National Hockey League
NY Islanders 5, Montreal 4
When: 7:30 PM ET, Monday, January 15, 2018
Where: Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec
Referees: Kevin Pollock, Chris Schlenker
Linesmen: Michel Cormier, Tim Nowak
Attendance: 21302
Mathew Barzal scored once in a three-point game and John Tavares netted the overtime winner in a two-goal outing as the New York Islanders claimed a 5-4 win over the Montreal Canadiens Monday night in Montreal.

Islanders backup goalie Thomas Greiss stopped 52 shots for his first victory in nearly a month as the Islanders claimed a third straight win.

The Islanders twice blew two-goal leads at the Bell Centre. Anthony Beauvillier, on his team's first shot, and Barzal tallied early first-period goals to spot the Islanders a 2-0 lead, but Nicolas Deslauriers and Paul Byron both scored to draw the Habs even before the first intermission.

The Islanders again figured they were off and running to victory when Adam Pelech and Tavares each lit the lamp to give the visitors a 4-2 lead. However, Jonathan Drouin broke a 12-game goal slump in the final minute of the second period and Max Pacioretty added a power-play goal with seven minutes remaining in regulation to force overtime. Pacioretty has scored in four consecutive games.

Barzal, who had a five-point outing in a 7-2 shellacking of the New York Rangers on Saturday, leads all rookie NHLers with 47 points in 45 games. Jordan Eberle collected a pair of assists.

Defenseman Jakub Jerabek collected his first NHL point in a two-assist game for the Canadiens, who have just two wins in their last nine games. Carey Price was victimized four times on the first 10 shots and made 19 saves for Montreal.

Montreal forward Phillip Danault, who was sent to the hospital after being hit in the head by a puck shot by Boston's Zdeno Chara on Saturday, didn't play and is sidelined with a concussion.

The Canadiens also were without forward Andrew Shaw, who has been sidelined with a lower-body injury. They acquired forward Logan Shaw off waivers from the Anaheim Ducks, but he didn't play.

New York defenseman Scott Mayfield left the game late in the second period after he attempted to block a shot with his stick only to have the puck deflect into his mouth.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
NY Islanders   Montreal
Mathew Barzal 3 Points Alex Galchenyuk 2
John Tavares 2 Goals Paul Byron 1
Mathew Barzal 2 Assists Alex Galchenyuk 2
N/A Power Play Goals Max Pacioretty 1
John Tavares 1 Short Handed Goals N/A
Thomas Greiss .929 Save Percentage Carey Price .792
Thomas Greiss 52 Saves Carey Price 19
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
NY Islanders 24 5 0-2 3-4 8 33
Montreal 56 4 1-4 2-2 4 39
Upcoming Games
  • Montreal will play their next game on the road against Boston. The Canadiens have a W/L % of .526 after a win and .320 after a loss.
  • NY Islanders will play their next game at home against New Jersey. The Islanders have a W/L % of .478 after a win and .545 after a loss.