Beauvillier Scores, Islanders Snap Skid in 2-1 Defeat of Canadiens

ELMONT, NY– The New York Islanders snapped their four-game skid with a 2-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night. Offense remained an issue, but netminder Ilya Sorokin stood tall to hold down the fort in the third period.

The Islanders are now 23-18-3 on the season and are back in a playoff spot–second wild-card position.

LINES:

Zach Parise-Mathew Barzal-Josh Bailey
Anders Lee-Brock Nelson-Holmstrom
Beauvillier-Jean-Gabriel Pageau-Hudson Fasching
Matt Martin-Casey Cizikas-Cal Clutterbuck

Parker Wotherspoon-Ryan Pulock
Alexander Romanov-Noah Dobson
Sebastian Aho-Scott Mayfield

Ilya Sorokin
Semyon Varlamov

GOALS:

Casey Cizikas gave the New York Islanders a 1-0 lead at 2:25 of the first period as he deflected a Noah Dobson point shot for his fourth of the season. Dobson and Cal Clutterbuck were credited with the assists.

Anthony Beauvillier extended the Islanders lead to 2-0 at 6:03 of the first period as he buried a rebound for his ninth of the season. Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Scott Mayfield were credited with the assists.

Nick Suzuki got the Canadiens on the board at 9:56 of the third period as he cut to the low slot and tapped one home on the backhand for his 16th of the season. Jonathan Drouin was credited with the lone assist.

Islanders Hit the Net

The New York Islanders struggled to hit the net on their four-game slide. They missed the net 44 times on 161 attempts heading into Saturday night’s contest.

“If you’re missing the net, you can’t score. My dad told me that when I was five years old,” Islanders head coach Lane Lambert said Saturday morning.

And that the Islanders did against the Canadiens as they recorded 10 missed shots on the night.

“You gotta give a lot of credit to the defense tonight,” Casey Cizikas said. “They did a really good job of getting pucks through.”

Islanders head coach Lane Lambert weighed in:

“We need to get pucks to the net, and we have to get pucks on net in order to have opportunities,” Lambert said. “You create second opportunities if it doesn’t go in the first time. So you know, but it’s not always easy. And I thought our defense did a really good job as well of putting the puck in behind their net and continuing to maintain an offensive zone play.”

Beauvillier Gets Off Schneid

New York Islanders forward Anthony Beauvillier has struggled mightily this season. He entered Saturday night’s contest against his hometown Montreal Canadiens riding an eight-game goal drought with just two over his last 12 games.

Head coach Lane Lambert elected to switch up his lines, dropping Beauvillier to Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s wing alongside Hudson Fasching.

Pageau and Fasching had been a dangerous duo as of late, so it was a major opportunity for Beauvillier to pot a goal.

And that he did, as he gave the Islanders a 2-0 lead in the first period.

Scotty with the shot, Pager with the tip, and Beau with the finish. pic.twitter.com/gmDZtJye0p

— Isles on MSGSN (@IslesMSGN) January 15, 2023

“You never really want to kick a monkey off your back,” Beauvillier said. “Never want to have one on your back, but it happens, and yeah, it definitely feels good to get on the scoresheet here.”

Beauvillier ended his night with a goal on four shots and four hits in 15:31 TOI.

Sorokin Commits Robbery, Stands Tall

New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin has been on top of his game as of late but has not been given offensive support. The Islanders got out to an early 2-0 lead, and Sorokin did what he does best–stop pucks.

He stopped 22 of 23 on the night with a few highlight-reel saves like his save on Montreal Canadiens forward Kirby Dach:

Ilya just being Ilya pic.twitter.com/oMi5SwXbP2

— Isles on MSGSN (@IslesMSGN) January 15, 2023

“He’s a treat for us every night. You know, we’re mid-game, so you appreciate it a little bit even more after when you see some of the saves and how quickly they were and all that stuff […] He gives us a chance every night,” Islanders captain Anders Lee said.

He continues to be a lifesaver for the Islanders.

UP NEXT: The New York Islanders host the Washington Capitals Monday at 7:30 PM at UBS Arena.