Breadcrumb Path Hyperlinks
Sports activities NHL Montreal Canadiens Hockey Inside Out Hockey
N.Y. Islanders 4, Montreal 2. Captain scores shorthanded magnificence in second interval.
Article content material
Because the solar is about to set on one other disappointing Canadiens season, don’t inform Nick Suzuki there’s nothing to play for.
Commercial 2
Article content material
The 23-year-old centre, in his first season as captain at an age most NHL gamers are nonetheless attempting to get their bearings, was one in all Montreal’s finest gamers — as regular — Wednesday night time.
Article content material
However Suzuki, who leads by instance sport after sport, couldn’t do it alone towards the New York Islanders. And the Canadiens, who may have performed spoiler, fell simply quick of their 4-2 defeat on the UBS Area.
With the victory of their last sport of the common season, the Islanders (42-31-9) clinched a playoff berth, their fourth in 5 seasons, and now occupy the primary wild-card place within the Jap Convention, one level forward of Florida, which has one sport remaining.
The Islanders undoubtedly hope to stay there, thus avoiding a first-round confrontation towards the Boston Bruins, the NHL’s prime group, winners of the President’s Trophy and Stanley Cup favourites — at the very least for now.
Article content material
Commercial 3
Article content material
New York’s victory additionally eradicated the Pittsburgh Penguins, who made 16 consecutive post-season appearances — the longest energetic streak in North American sports activities.
Whereas the Canadiens (31-44-6) misplaced their second consecutive match, their effort was vastly improved from final Saturday, once they have been drubbed 7-1 at Toronto. Goaltender Sam Montembeault was stable, dealing with 35 pictures, together with 18 within the second interval, when he surrendered just one purpose. Two of the Islanders’ targets got here off deflections and have been nearly not possible for Montembeault to cease.
Brock Nelson paced New York with two targets, giving him 36 this season. Hudson Fasching and captain Anders Lee, who put the sport out of attain with a power-play purpose at 16:00 of the third interval, additionally scored. The Islanders had gone eight consecutive video games with out scoring with the person benefit.
Commercial 4
Article content material
Rem Pitlick scored late within the first interval for Montreal, briefly tying the sport 1-1, nevertheless it was Suzuki’s shorthanded purpose — his twenty fifth this season — late within the center body which may have produced the competition’s most-memorable second.
Suzuki outraced defenceman Samuel Bolduc to a unfastened puck. Then, on one knee, lifted the puck over goalie Ilya Sorokin’s glove hand. Suzuki already has established profession highs for targets and factors (65), whereas his 40 assists matches his profession excessive, set final season. He’s the one Canadien to have performed all 81 video games and has continued to supply regardless of the loss to harm of linemate Cole Caufield, virtually three months in the past. Caufield continues main the Canadiens in targets, with 26.
Commercial 5
Article content material
Suzuki scored on his solely shot, had two blocks and performed barely greater than 20 minutes, a marginal lower from his season common of 21:08. He has completed a lot on this rebuilding group.
Suzuki, who now has three short-handed targets, stated he was unaware he had scored till his teammates got here in direction of him to have fun.
“I had no concept it went in, to be sincere,” Suzuki instructed the media following the sport. “I simply tried to get a stick on it and get the puck to the online. Fortunately it went in. I had a superb leap on the (defenceman) and simply tried to get one thing on web.
“Cole taking place was a giant loss,” Suzuki added. “He’s a fantastic participant. Undoubtedly I miss him however you simply should hold taking part in. We now have different good gamers for me to play with. I simply attempt to assist them as a lot as I can. I simply sort of adapt to whomever I’m taking part in with, their strengths and attempt to be taught off them and know what they wish to do. Possibly I’m attempting to shoot a bit extra with out Cole, however not an excessive amount of adjustments.”
Commercial 6
Article content material
Though the Canadiens have been outshot 35-19, Suzuki stated the full was deceiving.
Montreal began slowly towards the determined Islanders, failing to generate its first shot till midway by means of the opening interval. The undrafted Joël Teasdale, making his NHL debut at 24, batted a Michael Pezzetta rebound out of mid-air within the sport’s fifteenth minute, however struck the submit. Pitlick additionally hit the surface of the submit eight minutes into the second interval.
“I used to be happy with everybody tonight,” Suzuki stated. “We knew they only wanted one level to clinch a playoff spot. We knew what sort of power they have been going to be bringing. I assumed we did a reasonably good job of matching that. It was positively one in all our higher video games currently.”
Head coach Martin St. Louis, in the meantime, stated he hoped being a part of a playoff ambiance — if just for one night time — offers his gamers with some starvation going into subsequent season.
The Canadiens play their last sport Thursday night time towards Boston on the Bell Centre.
hzurkowsky@postmedia.com
twitter.com/HerbZurkowsky1
Stu Cowan: Canadiens’ Mike Matheson enjoys stunning father-son second
Canadiens prospect Lane Hutson seems headed again to college
Feedback
Postmedia is dedicated to sustaining a energetic however civil discussion board for dialogue and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Feedback could take as much as an hour for moderation earlier than showing on the location. We ask you to maintain your feedback related and respectful. We now have enabled electronic mail notifications—you’ll now obtain an electronic mail in the event you obtain a reply to your remark, there may be an replace to a remark thread you observe or if a consumer you observe feedback. Go to our Group Pointers for extra data and particulars on regulate your electronic mail settings.
Be a part of the Dialog