Isles get OT win over Habs in key wild-card showdown

Field Level Media|published: Thu 20th March, 23:02 2025

Mar 20, 2025; Elmont, New York, USA; Montreal Canadiens right wing Brendan Gallagher (11) fights for the puck against New York Islanders defensemen Adam Pelech (3) and Noah Dobson (8) and Ryan Pulock (6) and goaltender Ilya Sorokin (30) during the first period at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Bo Horvat scored his second goal of the night with 1:23 left in overtime for the surging New York Islanders, who gained ground in the Eastern Conference wild-card race with a 4-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday in Elmont, N.Y.

Horvat, accompanied down the ice by Kyle Palmieri on a two-on-one, passed on dishing to Palmieri before firing a shot under the stick of goalie Sam Montembeault.

Anthony Duclair and Simon Holmstrom also scored for the Islanders (32-28-8, 72 points), who squandered a 3-1 third-period lead before winning their third straight game. New York's Anthony DeAngelo and Noah Dobson added two assists apiece, as did goalie Ilya Sorokin, who also made 38 saves.

New York inched within two points of the Canadiens (33-27-8, 74 points) for the final wild-card spot in the East. The Islanders also leapfrogged the New York Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets, each of whom lost Thursday.

Patrik Laine had a goal and an assist and Joshua Roy and Brendan Gallagher also scored for the Canadiens, who fell to 8-1-3 since the 4 Nations Face-Off break.

Montembeault recorded 21 saves.

Duclair opened the scoring with a power-play goal 5:37 into the first period after taking a feed from Anders Lee, who collected his 500th career point.

Roy tied the score with his first goal of the season a little more than six minutes later when he backhanded home the rebound of a shot by Jayden Struble.

Holmstrom put New York up 2-1 with another power-play goal with 3:20 left in the second.

Horvat scored his first goal 2:31 into the third after taking a clearing pass from Noah Dobson, getting a step on Mike Matheson and beating Montembeault.

The Canadiens began their comeback by scoring on a power play just 2:01 later, when Laine's angled shot from the edge of the left faceoff circle sailed into the net as Sorokin struggled to regain his footing following a collision with Montreal left winger Juraj Slafkovsky that momentarily jarred the net loose. The goal stood following an Islanders challenge.

Gallagher tied the score with 5:44 left, when he picked off the puck from Jean-Gabriel Pageau and went in untouched for the unassisted goal after Islanders defenseman Mike Reilly slipped near center ice.

--Field Level Media

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