After waves of applause as Patrick Roy’s career highlights are shown throughout the performance of O Canada, the game is set to begin.
First period
- The Islanders start off with a good opening shift, Jake Evans, Tanner Pearson, an Brendan Gallagher nearly combine for a goal soon afterward. An entertaining start to this one.
- Samuel Momtembeault makes an incredible toe save on Mathew Barzal. There will be no eight goals against in this game.
- Joel Armia deflects a post that hits Semyon Varlamov in the pad without the goaltender seeing it. The teams are just trading chances in the opening minutes.
- A little forechecking pressure from the top line leads to delay of game penalty, and a TV timeout to come up with the plan of attack on the power play.
- Nick Suzuki quarterbacking the power play from the low half-boards is a) more dangerous, and b) much safer than sending the puck back to the point where Mike Matheson could misplay it.
- And it opens up some things on the other side of he ice. Nick Suzuki, to Cole Caufield, up top to Matheson, down to Sean Monahan, over to Juraj Slafkovský, and all the way back across to Suzuki at the top of the crease for the goal. Five passes in a couple of seconds. New York had no chance.
- That was one situation where it’s okay for Slafkovský not to shoot.
- A high stick from Rafaël Harvey-Pinard is actually called hooking as got his stick under the arm of his man.
- Montreal starts the penalty kill with a three-on-one, sees an odd-man rush go the other way as Matheson … forgets he was killing a penalty and hung around in the Isles’ zone, and sees a two-on-one the other way with Joel Armia taking the shot and David Savard getting hooked for a penalty.
- What a surprisingly fun game this is.
- At four-on-four, Suzuki steals the puck from Pierre Engvall and gets it to Cole Caufield, who dances around a defender, dekes past Varlamov and deposits it into the net.
- We’re in the fun universe tonight.
- That’s six goals in seven games for Caufield, and he could have easily had four in the game on Tuesday when he was held off the scoresheet.
- On a brief power play, Monahan makes it 3-0. That’s two power-play goals in about half a period for Montreal.
- Even more surprising than the entertainment level of this game is how calm Roy is speaking to his team after calling a timeout.
- A high stick from Arber Xhekaj is actually called high-sticking. Will this penalty kill be as exciting as the last one?
- Lucas Condotta draws a tripping call. That’ll endear him to the coach. He still needs a goal though….
- Montreal can’t get a goal, but still has some time left to work with in the second.
- The first period ends with a scrum. Where did that come from? I don’t even think there was a hit thrown in the first 20 minutes. I suppose the Islanders needed to show something to not get eatne by Roy in the intermission.
Second period
- Considering they’re up three goals, this is a pretty good start for Montreal, still trying to play offensively even after the penalty expired.
- Montreal gets dinged for a slash. Jayden Struble tried to disrupt a shot, but got his stick in Kyle Palmieri’s hands.
- The Islanders score, but after the referee had blown the whistle thinking Montembeault had the puck frozen.
- Roy accepts the explanation. If I were an Islanders player, I’d be pretty scared by this display from the coach. The eruption is nigh.
- Jake Evans tries to score short-handed, but gets called for holding Noah Dobson’s stick.
- At five-on-three, the Islanders get on the board.
- Montreal is still trying to score short-handed, which is good. Just do it legally.
- Romanov and Gallagher have a little scrum and then a little laugh. No animosity there.
- Struble lost the puck at the offensive blue line, but skated harder than he’s ever skated before to get back and keep Hudson Fasching on his backhand.
- Evans draws a call this time, making up for that short-handed effort and giving his team a power play.
- Arber Xhekaj finishes his hit on a player who just passed the puck, but did so too hard for the referee’s liking.
- Savard makes a leg save on the penalty kill to keep it a two-goal game.
- Montreal has been doing too much defending and not enough attacking in the latter half of this period. This is how multi-goal leads get erased. No reason not to make this 4-1.
- Montreal does attack, and a pass from Suzuki gets to Slafkovský for a breakaway, but he kicks it much to hard and it ends up in the corner instead of two feet ahead on his stick.
- Shots were 19-7 for the Islanders that period. Montembeault didn’t face the same quality as in the first, but the Habs will need to play better to secure the win.
Third period
- I think Joel Armia tried to draw a penalty in a race for the puck, but just kind of fell into the back of the man he was chasing.
- Another good start to the period. It rarely the opening minute that burns Montreal, but just slipping into a defensive mode as the period goes on.
- New York tries to open up some space for an offensive look in this period, but gets called for interference. Montreal has been playing it well.
- It would be even better to play well with a three-goal lead and a two-goal one. Time to convert on this power play.
- Slafkovský just barges right through a defender to pick up the puck and keep the play going.
- Meanwhile, Kaiden Guhle is in charge of a power-play unit. Pretty effort from the second unit, keeping the pressure on over the full two minutes.
- Montreal is falling into shell mode now. Things are getting a little dicey.
- Crowd singing “Olé!” Diciness intensifies.
- Brendan Gallagher hits Adam Pelech with an elbow as the defenceman is rushing through the neutral zone. It’s a match penalty, and that won’t be the only discipline.
- Welcome back to the NHL Joshua Roy?
- For now, Montreal has a five-minute penalty to kill off. It’s going to be really tough to maintain this lead now.
- It’s 3-2. A far-side snipe by Barzal. Still two minutes left on the penalty.
- The score is 3-3. Montembeault stretched to make one save, but could do nothing about the second attempt.
- No lead to defend now, and Montreal goes back to work.
- Monahan roofs one from the slot to make it 4-3.
- With the net empty, Bo Horvat hits the post. That will do it for this one.
- Somehow, the Habs stay perfect — 12-0-0 — when leading after two periods.
EOTP 3 Stars
3) Critical opening period from the number one
2) He definitely thought about it
1) Past GMs just weren’t dreaming big enough
