New York @ Montreal preview
Bell Centre
Last Meeting ( Apr 12, 2023 ) Montreal 2, NY Islanders 4
While the New York Islanders are frequently piling up the points of late, the Montreal Canadiens recently have been finding ways to squander points on home ice.
The Islanders attempt to run their points streak to nine games Saturday night when they visit the Canadiens, who have lost eight of their past nine home contests.
New York is 6-0-2 since its last regulation loss on Nov. 28 against the New Jersey Devils. Since losing seven straight Nov. 4-16 in a stretch during which fans chanted for coach Lane Lambert to be fired, the Islanders are 9-1-3 in their past 13 games with 11 of those contests decided by one goal.
The Islanders kept their points streak going Friday but saw their four-game winning streak halted. New York blew a two-goal lead in the second period, a pair of one-goal leads in the third and wound up settling for a point with a 5-4 shootout loss to the Boston Bruins to cap a six-game homestand.
Alex Romanov, Simon Holmstrom, Bo Horvat and Brock Nelson scored but the Islanders experienced a mixed night with their special teams. While the Islanders scored two power-play goals for the fourth time this season, they also gave up at least three power-play goals for the fourth time this season. Mathew Barzal added two assists and has 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in his last eight games.
"Regroup," New York's Anders Lee said after the Islanders took 37 shots on goal. "Proud of what we did. Got a big one tomorrow and let's just focus on how we're playing. That's going to give us more results in the long run, is continuing the play we have the last few weeks."
The Canadiens are a respectable 5-4-2 over their past 11 contests following a four-game slide Nov. 12-18 but are experiencing nightmarish results at home.
Montreal is 1-6-2 in its past nine home contests with the latest one occurring on Wednesday when it blew a pair of two-goal leads and took a 4-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins that was decided in the 12th round of the shootout.
Five of those losses are by one goal. Against the Penguins, after David Savard, Jayden Struble and Sean Monahan scored in the span of 8:56 in the first period to give them a pair of two-goal leads, the Canadiens took three straight penalties and allowed two power-play goals, marking the seventh straight home game they conceded a power-play goal.
"I'm not surprised, I'm disappointed," Montreal coach Martin St. Louis said. "That was a hard game to coach emotionally, because we had so many great moments and then we shoot ourselves in the foot. We had full control of that game and let them get back in it."
Overall Montreal is 6-9-2 on home ice and has been outscored 61-44. The Canadiens are allowing visitors to convert at a 29 percent clip (20-for-69) on the power play, including 11 power play goals in their past seven home contests.
"There's no explanation," Montreal goalie Sam Montembeault said. "We play in front of our fans. We should come out strong every night and use their energy as motivation."
--Field Level Media