3 Takeaways: Isles Score 2-1 Win Over Canadiens

The New York Islanders snapped out of four-game winless skid on Saturday night with a 2-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens at UBS Arena.
Casey Cizikas and Anthony Beauvillier scored in the first period, while Nick Suzuki scored the lone goal for the Canadiens midway through the third period. It was a much-needed win for a team that had challenged itself internally after the two previous home defeats.

"Between our last two games with Dallas and Minnesota we played some good hockey and for us to come out here tonight and respond the way we did just shows the character in this room," Cizikas said. "Guys were challenged and we did well."
Ilya Sorokin stopped 22-of-23 in the win, while Sam Montembeault stopped 36-of-38 in the loss. The win also came on a night where the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals both suffered regulation defeats, putting the Isles back in the second wild card in the Eastern Conference.

ISLES RIDE EARLY LEAD TO WIN:

After scoring one goal in each of their past three games, the Islanders were looking to unlock the offense against a struggling Canadiens team, one averaging 5.13 goals against per game in their last eight contests.
They found it early, as the Islanders jumped out to a 2-0 lead by the 6:03 mark of the first period. It marked the first since Dec. 16 in Arizona the Islanders had a 2-0 lead in the first period.
Casey Cizikas got the party started, tipping a Noah Dobson shot from the point past Sam Montembeault at 2:25. Anthony Beauvillier made it 2-0 shortly after, as he was on the doorstep to clean up a rebound after Montembeault couldn't control a Scott Mayfield point shot.
Beauvillier's goal snapped an eight-game goal drought for the French-Canadian forward.
"We wanted to get back the way we want to play and get back to the way we we've had success," Beauvillier said. "It comes with having a good forecheck and D throwing pucks to the net and us crashing to the net. We got two goals like that and it ended up winning us the game."

After that, the Islanders effectively put the game into cruise control, as the teams played a low-key second period, though the laissez-faire stretch allowed Suzuki to put a scare in the Islanders late in the third. The Canadiens captain shoveled a backhander by Sorokin, finishing a play that started with him blocking an Alex Romanov clearing attempt.
That snapped the Islanders back into form, as they took control of the game, outshooting Montreal 5-1 after the Suzuki goal.
Between the early start, sound structure and strong finish, the Islanders were in control of a majority of the contest. They outshot Montreal 38-23, out-attempted them 75-46 and had the edge in high-danger chances (at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick) 13-9.
"We settled in and we controlled the puck when we needed to and we were pretty smart with that," Anders Lee said. "When we did make mistakes we had guys in position in our structure to back this up, so one of those nights where you're smart with the puck and you five yourself a really good chance."

HOME PK STAYS HOT:

ISLANDERS 2, CANADIENS 1
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Socios.com Postgame Photos
The Skinny
ISLANDERS-CANADIENS VIDEO
Full Highlights
Postgame: Lambert
Postgame: Lee

Postgame: Beauvillier
KINGER'S CALLS
Cizikas' Deflection
Beauvillier Scores vs Habs
The Islanders penalty kill stayed hot.
The Islanders killed off both of their penalties on Saturday night, extending their streak to 19 straight kills on home ice in the past nine games.
New York limited Montreal to two total shots on their two power plays.

MAYFIELD HEATING UP:

Scott Mayfield is heating up offensively for the Islanders of late.
The defenseman recorded an assist on Beauvillier's goal, marking his fourth point (1G, 3A) in the past five games.
Mayfield is now up to 12 points (5G, 7A) on the season.
He finished the game with three shots on goal, six total attempts and 22:52 TOI, one second behind Sebastian Aho for the team lead.
Mayfield's night was part of an active evening for the Isles d corps, who had 15 shots on goal and 32 total attempts.
"You have to give our D a lot of credit," Cizikas said. "They did a really good job of getting pucks through and on the net. That's what generated our ozone time."

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders take on the Washington Capitals for the first time this season when the Metro Division rivals tangle on Monday night at UBS Arena. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m.