It’s been a whirlwind few months for the New York Islanders, from parting ways with Lou Lamoriello to winning the NHL draft lottery and trading Noah Dobson; there have been a lot of changes on Long Island. How did the Montreal Canadiens fare against the Isles last season, and how will they fare this upcoming season? Let’s have a look.
Despite failing to qualify for the playoffs this past season, the Isles still had a good year against Montreal, finishing with a 2-0-1 record in the season series. New York won the initial duel between the two sides in October by a score of 4-3 in the shootout, but they then lost 2-1 in extra time at the Bell Centre in December before signing a 4-3 overtime win in March.
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The first game was a tight affair between the two sides, with the Islanders’ veteran players leading the way. Bo Horvat, Kyle Palmieri, and Anders Lee all scored in regulation, while Cole Caufield scored twice, and Logan Mailloux scored the first goal of his young career. After 60 minutes, the teams were tied at 3-3, and the five minutes of overtime didn’t help. In the shootout, nine rounds were needed before Noah Dobson finally settled the debate, giving New York the extra point.
In December, the Canadiens got their revenge thanks to a thrilling overtime win when captain Nick Suzuki scored the overtime winner, halfway through extra time. Montreal had taken the lead in the middle frame with a Patrik Laine power play goal in his very first regular season game as a Hab.
Then, in March, the Isles skated away with the season series thanks to a Bo Horvat overtime goal, which was his second of the game. In other words, all three games between the two teams couldn’t be settled in regulation, two went to overtime, and one went to the shootout. Montreal cannot afford to lose tight games against teams that are not making the playoffs. The young Habs need a killer instinct to maximize their results against struggling teams. The Islanders missed the playoffs and only had 82 points last season, five of which came against the Canadiens.
However, the Islanders’ best player against Montreal was none other than Dobson, the blueliner who had five points in the three-game season series, including a game-winning goal in the shootout. His loss will undoubtedly hurt the Islanders, despite Mathieu Darche making some significant changes to his roster.
After Matt Martin announced his retirement, the Isles GM acquired Emil Heineman in the Dobson trade. While Heineman isn’t the most significant player, he has shown that he can play with plenty of physicality and come at players like a wrecking ball. That forechecking ability should help alleviate the loss of Martin.
Up front, Darche signed former Hab Jonathan Drouin. After struggling in Montreal and only putting up 186 points in 321 games (0.58 points per game), the winger went on to score 93 points in 122 games with the Colorado Avalanche over the last two seasons, averaging 0.76 PPG. Of course, he had quite the supporting cast in Denver, but the Islanders are banking on the fact that he did find his form rather than worry about it being all down to his reunion with QMJHL teammate Nathan MacKinnon. Time will tell if that was a mistake or not.
In net, the Isles also added David Rittich and will be hoping he can play a solid backup role to Ilya Sorokin. On the blueline, the Isles opted to keep Tony DeAngelo around after bringing him back from the KHL last season. In 35 games, he did manage to score 19 points and was an important cog on their blueline. Speaking of essential cogs, after trading Dobson, Darche inked former Canadiens blueliner Alexander Romanov to an eight-year deal with a $6.25 M AAV. The blueliner was traded by the Habs on the draft floor in 2022 to land Kirby Dach from the Chicago Blackhawks.
Then, there’s also first overall pick Matthew Schaefer, who was recently signed to his ELC. The left-shot defenseman is still only 17 years old, however, and will only turn 18 on September 5. Will he be ready to make the jump now? At 6-foot-2 and only 185 pounds, he will need to add some muscle to his frame to be successful in the NHL.
Will these changes be enough to bring the Islanders to the postseason? That’s far from guaranteed, but one thing is sure: if the Canadiens want to return to the playoffs, they need the killer instinct to put away tight games by any means necessary, which could include games against the Isles.
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