Game Preview: Islanders vs Canadiens

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (1-1-2) AT MONTREAL CANADIENS (2-3-0)

7 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS

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LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | ISLANDERS + UBS ARENA APP

The New York Islanders are back at home to host the Montreal Canadiens in Saturday night hockey action at UBS Arena.

The Isles earned three of a possible six points on their three-game Central Division road trip, and the team is looking to move forward and carry over the positives and lessons into their next game.

“I think there are some good things we can take away and there’s a lot we can learn from,” Ryan Pulock said on Thursday night. “Over the course of the three games, we were good at times, but we didn’t play so well at times. So we need to find that consistency a little more and being a little more complete each night.”

New York picked up a point in a 1-0 OT loss to the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night, but it marked the second time in three games the Isles offense came up empty. Ilya Sorokin, who made his second consecutive start after missing all of preseason, stopped 29 of 30 shots in the overtime loss.

The Canadiens dropped a 4-1 decision to the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night. Justin Barron opened the scoring for the Habs with a slick wraparound goal, but the Kings scored four unanswered goals by Mikey Anderson, Alex Laferriere, Andreas Englund and Adrian Kempe to give Montreal its second consecutive loss. Sam Montembeault stopped 28 of 31 shots faced.

The Isles went 1-2-0 against the Canadiens in a three-game season series last year.

MORNING SKATE UPDATES

Semyon Varlamov will start in goal for the Islanders, per Head Coach Patrick Roy, who said he wants to make sure both of his netminders stay sharp. Varlamov Is 0-1-1 this season, but was solid in his most recent outing against Dallas. He is 1-2-1 against Montreal since joining the Isles in 2019.

Julien Gauthier will make his season debut as he draws into the lineup for Oliver Wahlstrom. Gauthier had nine points (5G, 4A) in 27 games with the Isles last season, but spent the second half of the season in Bridgeport and has not played an NHL game since Jan. 25, coincidentially against the Canadiens.

Cayden Primeau will start in goal for the Canadiens. Primeau is 0-1-0 this season allowing six goals in his only start of the season against Boston. Primeau is 11-22-6 across his 45-game NHL career with a 3.53 GAA and an .891 SV%, but Saturday will mark his first-ever start against the Islanders.

ISLES NOTES

- Sorokin started for the second straight game and made 61 saves on 64 shots faced over that span, which is an encouraging sign considering he joined training camp two weeks in and did not get into preseason action.

“He’s amazing, and with everything he’s been through it shows the character that he has,” JG Pageau said after the overtime loss. “How competitive he is day in, day out and the results are coming. He’s been a rock for us since he came in.”

- Sorokin played his 194th career game, passing Thomas Greiss for sole possession of fifth place among Isles netminders.

- Kyle MacLean went 2-for-2 in the dot and leads Isles centers in faceoff win percentage (73%) through the first four games of the season.

- Brock Nelson and Anthony Duclair are tied for the team lead in points (3), each with two goals and one assist through four games.

- Nelson leads active Islanders with 17 goals and 25 points in 29 games against the Habs.

- The Islanders penalty kill units have been perfect through three games, going 5-for-5 over that span after it went 0-for-2 on Opening Night. The power play on the other hand, has not converted in three games, going 0-for-4 since the season opener.

CANADIENS NOTES:

- Cole Caufield leads Montreal with four goals and five points through five games this season. Caufield’s 28 goals last season marked a career-high and were second only to captain Nick Suzuki’s 33. The small – 5’8, 175 lbs. – but shifty winger has six points (3G, 3A) in six career games against the Islanders.

- Captain Nick Suzuki currently leads the Canadiens with four assists to start the season and is riding a three-game assist streak. Suzuki has 12 points (5G, 7A) in 11 career games against the Islanders.

- Rookie defenseman Lane Hutson is generating buzz early in his Habs career with four assists in five games to start the season. The 2022 second-round pick (62nd overall) had two standout years at Boston University where he amassed 97 points (30G, 67A) in 77 games. Hutson was a two-time First Team All-American and a Hobey Baker top-10 Finalist in 2024, among other accolades. He also won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2024 World Juniors and a bronze at the 2023 World Juniors.

- Defensemen Kaiden Guhle missed Friday’s practice and is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury. The 22-year-old has four points (1G, 3A) in five games to start the season. Guhle was Montreal’s first-round pick (16th overall) in 2020.

- In a corresponding move, defenseman Logan Mailloux, Montreal’s 2021 first-round pick, was recalled from Laval on Friday morning and practiced with the team. Mailloux made his NHL debut at the end of last season, recording an assist in Montreal’s season finale. Mailloux was an AHL All-Star in 2023-24, recording 47 points in 72 games with Laval.

- Sam Montembeault is 2-2-0 to start the season with a 2.29 GAA, a .932 SV% and one shutout. He was spectacular in Montreal’s season opener, recording a 48-save shutout against Toronto. After allowing one goal in his first two games, Montembeault has allowed eight goals on 60 shots in consecutive losses. Montembeault is 3-2-1 against the Islanders since joining Montreal, recording a 2.83 GAA and a .919 SV% over that span.

- Montreal’s PK has been a stingy 93.8% early on this season, only allowing one power-play goal on 16 shorthanded opportunities.