NHL: Canadiens ride 3-goal flurry to win, eliminating Isles from playoff race

The Montreal Canadiens delivered a decisive blow to the New York Islanders’ playoff hopes with a 4-1 victory on Sunday night at UBS Arena, sending the Islanders crashing out of postseason contention.

Nick Suzuki, Ivan Demidov, and Alex Newhook found the back of the net in a dramatic 55-second span late in the second period, effectively sealing the win for the Canadiens (48-23-10, 106 points). The win keeps Montreal's hopes alive for the Atlantic Division title, or at the very least, securing second place and home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Jacob Fowler was outstanding in goal, turning away 30 shots in the victory. Meanwhile, Zachary Bolduc sealed the game with a goal in the final seconds of the third period.

Montreal is currently tied for first place with the Buffalo Sabres, two points ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning, but remains without the regulation wins tiebreaker over either team.

The Islanders (43-33-5, 91 points) had been in playoff contention for much of the season but are now on a five-game losing streak (1-4-0). The loss to Montreal comes on the heels of a disappointing 3-0 defeat to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. The Islanders entered the weekend one point behind the third-place Philadelphia Flyers in the Metropolitan Division but saw their playoff hopes dashed.

In the wake of the slump, Islanders head coach Patrick Roy was fired on April 5, and Peter DeBoer’s tenure has opened with a 1-2-0 record, further complicating matters for the team.

Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin made 18 saves in the loss, as Montreal outshot New York 15-11 in the opening two periods before breaking through in the second.

With just over four minutes left in the second, Suzuki found the net after a pass from Juraj Slafkovsky into the crease. Moments earlier, Islanders rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer was penalized for high-sticking Cole Caufield, setting up a Canadiens power play. Demidov capitalized 28 seconds later, when he pounced on a cross-ice pass from Suzuki, beating Sorokin with a shot at the goal line.

Newhook capped the explosive sequence with another goal, scoring at 3:09 to put Montreal up 4-0. Bolduc assisted, sending a perfect pass to Newhook, who raced ahead of Casey Cizikas before firing the puck past Sorokin’s glove.

The Islanders' lone goal came from Cizikas, who redirected a shot from Scott Mayfield midway through the third period. Despite pulling Sorokin for an extra attacker with 3:30 left, New York couldn’t find a way to mount a comeback before Bolduc’s late goal sealed the win for Montreal.

With the win, the Canadiens now look to finish strong in the final stretch of the season, holding onto a playoff spot and keeping their dreams of a division title alive.

-Field Level Media/Reuters