Game Preview: Islanders at Montreal Canadiens Feb. 26

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (32-21-5) AT MONTREAL CANADIENS (32-17-8) 

7:00 PM | BELL CENTRE 

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The New York Islanders are back in action following the Olympic break and will take on the Montreal Canadiens in their first game back.  

It’s been three weeks since their last time out, but the Islanders are coming off a 3-1 win over the New Jersey Devils on Feb. 5. Bo Horvat (1G, 1A) scored the game-winning goal and notched a multi-point outing for the second consecutive game before he earned silver for Canada in the Winter Olympic Games. Casey Cizikas  and Mathew Barzal were the other goal scorers. Ilya Sorokin stopped 23 of the 24 shots in the win.

PROJECTED LINES 

Below are the Islanders’ lines from Wednesday’s practice at Northwell Health Ice Center.

Bo Horvat has not rejoined the Islanders since returning from the Winter Olympic Games, but Head Coach Patrick Roy confirmed on Tuesday that he will be ready to go against the Canadiens.

Check back on Thursday morning for any updates to the lineup. 

Ondrej Palat – Mathew Barzal– Anthony Duclair
Jonathan Drouin– Cal Ritchie – Emil Heineman
Anders Lee – JG Pageau – Simon Holmstrom
Kyle MacLean – Casey Cizikas– Marc Gatcomb 

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

Ilya Sorokin
David Rittich

FACING FAMILIAR FACES 

Thursday’s contest will be the first time Emil Heineman and Noah Dobson will be playing against their former teams.  

Dobson, who was the 12th pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, was sent to Montreal in exchange for Heineman and two 2025 first-round picks, which turned into Victor Eklund (16th overall) and Kashawn Aitcheson (17th overall), on Jun. 27, 2025.  

Heineman is having a solid first season with the Islanders, compiling a career-high 23 points (15G, 8A) in 58 outings with the Islanders. He put up 18 points (10G, 8A) with Montreal last season, which was his rookie campaign.  

Dobson recorded 230 points (50G, 180A) in 388 career games with the Islanders. He has 38 points (10G, 28A) in his first season with Montreal.

SCHAEFER ON THE BRINK OF HISTORY (AGAIN) 

Matthew Schaefer is one goal shy of tying Denis Potvin (17) for the most goals by an Islanders rookie defenseman and Phil Housley (17) for the most tallies by an 18-year-old defenseman. Potvin set his record over 50 years ago while Housley set his with the Buffalo Sabres in the 1982-83 season. 

Schaefer notched goals in three of the Islanders’ final five games heading into the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. 

He leads all rookie defensemen with 39 points (16G, 23A) in the 2025-26 campaign.   

SOLID STARTS 

The Isles are 23-7-3 when they have netted the game’s first goal this season. Those 23 wins are the sixth most in the NHL when striking first this campaign. New York is 9-14-2 when their opponents are first on the scoresheet. 

Montreal owns the third highest win percentage (42.3%) in the league when the opposing team opens the scoring. They are 11-10-5 in those games.

SEASON SERIES AND STANDINGS 

This is the first of three matchups between the Islanders and Canadiens this season. 

The Isles went 3-0-1 against the Canadiens in their last four matchups dating back to the 2023-24 season, with each game going beyond regulation. 

The Islanders sit third in the Metropolitan Division with 69 points, one point shy of the second place Pittsburgh Penguins (70 points), though the Pens have two games in-hand.   Montreal is tied with the Detroit Red Wings (72 points) but claim second place in the division with one fewer game played (57).  

CANADIENS NOTES 

The Canadiens are entering Thursday’s contest off a 5-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets in their last call to action on Feb. 4. Montreal was hot heading into the Olympic break as winners in four of their last five games. 

Montreal’s Nick Suzuki (Canada), Juraj Slavkovsky (Slovakia) and Oliver Kapanen (Finland) all represented their home nations at The Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. Suzuki earned two points (2G) and a silver medal in six games with Team Canada. Slavkovsky exploded for eight points (4G, 4A) but fell just short of a medal as Kapanen and Finland knocked off Slovakia 6-1 in the bronze medal game.  

Suzuki leads the Canadiens and ranks 12th in the NHL with 65 points (18G, 47A) this season. He notched at least one point in his last nine games against the Islanders.  

The Canadiens have a pair of rookie phenoms in Ivan Demidov and Kapanen. Demidov leads all rookie skaters with 46 points (12G, 34A) this season but has just three points (1G, 2A) in his last seven contests. Kapanen isn’t far behind with 31 points (18G, 13A), but with a tally against the Jets on Feb. 4, he tied Anaheim’s Beckett Sennecke for the most goals (18) among rookie skaters. 

Lane Hutson also scored in Montreal’s 5-1 victory the last time out. Hutson, who is the reigning Calder Trophy winner, was the fourth Canadiens defenseman to score 10 goals in a season before turning 22. He celebrated his birthday on Valentine’s Day. The 22-year-old leads Montreal defensemen and ranks third at his position in the NHL with 58 points (10G, 48A) this season. 

Patrick Laine (upper-body, IR) was practicing in a non-contact jersey on Saturday. He hasn’t suited up for the Canadiens since Oct. 16, 2025. He has one point (1A) in five games, and Montreal is 4-1-0 when he is in the lineup this season. 

The Canadiens' power-play (23.9%) ranks seventh in the NHL, and they have converted at least once in three of their last four games.  

On the flip side, Montreal’s penalty kill (76.9%) ranks 22nd in the league this season and allowed a power-play goal in each of their last three games.