The Montreal Canadiens had some killer instinct tonight; they took advantage of the New York Islanders' mistakes and put an end to their playoff hopes.
Still reeling from the loss of Noah Dobson, the Montreal Canadiens had to bounce right back up as they were facing the New York Islanders in the 81st game of their regular season. With Dobson ruled out for at least two weeks, Kaiden Guhle was back in the lineup, and David Reinbacher, freshly called up from the Laval Rocket, was playing his first NHL game, on the third pairing alongside Arber Xhekaj. That also meant that Adam Engstrom came out of the lineup.
Joe Veleno was also scratched to allow Zach Bolduc to return, while Brendan Gallagher had to sit out another game. As for Alex Newhook, he was back on the second line while Kapanen landed on the third. There’s no denying that Martin St-Louis is holding auditions right now to find out the right combinations for the playoffs.
For a second night in a row, the Canadiens were pitted against a team that was desperately fighting for its survival. The Islanders needed a win to remain in playoff contention after a costly loss to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night.
The Season of Milestones
After a dull first frame in which both teams were extremely prudent, which wasn’t surprising given what was at stake, Montreal managed to break the deadlock at 15:56 of the second frame, through none other than captain Nick Suzuki, who got his 100th point in style. It’s the first time since 1985-86 that a Canadiens player reaches the century mark; Mats Naslund was the last one to do it. The 26-year-old becomes just the fifth player in Habs history to reach the 100-point mark in a season after Guy Lafleur, Pete Mahovlich, Naslund, and Steve Shutt, and it’s the 11th time that has happened.
They were barely done celebrating when he got an assist on the next goal, scored by Ivan Demidov, just like Lane Hutson. With a helper on both games, Hutson had 66 assists, tying Larry Robinson’s record for most assists in a season by a Canadiens’ defenseman. The mark had been set in 1976-77. With another game to play, the youngster might even have time to break the record.
Newhook then added a third goal in 55 seconds for the visitors, and Reinbacher got the secondary assist, recording his first NHL point in his first game. The goal scorer immediately grabbed the puck, all too aware of its significance.
Fowler Did Not Falter
Despite not being overly tested in the first two periods, only having to turn aside 14 shots in 40 minutes, rookie netminder Jacob Fowler had to hold the fort in the final frame. Down by three goals and with elimination looming, the Islanders started to put more pucks on net and more traffic in front of the masked man. Still, they could only manage to score once when Casey Cizikas deflected a point shot, which Kirby Dach failed to block. With so many bodies in the way (Arber Xhekaj, Jayden Struble, Cizikas, and Kyle MacLean), it was pretty much impossible for the youngster to see the puck.
With a lead cut down to just two goals, Fowler didn’t let that phase him and was irreproachable for the rest of the game. Under tremendous pressure, he stayed as cool as a cucumber and played a big role in the Islanders’ elimination.
Bolduc Impressed
After being a healthy scratch for the last two games, the sophomore had plenty of energy on the ice. He played very well on both sides of the puck, was a nuisance on the forecheck, landing five hits on the night and was also rewarded offensively with a goal and an assist.
If he could play that brand of hockey every night, he wouldn’t have to worry about having to sit for another game as the Canadiens get ready to embark on their playoff journey. For now, though, he’s done more than enough to ensure that he’s in the lineup on Tuesday when the Canadiens take on the Philadelphia Flyers in their last game of the regular season.
It’s also worth mentioning that Reinbacher’s father, his girlfriend, and one of his best friends were in the building to see him get his first NHL point despite the short notice about his first NHL game. The right-shot blueliner did well in the 11 minutes and change he spent on the ice.
With the win, the Canadiens take back second place in the Atlantic Division. They have 106 points, just like the Buffalo Sabres, who are first, but the Habs only have 34 regulation wins, while the Sabres have 41. Both Buffalo and the Tampa Bay Lightning have two games left to play, while the Canadiens have only one; it’s going to be a tight finish.
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