Montreal Canadiens @ New York Islanders
How to watch
Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT
In Canada: Sportsnet One (English)
In the Canadiens region: RDS (French)
In the Islanders region: MSGSN
Streaming: ESPN+, RDS Direct, Sportsnet Now
The Buffalo Sabres had won three games in a row, but needed to double that streak to turn their late-season push into a chance at post-season spot. Newly signed goaltender Devon Levi did his best after being thrust directly into the fire of a post-season charge, but ultimately the Sabres’ task proved too difficult as a loss last night ended their hopes of making the post-season.
There was a much easier task facing the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night. They didn’t have to defeat a team of the New Jersey Devils’ calibre like the Sabres, but the 31st-ranked Chicago Blackhawks instead. Nevertheless, the Penguins also came out on the losing end of their game, held stationary 90 points on the season.
With those two results, the New York Islanders can clinch their post-season place with just a single point from their season finale this evening versus the Montreal Canadiens. They would move to 92 points, a total the Penguins can only match, and New York holds the tiebreaker with more regulation wins. After an eventful few weeks when some of the rebuilding teams threatened to get involved the race, the Sabres actually did, and the teams sitting in the wild-card spots didn’t seem interested in holding on to them, the Eastern Conference playoff picture could see it’s eight-team composition finalized tonight.
Tale of the Tape
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| Canadiens | Statistics | Islanders |
|---|---|---|
| 31-43-6 | Record | 41-31-9 |
| 43.2% (30th) | Scoring-chances-for % | 50.0% (18th) |
| 2.76 (26th) | Goals per game | 2.94 (22nd) |
| 3.70 (29th) | Goals against per game | 2.65 (5th) |
| 16.4% (28th) | PP% | 15.5% (31st) |
| 72.2% (31st) | PK% | 82.1% (10th) |
| 1-1-0 | Head-to-Head Record | 1-0-1 |
Montreal’s only stake in the wild-card chase was tied to where the Florida Panthers finished, and that fate is now sealed with Florida earning their berth with the Sabres and Penguins’ losses. The first-round pick Montreal held from the Ben Chiarot trade will not be part of the NHL Draft Lottery.
There’s only one minor detail left to decide about that pick from regular-season play, and that’s where Florida ranks in the final standings. If the Habs lose to the Islanders tonight, New York moves above Florida, which could make the Panthers’ pick one position better if Florida loses its final game on Thursday. The draft order won’t begin to be decided for the post-season clubs until the second round completes, but there is at least a chance for the Panthers’ pick to be 17th overall rather than the 18th selection it currently is.
The Canadiens have switched focus to their AHL team in Laval, recently sending down Jesse Ylönen and Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, the latter a bona fide NHLer at this point with 26 points in 38 games, a 56-point pace over a full campaign. But the Habs still need 18 skaters in the lineup for the final two games, so they’ve made a couple of call-ups.
One was for Frederic Allard, a trade-deadline acquisition who played a game in Montreal before heading to the AHL, where he’s been used sparingly since. The other move is one that can be viewed as more of a reward for one of the Rocket’s top performers, forward Joël Teasdale. Teasdale had been relatively quiet in recent games, but still sits third in the Rocket’s scoring list, and behind only Anthony Richard in goals, with 23. The 24-year-old will be making his NHL debut tonight, and won’t care one whit about the team’s draft jockeying, just hoping to make a good impression along with his new teammates to be in the conversation for next season’s Canadiens roster.
