Islanders 3, Canadiens 2 (OT): Palmieri winner lifts Isles to sixth straight win
Hug your goalie | Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
A strong game from Varlamov and goals from Engvall, Cizikas, and Palmieri lead the Islanders over Montreal in key game. The New York Islanders won a back and forth game against the Montreal Canadiens, where they dominated but never lead until the very end.
Semyon Varlamov played a solid game, despite letting in a weak Cole Caufield goal, and given that they were down Noah Dobson for most of the game, the whole defense played well.
Pierre Engvall, Casey Cizikas, and Kyle Palmieri all got on the scoresheet, and Adam Pelech picked up two primary assists.
The Isles didn’t get a ton of scoreboard help tonight, with the Flyers beating the Rangers and the Penguins beating the Red Wings in overtime, but they’re still in control of their own destiny now, and can clinch with two wins out of their next three games.
[NHL Gamecenter | Game Summary | Event Summary | Natural Stat Trick]
First Period
Michael Pezzetta picked up an interference penalty after hitting Mat Barzal. Barzal went down the tunnel after but came back for the power play. However, Noah Dobson left the bench with an apparent injury, so Sebastian Aho took his place on the power play, which Montreal killed.
After the kill, Nick Suzuki got in on a breakaway, but Semyon Varlamov made the save. Shortly after that, though, Jordan Harris would put the puck past Varlamov to make it 1-0.
Second Period
Dobson didn’t come back for the second period, and didn’t return for the rest of the game.
Barzal had a shot saved by Sam Montembeault, and Bo Horvat put a shot off the crossbar.
Then, Pierre Engvall made it 1-1, putting it past Montembeault with a great shot in the slot.
PIERRE IN THE SLOT! All tied up! pic.twitter.com/TsZZoKFBID— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) April 12, 2024
The Islanders were putting on pressure after that, but nothing came of it, and a shot from Montreal went off the outside of the post against Varlamov.
JG Pageau hit Brendan Gallagher near the benches and the two of them fought, presumably related to Gallagher’s hit on Adam Pelech earlier this season that resulted in a five game suspension.
Juraj Slafkovsky went to the box for holding Ryan Pulock, but Montreal killed the penalty.
Kyle MacLean, Brock Nelson, and Pierre Engvall all had good shots saved by Montembeault.
Then, after some Montreal pressure, Pezzetta hit Pelech in the numbers against the boards, earning himself a boarding penalty with 10 seconds left in the period.
Third Period
Pulock’s shot on the power play broke Jordan Harris’ skate blade, but unfortunately they couldn’t take advantage and the Habs killed yet another penalty.
Matt Martin hurt his ankle on a play and went down, and Cole Caufield snuck the puck in past Varlamov five hole to give Montreal a 2-1 lead.
Then, Pelech’s backhand chance went wide, but Casey Cizikas picked up the puck and put it in the net on a wraparound to tie the game.
PUCKS ON NET pic.twitter.com/YUjnWJpXPk— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) April 12, 2024
Johnathan Kovacevic was called for a delay of game penalty, but Joel Armia had the best chance on the power play for the Habs, forcing Varlamov into a save on a shorthanded chance.
Neither team could break the 2-2 tie in regulation, so off to overtime we went.
OT
Montreal had the first scoring opportunity that they couldn’t convert on, and the Nelson-Palmieri duo would end the game for the Isles, with Kyle Palmieri putting the puck past Montembeault short side, for his 28th of the season. The Isles would pick up their 6th straight win, 3-2 against the Montreal Canadiens.
Kyle Palmieri BURIES one short side for the #Isles 6️⃣ STRAIGHT WWWWWWIN! @NYIslanders | @brendanmburke | @91Butch pic.twitter.com/iLDdxTgJWC— Isles on MSGSN (@IslesMSGN) April 12, 2024
Up Next
Next, the Islanders head to Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Rangers for a Saturday matinee game. The Rangers, who are presumably still frothing at the mouth over last game, will probably be looking for some revenge, and will want to get back to winning after dropping a game to the Flyers tonight, too. That, along with Noah Dobson’s injury status, will be what to watch for heading into that game. ...
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