Regardless of Suzuki's heroics, Canadiens fail to play spoiler towards playoff-bound Islanders

Article content material

Because the solar is about to set on one other disappointing Canadiens season, don’t inform Nick Suzuki there’s nothing to play for.

Article content material

The 23-year-old centre, in his first season as captain at an age most NHL gamers are nonetheless making an attempt to get their bearings, was one in all Montreal’s greatest gamers — as normal — Wednesday evening.

Article content material

However Suzuki, who leads by instance recreation after recreation, couldn’t do it alone towards the New York Islanders. And the Canadiens, who might have performed spoiler, fell simply quick of their 4-2 defeat on the UBS Enviornment.

With the victory of their last recreation of the common season, the Islanders (42-31-9) clinched a playoff berth, their fourth in 5 seasons, and now occupy the primary wild-card place within the Japanese Convention, one level forward of Florida, which has one recreation remaining.

The Islanders undoubtedly hope to stay there, thus avoiding a first-round confrontation towards the Boston Bruins, the NHL’s high group, winners of the President’s Trophy and Stanley Cup favourites — at the least for now.

Article content material

Article content material

New York’s victory additionally eradicated the Pittsburgh Penguins, who made 16 consecutive post-season appearances — the longest lively streak in North American sports activities.

Whereas the Canadiens (31-44-6) misplaced their second consecutive match, their effort was vastly improved from final Saturday, once they have been drubbed 7-1 at Toronto. Goaltender Sam Montembeault was stable, going through 35 photographs, together with 18 within the second interval, when he surrendered just one purpose. Two of the Islanders’ targets got here off deflections and have been nearly unattainable for Montembeault to cease.

Brock Nelson paced New York with two targets, giving him 36 this season. Hudson Fasching and captain Anders Lee, who put the sport out of attain with a power-play purpose at 16:00 of the third interval, additionally scored. The Islanders had gone eight consecutive video games with out scoring with the person benefit.

Article content material

Rem Pitlick scored late within the first interval for Montreal, briefly tying the sport 1-1, but it surely was Suzuki’s shorthanded purpose — his twenty fifth this season — late within the center body which may have produced the competition’s most-memorable second.

Suzuki outraced defenceman Samuel Bolduc to a unfastened puck. Then, on one knee, lifted the puck over goalie Ilya Sorokin’s glove hand. Suzuki already has established profession highs for targets and factors (65), whereas his 40 assists matches his profession excessive, set final season. He’s the one Canadien to have performed all 81 video games and has continued to supply regardless of the loss to harm of linemate Cole Caufield, nearly three months in the past. Caufield continues main the Canadiens in targets, with 26.

Article content material

Suzuki scored on his solely shot, had two blocks and performed barely greater than 20 minutes, a marginal lower from his season common of 21:08. He has achieved a lot on this rebuilding group.

Suzuki, who now has three short-handed targets, stated he was unaware he had scored till his teammates got here in direction of him to have fun.

“I had no thought it went in, to be trustworthy,” Suzuki advised the media following the sport. “I simply tried to get a stick on it and get the puck to the online. Fortunately it went in. I had soar on the (defenceman) and simply tried to get one thing on web.

“Cole happening was a giant loss,” Suzuki added. “He’s an important participant. Positively I miss him however you simply must hold taking part in. We’ve different good gamers for me to play with. I simply attempt to assist them as a lot as I can. I simply form of adapt to whomever I’m taking part in with, their strengths and attempt to be taught off them and know what they wish to do. Perhaps I’m making an attempt to shoot a bit extra with out Cole, however not an excessive amount of modifications.”

Article content material

Though the Canadiens have been outshot 35-19, Suzuki stated the overall was deceiving.

Montreal began slowly towards the determined Islanders, failing to generate its first shot till midway by means of the opening interval. The undrafted Joël Teasdale, making his NHL debut at 24, batted a Michael Pezzetta rebound out of mid-air within the recreation’s fifteenth minute, however struck the put up. Pitlick additionally hit the surface of the put up eight minutes into the second interval.

“I used to be pleased with everybody tonight,” Suzuki stated. “We knew they only wanted one level to clinch a playoff spot. We knew what sort of vitality they have been going to be bringing. I assumed we did a fairly good job of matching that. It was positively one in all our higher video games recently.”

Head coach Martin St. Louis, in the meantime, stated he hoped being a part of a playoff ambiance — if just for one evening — offers his gamers with some starvation going into subsequent season.

The Canadiens play their last recreation Thursday evening towards Boston on the Bell Centre.

[email protected]

twitter.com/HerbZurkowsky1