Game Preview: Islanders at Canadiens

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (39-25-5) AT MONTREAL CANADIENS (37-21-10) 

7:00 PM | BELL CENTRE 

WATCH/STREAM: MSGSN 

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

The New York Islanders finish off their final multi-game road trip of the regular season against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on Saturday night.  

New York fell to the Ottawa Senators 3-2 on Thursday night. Matthew Schaefer and Brayden Schenn were the Isles’ goal scorers in the defeat. Ilya Sorokin was between the pipes and made 23 saves on 26 shots. 

PROJECTED LINES 

Here is how the Islanders lined up against the Senators on Thursday. Check back after Saturday’s morning skate for any updates to the lineup. 

Emil Heineman – Bo Horvat – Mathew Barzal
Anthony Duclair – Brayden Schenn – Simon Holmstrom
Anders Lee – JG Pageau – Cal Ritchie
Ondrej Palat – Casey Cizikas – Kyle MacLean  

Matthew Schaefer – Ryan Pulock
Adam Pelech – Tony DeAngelo
Carson Soucy – Scott Mayfield 

Ilya Sorokin
David Rittich

SCHAEFER STRIKES AGAIN 

With a goal against the Sens, Schaefer became the youngest defenseman to reach 50 career points in NHL history. He also became the seventh youngest player ever to eclipse 50 career points in NHL history. 

Schaefer achieved this feat in 69 games and ranks second on the Islanders with 50 points (21G, 29A) this season. The 18-year-old has six points (1G, 5A) in his last seven outings and notched a pair of goals against the Canadiens on Feb. 26. 

SCHENN SCORES 

Schenn enters Saturday’s contest on a three-game point streak, with three points (2G, 1A) in that stretch. The newly acquired Islander has found the back of the net in each of the last two games for New York.  

Schenn has four points (2G, 2A) in his first six games with the Islanders and ranks third on the team in points since the trade. He has 32 points (14G, 18A) in 67 games between the Blues and Islanders this season. 

SEASON SERIES AND STANDINGS 

This is the second of three regular season meetings between the Isles and Canadiens this year. New York came back from down 2-0 and topped Montreal 4-3 in overtime at the Bell Centre on Feb. 26.  

The Islanders (83 points) are tied with the Columbus Blue Jackets (83 points) for third in the Metropolitan Division, but Columbus sit ahead in the standings with one game in-hand. New York is currently out of a playoff position and just behind the Boston Bruins (84 points) and Detroit Red Wings (84 points) for Wild Card spots in the Eastern Conference.

CANADIENS NOTES 

- Montreal enters Saturday off a 3-1 loss to the Red Wings, which marked their third defeat in their last four games (1-3-0). Juraj Slafkovsky scored the Canadiens’ only goal in the loss. 

- The Canadiens (84 points) sit in third place in the Atlantic Division and ahead of the Bruins (84 points) and Red Wings (84 points) since they have played one fewer game (68).  

- Slafkovsky is riding a five-game point streak coming into Saturday’s game against the Islanders and 11 points (4G, 7A) in his last nine contests. The 21-year-old registered an assist the last time these two squads met. He ranks third on the Canadiens with 57 points (25G, 32A) in 68 games this season. 

- Slafkovsky's line mates – Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield – have also been on a tear as of late, with Suzuki also on a five-game point streak and Caufield on a four-game one. Suzuki has earned seven points (3G, 4A), including two multi-point games, in this five-game stretch and is tied for 10th in the NHL with 81 points (24G, 57A) this season. Caufield has five points (3G, 2A) in his four-game streak and is tied for second on the team with 69 points (40G, 29A) in this campaign.  

- Though he didn’t hit the scoresheet against Detroit, Lane Hutson has 10 points (1G, 2A) in his last nine games. Hutson has 29 multi-assist games in 152 GP and is one multi-assist performance away from passing Denis Potvin (177 GP) and becoming the quickest defenseman in NHL history to reach 30 of such games. He recorded one assist in the last game against the Isles. Hutson ranks first among Canadiens defensemen and is tied for third among all NHL defensemen with 69 points (11G, 58A) this season. 

- Noah Dobson, who was selected 12th overall by the Islanders in the 2018 NHL Draft, will play his second game against his former franchise. He scored twice in the overtime loss to the Islanders on Feb. 26 and ranks fifth on the team with 45 points (12G, 33A) this year. 

- Josh Anderson (upper-body, day-to-day) was absent from the lineup against the Red Wings on Thursday night. Anderson has 22 points (13G, 9A) in 61 games this season. 

- Patrick Laine (upper-body, IR) hasn’t suited up for the Canadiens since Oct. 16, 2025. He’s making strides toward returning but likely will not face the Islanders on Saturday.  

- Montreal owns the sixth-best power-play (24.4%) in the NHL this season but have converted just once on their last 10 power-play chances.  

- Defensively, the Canadiens own the 25th best penalty kill (77.1%) in the league this season.