Nick Suzuki scored the overtime winner and added an assist as the Montreal Canadiens edged the visiting New York Islanders 2-1 on Tuesday night.
Suzuki batted in the rebound off his own shot 2:39 into the extra frame for his 10th goal of the season.
Patrik Laine, making his Habs debut, scored the other goal for the Canadiens, who avoided a third straight loss and won for the second time in six games (2-3-1).
Tuesday was the fourth straight game between the Canadiens and Islanders decided by one goal.
Sam Montembeault made 30 saves for his fourth career win over the Islanders and his first victory since Nov. 18 against the Oilers.
Anders Lee scored for the visitors, and Ilya Sorokin stopped 25 shots in the loss. New York has been outscored 44-22 in the third period and overtime this season.
Laine opened the scoring on a power play, beating Sorokin glove side with a wrist shot from the faceoff dot for his first of the season at 7:23 of the second period. Laine is the 76th player in franchise history to score in his team debut.
Acquired by the Canadiens in an August trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Laine missed the first 24 games due to a knee injury suffered in a Sept. 28 preseason game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
With his assist on Laine’s goal, Suzuki extended his point streak to four games (three goals, four assists).
New York responded with 1:07 remaining in the middle frame on a power play as Lee chipped in his own rebound past Montembeault for his team-leading 11th of the season. The Islanders captain has three goals and three assists in his last three games.
The two teams played a scoreless first period, with the Canadiens outshooting the Islanders 7-5.
Tuesday was the second of three regular-season meetings between the clubs. The Islanders edged the visiting Canadiens 4-3 in a shootout on Oct. 19. The teams will wrap up the season series March 20 in Elmont, N.Y.
–Field Level Media