Here’s what you need to know
Here are five things you should know about the Habs-Islanders game at the Bell Centre Monday (7:30 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN Radio 690):
1 The matchup
This is the first of three games between these teams this season and both teams are looking for a win to bolster their playoff hopes. Both teams have 4-5-1 records in their last 10 games, but the Islanders are in better shape after routing the rival New York Rangers 7-2 Saturday for their second consecutive win. They have 48 points and are only one point out of a wild-card spot. The Canadiens have earned points in each of their last three games (2-0-1).
2 Shaw needed up front
Nobody knows how long Phillip Danault will be out of the lineup after being knocked out by Zdeno Chara slapshot to the head Saturday night, but his absence creates an immediate problem for coach Claude Julien who is already short of quality centres. The most logical move would be to promote Andrew Shaw to a top-six position.
3 Patch ready to break out
Max Pacioretty has a history of scoring in bunches and the perennial 30-goal scorer has a goal in each of the last three games. The goals — and it should be noted that one of them was an empty-netter — boosted the captain’s season total to 11, which means there’s plenty of room of improvement. Alex Galchenyuk also reached 11 goals Saturday and has scored in two consecutive games. His goal was a power-play goal from the right wall, which is where Alex Kovalev and Michael Cammalleri prospered in years gone by. A consistent Galchenyuk could be the cure for an ailing power play.
4 Good offence, no defence
The Islanders rank No. 2 in offence with 3.41 goals a game but the rank 31st in defence, allowing 3.61 goals a game. John Tavares, whose future with the team is cloudy, is the team leader on offence with 22 goals and 52 points, two more than Josh Bailey. Mathew Barzal leads all NHL rookies with 44 points while former Notre Dame star Anders Lee is the top goal scorer with 25.
5 Welcome back Jaro
Back in 2010, the most popular Canadien may have been goaltender Jaroslav Halak as he led the team on an improbable run to the Eastern Conference final. There were many fans who were upset when the Canadiens traded Halak but, in retrospect, the decision to keep Carey Price looks pretty good. Halak made stops in St. Louis and Washington before landing with the Islanders, who haven’t always appreciated his efforts.