Isles Hold Lead and Defeat the Canadiens 4-3

Uniondale, NY -- It came down to the wire, but the Islanders held on to defeat the Canadiens last night, 4-3, at the Nassau Coliseum. The crucial win snapped the Islanders four game losing streak and is a big moral booster as the they get set to face the Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins on Saturday for the second time in less than two weeks. The first period saw the Canadiens and Islanders trade chances. John Tavares had several chances including one he shot stick side that was deflected out of play by Canadiens goaltender Peter Budaj’s stick. Brian Rolston also had good opportunity on a short-handed attempt that hit the cross bar. The most significant event to happen in the first was a groin injury sustained by Evgeni Nabokov. Nabokov made a pad save and then immediately fell forward in pain. He left the ice and did not return to the game. The Islanders brought in Rick Dipietro to play the rest of the game. The second period is where the action picked up. 41 seconds in PA Par...