MONTREAL — Anthony Beauvillier received a bunch of text messages from local friends forewarning him about how loud the crowd at Bell Centre would be on Friday night with Carey Price returning to the Canadiens’ lineup for the first time this season after a tumultuous personal trek.
But Ilya Sorokin, in net for the Islanders for the third time in four nights with expected starter Semyon Varlamov (non-COVID-19 illness) unavailable, was understandably sharper. He made a career-high 44 saves in the 3-0 win to tie Chico Resch and Varlamov’s team record of seven shutouts in a season.
The Islanders (35-30-9) conclude this three-game road trip on Sunday night in Toronto after losing, 6-3, in Pittsburgh on Thursday night. Any combination of three points either lost by them or gained by the Capitals will seal the Islanders’ playoff elimination.