After losing a must-win game in regulation against the Detroit Red Wings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/detroit-red-wings] on Thursday night, the Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens]’ lead over the Wings and the Boston Bruins [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/boston-bruins] has disappeared. All three teams have 84 points, but the Habs remain in third place in the Atlantic Division since they have a game in hand. However, Detroit and Boston will face off tonight, meaning one of them will have two more points, and the other could have one as well, should the game not finish in regulation. In other words, Montreal needs the two points, but Saturday night’s visitors do as well. The New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders]are currently ninth in the Eastern Conference, just one point behind the Wings and Bruins, meaning Patrick Roy’s men should be playing with desperation tonight. The team that wants it more will come out on top, and if the Canadiens can’t play with urgency in those circumstances, one can wonder when they will. Canadiens Dobson Isn’t Afraid To Sacrifice His Body [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-dobson-isn-t-afraid-to-sacrifice-his-body] Canadiens’ St-Louis: Laine Is Not An Option [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-st-louis-laine-is-not-an-option] Canadiens: Big Mistakes Lead To Costly Defeat [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-big-mistakes-lead-to-costly-defeat] The Isles are 6-4-0 in their last 10 games, while the Habs are 5-4-1 and both teams have lost their last game. New York has won the only game between the two sides this season, a 4-3 overtime win thanks to a Jean-Gabriel Pageau goal. Samuel Montembeault and Ilya Sorokin were in the net for their respective team. Neither team has confirmed who will get the start in net, but given the importance of the tilt, it would be shocking if Roy didn’t elect to go with Sorokin. The Russian netminder has a 6-0-2 record against the Habs with a 1.83 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage, including a shutout. As for backup, David Rittich has a record of 2-3-1 with a 2.47 GAA and a .925 SV. Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see who Martin St-Louis will give the nod to. Jakub Dobes started the last two games, and while he lost against Detroit, he played another great game, finishing the night with a .926 SV. Whoever St-Louis picks will be taking on the Islanders for the first time since Dobes and Jacob Fowler have never faced the Long Island outfit. Fowler last played on Sunday, in a 4-3 loss against the Anaheim Ducks. Given how well Dobes has done this week and the fact that he finds a way to win more often than not, the Czech netminder could get a third game in a row. Brayden Schenn, who was acquired from the St. Louis Blues [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues] at the trade deadline in return for Jonathan Drouin, goaltending prospect Marcus Gidlof, and two picks at the next draft (a first and a third-round), leads the Isles in points against the Habs with 31 in 33 games. Ondrej Palat is in second place with 24 points in 37 games, and Bo Horvat wraps up the top three with 23 points in 31 games. As for the aforementioned Pageau, he has 20 points in 37 duels, including three shorthanded goals and four game-winning ones. As for the Canadiens, Brendan Gallagher has the most points with 19 in 32 games, followed by captain Nick Suzuki, who has 16 points in just 15 games and is on a five-game points streak right now, just like Juraj Slafkovsky. Mike Matheson comes in third place with 15 points in 31 games. It’s worth mentioning that Cole Caufield has 10 points in 10 games and is currently on a four-game point streak. The Islanders have won six of the last 10 duels between the two teams, including the last two. The Canadiens’ last win over the Isles came in March 2024. The last time the two teams met, Matthew Schaefer showed just why he is the Calder Trophy favourite. The rookie blueliner trails Ivan Demidov and Becket Sennecke by two points in the rookie scoring race; he has 50, while they are both on 52. Demidov and fellow rookie Oliver Kapanen have been somewhat quiet of late, and they appear to be missing Slafkovsky on their line. Montreal will hold a morning skate at 10:30, and we’ll know then if St-Louis is making changes to the lineup. The game is scheduled for 7:00 PM, and you can catch it on TVAS, CITY, SNE, and MSGSN. Chris Rooney and Peter MacDougall are set to officiate, while Matt MacPherson and Ryan Daisy will be the linemen. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow Karine on X @KarineHains [https://x.com/KarineHains] Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/karinehains.bsky.social] and Threads @karinehains [https://www.threads.net/@karinehains]. Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/] for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens. Image [https://cdn.ramp-assets.playwire.com/1025444/76033/house_ads/file-1762367418209.jpg] Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens] on The Hockey News. Subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/tag/montreal-canadiens]•Detroit Red Wings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/tag/detroit-red-wings]
