Habs dominate in the third period for a road win over the struggling New York Islanders.
Score on a power play to win battle of special teams
The Canadiens won the battle of special teams, scoring twice on the power play and killing off four penalties, and Brian Gionta provided the winning goal at even strength early in the third period as they defeated the New York Islanders 5-2 at the Nassau Coliseum on Thursday night. It was a reversal of the first two games between the teams this season when the Islanders used the power play to win. Specialty items: Michael Ryder and P.K. Subban scored power-play goals as the Canadiens went 2-for-4 with the man advantage. The Canadiens took a 1-0 lead when Ryder scored a power-play goal at 10:36. He beat Kevin Poulin from the faceoff circle seconds after Montreal failed to find him on a backdoor play. Subban tied the score at 2-2 when he connected with a slapshot from inside the blue line at 10:53 of the second period. Instant insurance: The Canadiens opened a 5-2 lead midway through the third period when they scored twice in a 44-second span. Brendan Gallagher was originally credited with both goals, but a scoring change credited Subban with his second of the night. Gallagher was in a scrum in front of the net, but Subban’s shot went off an Islanders’ defenceman. Gallagher got a break on the second goal when he went in alone on Poulin. His shot hit the post and came out, but it caromed across the goal line off Poulin’s skate. Still on top: The win kept the Canadiens in first place in the Northeast Division with a two-point edge over the Bruins, who squeaked past Ottawa 2-1. The Bruins still hold a game in hand on Montreal. The Canadiens also moved one point behind idle Pittsburgh in the battle for first in the Eastern Conference. Montreal holds a game in hand in that race. Turnaround is fair play: After the Canadiens failed to get a shot off a 3-on-1 break, the Islanders had a 2-on-1 break going the other way and tied the score at 1-1 when John Tavares took the puck all the way to the net and went upstairs on Price at 12:06 of the first period. Redemption time: Subban and David Desharnais were both benched briefly in the second, but Subban came back to score two goals while Desharnais set up Gionta for the game-winner. What’s next: The Canadiens will be looking to avenge Tuesday’s overtime loss to Buffalo when the Sabres make a return visit to the Bell Centre on Saturday (7 p.m., CBC, RDS, TSN-690 Radio). Then it’s back on the road for a crucial back-to-back set Tuesday in Pittsburgh and Wednesday in Boston.