Before embarking on a four-game road trip to close out the month, the Montreal Canadiens are making a short stop in New York to take on the Islanders for the third and final time this season, each side winning one of the previous tilts and the two franchises have split the last 10 meetings evenly. Both teams have won their previous two games and have played the same number of games. Still, Montreal has a three-point edge over Patrick Roy’s men.

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There is no word yet on who will be manning the net for either team. Cayden Primeau was in the net when the Islanders beat the Habs in October, and Samuel Montembeault was on duty when Montreal won 2-1 in December. Martin St-Louis has said he doesn’t want to overwork his starter down the stretch, so could we see Jakub Dobes? Everything is possible.

Montembeault has a 4-2-3 record against the Isles, a 2.30 goals-against average, and a .931 save percentage. Jakub Dobes hasn’t taken them on yet. As for New York, Ilya Sorokin was in net for the Isles' 4-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday. He has a fantastic record against the Canadiens: 4-0-2 with a 1.47 GAA and a .949 SP. Meanwhile, Marcus Hogberg is 0-0-1, with a 1.87 GAA and a .920. Whoever faces the Habs has an impressive record against them.

The Canadiens will need stellar performance from their attack if they want to pull this off. Alternate captain Brendan Gallagher, who played his best game of the season on Tuesday, is the Habs' most productive player against the Isles, with 18 points in 30 games. However, hours ago, Gallagher announced that he is mourning the loss of his mother, Della Gallagher, taken by brain cancer late Wednesday. Everyone would understand if the Canadiens' warrior needed some time to get back on his feet. T

he game-winning goal scorer on Tuesday, captain Nick Suzuki, had 15 points in 13 games, and veteran blueliner Mike Matheson also had 15 points, but in 29 games. The Isles are not Patrik Laine’s favorite opponent; he has 8 points in 14 games against them. Cole Caufield has nine points in eight games, and the Habs will no doubt be hoping he gets to pad those stats.

The Islanders’ best scorer against the Habs was Brock Nelson, but Lou Lamorielle sent him to the Colorado Avalanche. Kyle Palmieri is still there, though, and he has 22 points in 26 games. First-line center Bo Horvat has 20 points in 29 games, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau rounds up the top three with 18 points in 35 games.

Thursday night will be another high-pressure night for both teams. The finish line is almost in sight, and not many teams are completely out of the race so far.

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