Montreal Canadiens’ Josh Anderson reacts to a goal by Sean Monahan against New York Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov, while Islanders’ Alexander Romanov (28) looks on during the third period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024, in Montreal. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)
MONTREAL (AP) — Sean Monahan scored his second goal of the game with 2:12 remaining, lifting the Canadiens to a 4-3 victory over the New York Islanders and spoiling Patrick Roy’s return to Montreal on Thursday night.
After the Canadiens gave up a 3-1 lead in the third period, Monahan fired a one-timer into the Islanders’ net to put Montreal back on top.
Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield each had a goal and an assist for Montreal, which snapped a three-game losing streak. Sam Montembeault stopped 43 shots and was credited with an assist on Monahan’s first goal.
“It was obviously a fun game,” Montembeault said. “You see Patrick’s picture right there in the locker room, so it was really exciting right from the start. I was excited to play that game and I’m really happy to get the win.”
Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat each had a goal and assist, Kyle Palmieri also scored and Noah Dobson had three assists as the Islanders fell to 1-2-0 under Roy. Semyon Varlamov made 22 saves.
Roy, the Hall of Fame goaltender who helped lead the Canadiens to Stanley Cup victories in 1986 and 1993, was hired as the Islanders’ coach last Saturday after over seven years away from the NHL. He received a deafening ovation from the Bell Centre crowd when the Canadiens displayed a photo montage of their former netminder during the singing of “O Canada.”
“I’d like to thank the Montreal Canadiens for that,” Roy said. “I mean, it was really nice of them, what they did, and the fans were just like usual. This is a good crowd.”
The Canadiens led 3-1 with nine minutes remaining in the third when forward Brendan Gallagher caught Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech with an…
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