Game preview: New York Islanders host Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night

The New York Islanders will be back in action against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night at UBS Arena.

The Islanders will be looking to get back in the win column after losing a tough 1-0 OT decision against the St. Louis Blues last Thursday night. Meanwhile, the Montreal Canadiens will also be looking to get back on the plus side after dropping their last outing.

The game should prove to be an interesting challenge for the New York Islanders as the rebuilding Habs have shown signs of significant improvement this season.

Fans can catch the action on MSG+ and ESPN+.

LAST GAME

The New York Islanders were on the short end of a disappointing decision against the St. Louis Blues. The Isles played an overall solid game, with Ilya Sorokin being the star of the game. However, the Isles did not provide Sorokin with any run support, losing the game 1-0. The bright spot in the loss had to be Sorokin’s second-straight strong outing. The start proves that whatever ailments Sorokin had last season are a thing of the past.

However, the biggest concern has to be the lack of scoring, especially from the bottom six. That’s a trend the Islanders will be looking to reverse against a Habs team that isn’t quite as dominant as other opponents the Isles have faced this season.

The Montreal Canadiens lost their last game 4-1 to the Los Angeles Kings at the Bell Centre. In short, the Habs were outplayed by a Kings team that had gotten pounded the night before by the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Habs should come out strong, making Saturday night’s tilt a challenging one.

HISTORICAL MATCHUP

Saturday night’s game marks the first meeting between the Islanders and Habs this season. Last season, the two clubs met three times, with the Isles going 1-2. The Islanders lost the first two meetings by scores of 5-3 and 4-3, with the Isles taking the last game 3-2 in OT.

The New York Islanders and Montreal Canadiens will meet twice more this season, once in December and then again in March 2025.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

The bottom six will be the focus of attention for the Islanders. While there aren’t any changes expected in the Islanders’ lineup, the bottom six will need to step up to support the big guns. Specifically, Simon Holmstrom and Oliver Wahlstrom will need to step up to ensure their place in the lineup. Also, Ilya Sorokin is expected to get the start.

For the Canadiens, goaltender Sam Montembeault has been huge for the team. He blanked the Toronto Maple Leafs on opening night and has consistently kept the Habs in every game they’ve played. So, the Islanders will have their work cut out against the young netminder.