could have been a tough one, and effected the play of our team, but it didn't change anything. We kept moving, we kept pressing, and we had our chances.”

VARLAMOV SOLID IN SHOOTOUT WIN:

Varlamov was sharp in his first action in a week. The veteran netminder started his night with save on a partial breakaway for Joel Armia and ended it with a series of breakaway saves in the nine-round shootout.

Varlamov was hard to fault on Montreal’s first two goals, Caufield’s slap shot under the crossbar on a Canadiens power play – and a breakdown left Mailloux open in the slot to snipe home his first NHL goal.

Tied 2-2, Varlamov came up with a key breakaway stop on Caufield to preserve the tie and bailed out his teammates by stopping Jake Evans on a shorthanded two-on-one rush in the third period.

The Russian goaltender admitted that it was frustrating to let in Caufield’s tying goal in the third period – a long-range wrister that snuck through his body – but he found redemption in the lengthy shootout.

POWER PLAY GOES 1-FOR-6, BUT SEES ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT:

The Islanders power play went 1-for-6 on Saturday night, converting on its first chance before going scoreless on the next five, including a four-on-three power play in overtime.

It was a mixed bag for the power play, which obviously saw success early, but also found itself on the perimeter during the middle of the game and conceded a few shorthanded chances. The power play ultimately finished the game with eight shots, not including a pair off the post in OT, with Roy saying postgame that volume needs to be key for the Isles.

“We have to have that killer instinct even if we get one early, we can't be satisfied with that,” Dobson said. “We got away with it tonight, where we were able to find a way to win, but when we get those opportunities late in the game, third period, overtime, we have to capitalize. That's on us, we have to find a way to be better in those situations.”

DUCLAIR LEAVES GAME:

Anthony Duclair left Saturday’s game in the third period, but did not return. Roy did not have an update after the contest.

LINEUP NOTES:

Julien Gauthier made his season debut, drawing in for Oliver Wahlstrom. Gauthier finished the game with 7:42 TOI and a pair of hits.

NOTABLE QUOTE:

JG Pageau summarizing Saturday's game:

“It's a relief. It feels good. I thought we deserved that game. We have a lot of chances. We played well, we played hard, we did a lot of good things, and giving up a couple leads and then seeing Duclair do go down, which is never fun see a teammate go down, we showed a lot of character to keep pushing towards our goal to win the game and get the two points.”

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders take on the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night at 7:45 p.m.