Islanders Bailed out in Montreal

Bailey scores in shootout to give Islanders the win (Photo by Francois Lacasse/NHLI via Getty Images)

          It took a shootout, but the Islanders won their first of five straight road games, beating the Montreal Canadiens 3-2, Saturday night.
          It was a battle of the two teams occupying the last place spot in the Eastern Conference.  With the two points the Islanders now have sixty-nine points, which is nine points behind the eighth place Washington Capitals.  The Isles have ten games left to play in the regular season.  
          Montreal got off to a quick start in the first period.  They took the early lead at the 2:53 mark of the frame, when right winger Aaron Palushaj fired a shot from a deep angle and it banked of Islander goaltender, Al Montoya's, stick and in.  The goal was Palushaj's first of the year.  The period would end with neither team scoring another goal, and Montreal had the 1-0 lead.
          The Islanders would tie the game early in the second.  At the 2:00 mark, defenseman Mark Streit would bury a backhander past Montreal goaltender, Peter Budaj.  The goal was Streit's sixth of the year.  The Islanders would take the lead at 16:05 mark of the frame.  Red-hot centerman Frans Nielsen, would bury a wrist shot over the glove of Budaj, to give the Isles the 2-1 lead.  That's how the second would end.
          The third period would see Montreal come back and tie the game.  At the 3:38 mark center, Louis Leblanc would bury his own backhander past Montoya, to tie the game at two.  The period would end with that same score and go into overtime.
          In overtime neither team could light the lamp so it went to the skills competition, known as the shootout.  It took six rounds of shooters but the Islanders finally broke through.  With Montoya stopping Montreal's sixth shooter, defenseman Andrej Markov, and the shootout score tied 2-2, center Josh Bailey stepped up.  Bailey went straight in at Budaj, and put on a nice head fake before burying his wrist shot past Budaj's right pad, and giving the Isles the victory.
          The Isles will try and continue their winning ways, when they continue their five game road trip in Toronto, Tuesday night.  Puck drop is scheduled for 7 PM.  

Canadiens skate to victory over Islanders

Canadiens celebrate after scoring a goal to make it 2-0 (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

          The Montreal Canadiens skated into the Nassau Coliseum and left with a 4-2 victory over the New York Islanders, on Thursday night.  
          Max Pacioretty scored his first career hat trick and Scott Gomez scored his first goal in over a calendar year to lead the Canadiens.  
          After Evgeni Nabakov won the game for the Islanders in Philadelphia, making 45 saves, he was not able to stop all of the 31 shots the Canadiens threw at him.  Nabakov finished the game making 28 of 31 saves.  
          The Canadiens got off to a quick start, with Pacioretty scoring his first goal just 1:23 into the game.  There was no goal scored for the rest of the first period.  Montreal  scored again in the second period with Pacioretty connecting on a slap shot 9:30 into the frame.  The Islanders would fall behind by yet another goal when for the first time in over a year Scott Gomez got one by Nabokov at the 10:10 mark in the 3rd period, to give the Canadiens a 3-0 lead.  
          The Islanders would show some fight in the final 5 minutes of the game.  They began to get their cycle going in the offensive zone and scored two quick goals against Carey Price.  The first goal was scored by Matt Moulson on the power play, with the second one coming from Mark Streit with 1:53 left in the contest.  The Islanders kept pushing for that game tying goal but would lose steam when Pacioretty hit the back of the empty net at the other end of the ice, completing his hat trick, giving the Canadiens the 4-2 win.  
          Next up the Islanders play a matinee home game against the Los Angeles Kings with the puck drop at 1:00