Takeaways: Islanders Overcome Multi-Goal Deficit in 4-3 OT Win Over Montreal

JG Pageau was the hero for the New York Islanders with the overtime winner in a 4-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night at Centre Bell.

Pageau scored his fifth career overtime winner after Anders Lee found the equalizer with 1:41 left in regulation while Matthew Schaefer potted two goals within a minute. Noah Dobson (2G) and Cole Caufield  scored for Montreal. Ilya Sorokin backstopped the Islanders with 21 saves while Sam Montembeault stopped 22 of 26 shots.

The win was a character one, as the Islanders rallied out of 2-0 and 3-2 deficits and improved to a perfect 6-0 in OT  in a high-stakes conference matchup.

“Character, that’s the first thing that comes to mind,” Head Coach Patrick Roy said after the win. “These guys are fun to watch. Even if we were down by two goals, I felt like we were composed and we kept playing our game. “

The win was the Islanders (71 points) third straight and helped the Islanders keep pace on a night where the Pittsburgh Penguins (72 points) also picked up a victory.

“Every game is massive,” Pageau said. “We know how tight the standings are, we can’t let a few games slip. That’s our focus, we take it one game at a time. We got the win tonight so we’re happy.”

TAKEAWAYS

The Islanders scratched and clawed their way to a 4-3 OT win in comeback fashion. Down 3-2, the Islanders pulled Sorokin for the extra attacker and came through, with Lee taking a Bo Horvat shot off the chest with 1:41 to play in the third. It was a fitting goal for Lee, who had scored plenty of deflections in his Isles career, which hit the 900-game mark on Thursday.

“That was more protection than deflection,” Lee joked after the game.

 That sent the game to overtime, where the Islanders withstood an early storm from Montreal before Pageau’s winner. It started in the defensive zone, as Simon Holmstrom gained control of the puck along the left half wall in the Canadiens zone and sent it up ice to Pageau, who rushed in and went forehand to backhand to win it for the Islanders.

“We were resilient tonight,” Lee said. “We didn’t waver from our game. They had some long shifts on us and we’re down two, but it didn’t faze us at all. We knew we had a lot of hockey left, just needed to get one, and another one.”

Pageau’s heroics were only possible because of the strength of two goals by Schaefer.

• With his 17^th and 18^th career goal, Schaefer dug the Islanders out of a two-goal hole in the second period and made history in the process. The Islanders took advantage of an extended 5-on-3 late in the second period, as Schaefer wristed a puck through Alex Carrier to put the Isles on the board. Schaefer potted another goal, swopping behind the net, skating to the top of the right circlecand firing off a shot that beat Montembeault 55 seconds after he scored his first.

“There’s no right word to describe him,” Pageau said. “We’re lucky to have the chance to experience [his rookie season] by his side and watch his game grow. He’s so mature for 18 years old. Not only goals, but defensive plays in the right spot, good first passes. Those are the details that make him so special. We’re lucky to have him.”

• With his 18^th goal,  Schaefer passed Denis Potvin for most goals by a rookie defenseman in franchise history and took sole possession of most goals by an 18-year-old defenseman in NHL history. Per Isles statistician Eric Hornick, Schaefer became the youngest player in NHL history to score twice in 55 seconds.

“That’s not just me, that’s our team here,” Schaefer said of his accolades. “I wouldn’t be doing this without the guys in this room. It’s crazy to think I’m coming in as an 18-year-old and every player in this room and every staff member have welcomed me so much.”

• Former Islander Noah Dobson scored the first two goals for Montreal. The Isles had a poor line change that allowed Dobson to rush in on the left side and snipe a shot past Sorokin at the 12:11 mark of the first period. He struck again in the middle frame, as his long shot from the point on the power play beat Sorokin. It marked his second career multi-goal game for Dobson – he recorded his first earlier this season on Nov. 22 for Montreal.

Caufield scored a power-play goal for Montreal off a broken play to make it 3-2 in the third.

• Emil Heineman faced his former team for the first time. With the game tied at two apiece, he charged the net on a partial breakaway but missed the net.
• Ilya Sorokin improved his record to 7-0-2 lifetime against the Canadiens
• Anthony Duclair, Max Shabanov and Adam Boqvist were healthy scratches.

NEXT GAME

The Islanders head to Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets on Saturday to complete the two-game trip. Puck drop is set for 6PM.