The focus of this late January game between the Montreal Canadiens and New York Islanders will be about Patrick Roy, a legendary figure in Quebec.
GAME DAY PREVIEW | Montreal Canadiens (19-21-7) vs New York Islanders (20-16-11)
GAME DAY: Montreal Canadiens vs New York Islanders.Game Preview
Roster News
On Wednesday, the Canadiens loaned forward Joshua Roy to the Laval Rocket and recalled forward Lucas Condotta. The 26-year-old centre has 13 points in 37 games in the AHL this season.
Alex Newhook skated on his own at Brossard on Thursday morning. Newhook has been sidelined with injury since November 30th.
Sam Montembeault (10-7-4 / 3.11 GAA / .903 SV%) is the confirmed starter for Montreal.
Last Game
The Canadiens could not generate quality scoring chances during five power play opportunities.
Last game: MTL 1 vs OTT 4 | F
Players to Watch
- Lucas Condotta - On the final game of the 2022-23 season, Condotta made his NHL debut. In that game, he scored his first career NHL goal.
Matchup for Game 48, Home Game 25
Bell Centre, Montreal, QC. | January 23, 7:00 PM ET | TV: TSN2, RDS, MSGSN, ESPN
Pre-Game
Islanders head coach Patrick Roy
- "The reason we went on the ice (on Wednesday) is because we don’t want to have any distractions. There will be no morning training, the guys will stay at the hotel and concentrate on the match. I don't want this day to be about me, I want it to be about the Islanders. We're going there to win a hockey game, we don't go there for the coach."
Patrick Roy will speak to the media on Thursday at 4:15 pm. Roy was named head coach of the Islanders on January 20, 2024.
Watch Along Livestream
Join us on Thursday at 7 pm ET. for an online global Habs watch party.
Projected Canadiens Lineup (subject to change)
Forwards
22 Cole Caufield - 14 Nick Suzuki - 17 Josh Anderson
20 Juraj Slafkovsky - 91 Sean Monahan - 40 Joel Armia
70 Tanner Pearson - 71 Jake Evans - 11 Brendan Gallagher
55 Michael Pezzetta - 82 Lucas Condotta - 49 Rafael Harvey-Pinard
Defensemen
8 Mike Matheson - 21 Kaiden Guhle
47 Jayden Struble - 58 David Savard
72 Arber Xhekaj - 26 Johnathan Kovacevic
Goaltenders
Starter: 35 Sam Montembeault (10-7-4 / 3.11 GAA / .903 SV%)
Alternate: 34 Jake Allen
Out of the lineup
Scratches: Jesse Ylonen, Jordan Harris, Cayden Primeau
Injuries: Carey Price (knee), Chris Wideman (back), Kirby Dach (knee), Alex Newhook (lower body), Christian Dvorak (upper body)
Visiting Bench
This is the second of three meetings this season between the Islanders and Canadiens. Montreal beat the Isles 5-3 on December 16th at the Bell Centre.
Defenseman Alexander Romanov currently is riding a three-game points streak. Romanov has five goals, eight assists for 13 points this season.
Semyon Varlamov (6-4-2 / 2.78 GAA / .918 SV%) is the likely starter for the Islanders.
Game Expectations
The Bell Centre will be abuzz on Thursday as legendary goaltender Patrick Roy will be behind the bench of the Islanders. The Canadiens must not lose their focus.
Be sure to bookmark THN.com/Montreal for year-round coverage of the Montreal Canadiens, Laval Rocket, and Habs prospects playing in leagues around the world.
Gretzky Signature Series.