Game Preview: Islanders vs Canadiens

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (22-18-3) VS MONTREAL CANADIENS (17-22-3)
7 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS
MIKE BOSSY LEGENDS NIGHT
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Saturday is Mike Bossy night at UBS Arena, and fittingly, it comes as the New York Islanders host the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night at UBS Arena.
While the Islanders plan to honor the late legend as part of the 50th anniversary celebration, they'll also look to get back on track and buck a four-game winless streak (0-3-1).

The Islanders are coming off a 3-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night at UBS Arena. Scott Mayfield scored in the first period as the Islanders carried a 1-0 lead into the final 10 minutes, but Minnesota scored a pair of goals 93 seconds apart to upend the Isles.
The Canadiens are coming off a 4-3 win over the Nashville Predators on Thursday night. Cole Caufield scored a pair of power-play goals, including the eventual game-winner early in the third period. Montreal went with 11 forwards and seven defensemen in the win.
The Islanders went 2-1-0 against the Canadiens last season in a year that favored the road team. The Isles won both contests in Montreal, while the Habs won the lone game at UBS Arena. The Islanders are 2-7-3 in their last 12 home games vs Montreal.

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• The Islanders are 0-3-1 in their last four games, which marks the Isles' first four-game winless streak of the season. Thursday's loss also snapped a four-game home point streak. Saturday marks the third game in a season-long five-game homestand.
  - Alex Romanov will face off against the Canadiens for the first time since being acquired by the Islanders at the NHL Draft. Romanov played 133 games with the Canadiens over two seasons, racking up 19 points (4G, 15A), along with 365 hits and 204 blocks. Romanov recorded his 14th point for the Islanders on Thursday, setting a single-season career-high in the process.
  ISLES VS HABS
  ISLANDERS ARTICLES
  3 Takeaways: MIN 3, NYI 1
  Mike Bossy Trivia
  Talkin' Isles: Thomas Hickey
  GAME EXTRAS
  Flex Plans
  Getting to UBS Arena
  Pucks and Paws
  Reverse Retro Jersey
  Talkin' Isles
  - Scott Mayfield tied his career-high with his fifth goal of the season on Thursday night. The defenseman previously scored five goals in the 2019-20 season. Mayfield has 11 points (5G, 6A) in 43 games this season and is two points shy of 100 for his NHL career. Mayfield has three points (1G, 2A) in his last four games.
  - The Islanders PK went five-for-five against the Wild and is eight-for-eight over the team's past three games. The PK has been especially good at UBS Arena, where their 90% kill rate ranks first in the league. The Isles are 12-for-12 on the PK in their last five home games.
  - Brock Nelson has 12 goals and 18 total points in 23 games against the Canadiens. Seven of those 12 goals have come in the past four games, including a four-goal game on Nov. 4, 2021. This season, Nelson is tied with Anders Lee for the team lead in goals with 15, though he is currently in the midst of an 11-game goal drought.
  - Saturday marks the start of a stretch of four games in six nights for the Islanders, who did not practice on Friday. The Islanders have not named a goaltender for Saturday's tilt. If Ilya Sorokin starts, he's had a lot of success against the Canadiens, sporting a 2-0-1 record with a 1.30 GAA, a .963 SV% and a 44-save shutout at Centre Bell on April 15.

CANADIENS NOTES:

• The Canadiens are currently in last place in the Atlantic Division and second last in the Eastern Conference with 37 points.
  - Montreal has struggled of late, going 2-6-0 in eight games since the post-Christmas break. Over that span, the Canadiens have allowed a league-high 5.13 goals per game, the only team to average more than five goals per contest. Montreal has allowed at least three goals in all eight games and four or more goals in seven. That stretch also includes a 9-2 loss to Washington on New Year's Eve and a 7-2 loss to Florida on Dec. 29.
  - Goalie Jake Allen has missed the past two games with an upper-body injury. Sam Montembeault has played the past two games with Cayden Primeau was recalled from Laval on emergency basis to back up. Montembeault is 7-6-2 with a 3.39 GAA and a .902 SV% this season. Allen is 10-16-1 with a 3.52 GAA and a .892 SV%.
  - Nick Suzuki leads the Canadiens with 35 points (15G, 20A) in 42 games this season. The Canadiens captain has three assists in his last three games, but is currently in an 11-game goal drought. Suzuki has four assists over the past 11 games.
  - Cole Caufield leads the Canadiens with 25 goals this season. With two goals on Thursday, Caufield set a new career-high, breaking his previous high of 23. Caufield has six goals in his last six games.
  Since Martin St. Louis was hired as the Canadiens coach in Feb. 9, 2022, Caufield's scored at a torrid pace, with 47 goals in 79 games spanning the two seasons. Caufield's 47 goals rank eighth in the NHL over that span, one ahead of Leon Draisaitl and one behind David Pastrnak.
  - Brendan Gallagher will miss Saturday's game with a lower-body injury that is expected to keep him out for approximately six weeks. The 30-year-old hasn't played since Jan. 3. Gallagher has nine points (4G, 5A) in 25 games this season.
  - The Islanders will get their first look at 2022 first-overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky. The 18-year-old has 10 points (4G, 6A) in 37 games in his rookie season.

HOCKEY WITH A HEART CHARITY OF THE GAME:

Lung Cancer Canada - The Mike Bossy Memorial Fund
Lung Cancer Canada's mission increases public awareness of lung cancer, supports and advocates for lung cancer patients and their families, as well as provides educational resources to patients, families, health care professionals and the general public.
Learn more about this organization
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