Islanders-Canadiens matchup isn't what it was
The Islanders' Brock Nelson scores on Canadiens goaltender Jake Allen during the second period of an NHL game Nov. 4, 2021, in Montreal. Credit: AP/Ryan Remiorz
Eight months ago, this could have been the Stanley Cup Final.
Now the Islanders-Canadiens matchup on Sunday afternoon at UBS Arena serves as a cautionary tale of how fleeting success can be in the NHL and the importance of taking advantage of those playoff opportunities.
"We always remember our last few runs," Jean-Gabriel Pageau said. "We wanted to play Montreal last year, we were so close. I think it just brings that level of our game higher when we play them again just to show what would have happened if we would have played them."
It’s likely neither team will get that playoff chance this season.
The Islanders (18-20-6) were 16 points out of a playoff spot at the start of Saturday’s play. The Canadiens (9-33-7) were last in the NHL and already have overhauled their management.
Ex-Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton was named executive vice president of hockey operations on Nov. 29 to replaced fired GM Marc Bergevin. Gorton then named former agent Kent Hughes the new GM on Jan. 18 and Hughes named Hall of Famer Martin St. Louis as the interim coach on Feb. 9 after firing Dominique Ducharme.
Ducharme was promoted to replace the fired Claude Julien on Feb. 24, 2021, and led the Canadiens on a surprise run to the Cup Final, losing to the two-time champion Lightning in five games.
The Islanders were eliminated by the Lightning for the second straight season in the NHL semifinals, losing 1-0 in Game 7 in Tampa Bay on June 25 on Yanni Gourde’s shorthanded goal.
"A good example," Islanders coach Barry Trotz said after the team practiced on Saturday at Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow. "You don’t know how it’s going to play out.
"Do I think we would be where we are at this point in the season? No. And I’m sure the Canadiens feel the same way. But there’s stuff that’s in your control and there’s stuff that’s not in your control, and the combination of both of them at the same time can put us in the place we find ourselves today. All you can do is get up, dust yourself off and go forward. From now until the season’s end, let’s be the best version of ourselves and the best version of the team and see what we can do from now until Game No. 82. We need a lot of help. It’s a long shot. But who knows?"
The Islanders snapped a three-game losing streak with Thursday night’s 4-1 win over the Bruins, the team holding the Eastern Conference’s final wild-card spot.
The Canadiens beat the visiting Blues, 3-2, in overtime on Thursday for their first win in four tries with St. Louis running their bench.
The diminutive St. Louis went undrafted yet played 15 seasons and won a Cup with the Lightning in 2004.
"I definitely remember him as a winner, as a competitor," Pageau said. "For me, being a smaller-sized player, to have him play in the NHL, I think it was a good model and good motivation for me to keep working. For all the smaller players to see that there’s this small guy in the NHL, I think it’s good motivation to see that we have a chance.
"For Montreal to have him, he’s going to bring a fresh mentality. He played not too long ago so he understands the players’ perspective. He was a very smart player."
The Islanders set a season high for goals in a 6-2 win in Montreal on Nov. 4, but Trotz said St. Louis already has the Canadiens playing more aggressively defensively.
Notes & quotes: Oliver Wahlstrom (upper body) is day-to-day and did not practice . . . Josh Bailey will return to the lineup after missing Thursday’s game with an upper-body issue . . . Goalie Semyon Varlamov has returned to Long Island after quarantining in Calgary but remains in COVID-19 protocol after testing positive on Feb. 12.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
