MONTREAL — The Islanders have the highest aspirations for the quality of hockey they want to play, following back-to-back trips to the NHL semifinals. It hasn’t been easy finding consistency through a stop-and-start schedule. But facing the struggling Canadiens certainly helped them get closer to the level they want to attain.
Brock Nelson’s career-high four-goal performance, including a late empty-netter, another strong outing from Ilya Sorokin and three assists from local product Anthony Beauvillier were the highlights. But the Islanders, until late in the third period, played an overall strong team game in Thursday night’s 6-2 win at Bell Centre as they resumed their season-opening 13-game road trip.
The Islanders (4-2-2) extended their point streak to 4-0-2 as they started a stretch of three games in four nights, including Saturday at Winnipeg and Sunday at Minnesota. It was their first game in front of fans in Canada since March 10, 2010.
"Coming into this, we wanted to keep ourselves in a position that we didn’t fall behind," Islanders president and general manager Lou Lamoriello said before his milestone 2,600th game as an NHL GM. "We certainly feel good where we’re at right now. But I don’t think we’ve reached where we’re capable of playing."
Sorokin made 36 saves, including stopping Christian Dvorak’s breakaway backhander at 15:06 of the second period. But Nick Suzuki’s short-handed goal off the rush at 15:20 of the third period spoiled his bid for a third shutout in four games. Tyler Toffoli made it 5-2 with a five-on-three power-play goal at 17:04.
The Canadiens (3-9-0), who reached the Stanley Cup Final last season, were without bottom-six forward Cedric Paquette, serving the second and final game of his suspension for boarding the Ducks’ Trevor Zegras, and top-six forward Jonathan Drouin, hit in the head with a puck in Tuesday’s 3-0 win over the Red Wings. No. 1 goalie Carey Price has yet to play and top defenseman Shea Weber’s career is likely over.
The Islanders took a 1-0 lead at 4:14 of the first period as Nelson muscled around defenseman David Savard and then received Kyle Palmieri’s behind-the-back pass to lift a backhander past Jake Allen.
Oliver Wahlstrom, sniping the puck past Allen from the high slot off Casey Cizikas’ feed after Matt Martin got down the ice on the forecheck, made it 2-0 at 3:31 of the second period as he scored his fifth goal of the season.
Nelson made it 3-0 at 12:25 of the second, knocking in a rebound at the left post shortly after Allen stopped Beauvillier’s two-on-one try. Nelson earned his third career hat trick at 15:23, swatting in the puck at the left post after Beauvillier sent a cross-crease feed.
Nelson leads the Islanders with six goals and Beauvillier, who grew up in nearby Sorel-Tracy, Quebec, now has five points in six career games at Bell Centre and had assists on Nelson's first three goals.
"It’s just always nice to come back here and play in front of friends and family," Beauvillier said before the game. "It’s been a while that we’ve been in Canada."
Jean-Gabriel Pageau, with his first goal of the season, made it 5-0 at 18:08 of the second as he converted Zach Parise’s feed from behind the crease with a one-timer off the left post. It was Parise’s first point as an Islander.
