The New York Islanders defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 Saturday night in a nine-round shootout thriller. It was a back-and-forth battle that could have gone either way, but the Islanders came out on top thanks to Noah Dobson’s goal and Logan Mailloux’s missed shootout attempt in Round 9.
Islanders On Top Early
After scoring chances from Canadiens Joel Armia and Brendan Gallagher, as well as Islanders Kyle Palmieri and Maxim Tsyplakov, the Islanders broke the ice at 14:32 of the first period. Following a hooking penalty by Lane Hutson, Bo Horvat capitalized on a pass from Mat Barzal in the slot to net the game’s opening goal and his second of the young season. Dobson, the power-play quarterback, also registered an assist on the play.
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Minutes later, Dobson set up Palmieri in transition, and his wrist shot beat Cayden Primeau’s blocker side, extending the Islanders’ lead to 2-0 with 3:02 left in the opening frame. The even-strength goal was Palmieri’s second of the season, with Tsyplakov also picking up an assist.
Islanders Late Period Struggles Continue
Trailing 2-0, the Canadiens ramped up their pressure late in the first period, sparked by sustained offensive zone pressure from Gallagher, Jake Evans, Justin Barron, and Mike Matheson. In the final seconds, Kasperi Kapanen drew a penalty when he was high-sticked by Tsyplakov.
With just nine seconds of power play time to work with, Cole Caufield got to work. His initial shot hit Ryan Pulock, but he collected the rebound and fired it past Semyon Varlamov, cutting the lead in half with just seconds remaining in the first. Matheson and Juraj Slafkovsky registered assists on the play.
After scoring in the final seconds of the first period, the Canadiens came out flying in the second. 59 seconds in, Mailloux fired a wrist shot from the slot to tie the game at 2-2. The 21-year-old defenseman notched his first career NHL goal, with assists from Jake Evans and Josh Anderson.
Exciting Final Frame
Early in the third period, both teams again exchanged chances, but play was briefly stopped due to an injury to Anthony Duclair. Minutes later, the Islanders went on the power play after Joel Armia was called for tripping Palmieri at 6:47. Soon after the man advantage expired, Anders Lee broke the deadlock, scoring off a rebound from Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s shot. It was Lee’s second goal and Pageau’s first assist of the season.
Down 3-2, the Canadiens responded when Caufield netted his second of the night with a shot from the hash marks that slipped under Varlamov’s arm. For the Islanders, it was another game where they struggled to hold onto a late lead, a recurring issue since last season.
6 EN 6 POUR CAUFIELD
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) October 20, 2024
COLE IN THE CLUTCH#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/HpPh2wqSMr
With the game tied, the final minutes of regulation saw no further goals, leading to overtime. Less than a minute into the extra frame, Lane Hutson came fresh off the bench, receiving a feed from Caufield on an odd-man rush, but was denied by Varlamov.
Just over 30 seconds after that, Kirby Dach took Montreal’s sixth penalty of the night for high-sticking Palmieri. The Islanders had their chances on the power play, including Palmieri pressuring Primeau near the net and Dobson hitting the post from the slot, but they failed to convert, sending the game to a shootout. After nine rounds in the shootout, Dobson finally beat Primeau, and Mailloux missed wide on Varlamov, securing a 4-3 victory for the Islanders.
The Islanders earn a much-needed second point to get their second win of the 2024-25 season. They will next face off on Oct. 22 against the Detroit Red Wings. The Canadiens may not have come out with the win, but there were positives. They, too, will next suit up on Oct. 22 but against the New York Rangers.
