(Elmont) The Canadian was unable to play spoilsport in the playoff race for a second straight game.
Kyle Palmieri ruled in overtime and the New York Islanders defeated the Montreal team 3-2 on Thursday night at UBS Arena.
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Palmieri surprised goalie Samuel Montembeault 1:17 into the overtime period. He was right on target with a high shot, over the goalkeeper’s left shoulder.
The Canadian defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 9-3 on Tuesday at the Bell Center. This time, he was not able to reduce the points harvest of the Islanders, who cling to third place in the Metropolitan section.
Cole Caufield had a goal and an assist, while Jordan Harris also scored for the Canadian (30-36-13), who has lost four of his last five games (1-3-1). Samuel Montembeault stopped 31 shots.
Mike Matheson had an assist. He thus became the first Canadian defender to reach the 60-point plateau in a season since PK Subban in 2014-15.
Pierre Engvall and Casey Cizikas scored in regulation for the Islanders (37-27-15), who won a sixth straight game. Adam Pelech had two assists and Semyon Varlamov stopped 13 shots.
The Islanders lost the services of defenseman Noah Dobson after just three appearances in the first period.
The Canadian will play his next game on Saturday, when he visits the Ottawa Senators.
Tight game
Nick Suzuki got the first quality scoring opportunity when he escaped just over nine minutes into the game. However, he was unable to slip the puck between the pads of Varlamov, who was trying to spear the puck.
Montembeault stood out a few moments later, stopping a point-blank shot from Cizikas.
The Canadian opened the scoring with 2:02 left in the first period. Harris hit the mark with a precise one-timer. Juraj Slafkovsky obscured Varlamov’s view of the sequence.
Joel Armia had a golden opportunity to double the Canadian’s lead before the end of the first period. Varlamov, however, made a nice save with his mitt.
The second period was the affair of the Islanders, who had a 14-5 advantage in shots on goal.
Mathew Barzal came up against Montembeault at the start of the period, when he found himself alone in front of the Canadian goalkeeper on the right flank.
Bo Horvat then hit the crossbar a little later.
Engvall finally tied the game 1-1 at 5:17. He took advantage of the confusion in the Canadian’s defensive coverage after he recovered the puck and returned to the slot. He beat Montembeault with a precise shot from the glove side.
Montembeault kept the Canadian in the game with a few good saves before the second intermission. He frustrated Brock Nelson, then Engvall on the return, during a two-on-one attack from the Islanders. He also benefited from the help of Slafkovsky, who blocked a shot from Pelech while the Quebec goaltender was in a vulnerable position.
The Canadian regained the lead after 3:42 of play in the third period. Caufield scored his 25e goal of the season after receiving a pass from Johnathan Kovacevic.
Islanders forward Matt Martin suffered an injury when he was hit by a shot from Slafkovsky earlier in the sequence. Martin did not return to the game afterward.
The Islanders responded at 6:30. Pelech missed the target with a backhand, but Cizikas recovered the rebound and surprised Montembeault by rounding the back of the net.
Armia wasted another opportunity for the Canadian during a two-on-one shorthanded attack.
Palmieri finally played the hero in overtime.