Bo Horvat’s Overtime Goal Leads Islanders to 4-3 Win Over Canadiens

Entering Thursday’s showdown, the Montreal Canadiens held a slight advantage over the New York Islanders, with three more points in the playoff race. However, after a tough 4-3 defeat in overtime, that lead has now shortened to only one small point. The Islanders’ victory has pushed them really close to Montreal with now 14 games left.

The Islanders, now on a three-game winning streak, are showing signs of life in their bid for the final wild card spot in the East. Having won their last three games, including the crucial victory over Montreal, they are building momentum at the perfect time. With only a handful of games left, New York is fighting tooth and nail to close the gap and make a late-season push, determined to claw their way back into the playoff picture.

Game Recap

The first goal of the game came early off the stick of the Islanders’ Anthony Duclair. The Quebec native scored his seventh goal of the season, only 5:37 into the first period, on the powerplay following a pass from Anders Lee. The Habs’ response didn’t take too long, at 11:58, Joshua Roy took advantage of a bad rebound from Ilya Sorokin to level things up. It was Roy’s first goal in the NHL since March 12, 2024.

The Canadiens thought they had taken the lead in the second period, but Nick Suzuki’s goal was waved off due to an offside violation. The Islanders then took the lead back late in the second period. Simon Holmstrom scored New York’s second goal on the power play in the game thanks to a powerful one-timer.

Up by one early in the third, Bo Horvat gave his team a two-goal cushion with his 22^nd goal of the season. Only two minutes later, Patrik Laine brought some life back to the Habs with a controversial goal on the power play to bring the deficit back to only one small goal.

Down by a goal with 5:44 left in the game, Brendan Gallagher took advantage of a turnover to break free and go in alone on the goalie and score. His 17^th of the season tied things up to bring this game into overtime for Montreal. Horvat ended things with his second goal of the game as he decided to shoot on a 2-on-1.