New York takes on conference rival Montreal
Montreal Canadiens (37-26-7, fourth in the Atlantic Division) vs. New York Islanders (40-22-7, second in the Metropolitan Division)
Uniondale, New York; Thursday, 7 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: New York takes on Montreal in Eastern Conference action.
The Islanders are 25-12-5 in Eastern Conference games. New York is last in the Eastern Conference shooting 28.4 shots per game.
The Canadiens are 11-8-5 against opponents from the Atlantic Division. Montreal has scored 26 power-play goals, converting on 12.3 percent of chances. In their last meeting on Nov. 5, Montreal won 4-3.
TOP PERFORMERS: Anders Lee leads the Islanders with 24 goals and has collected 44 points. Anthony Beauvillier has scored three goals and recorded 3 points over the last 10 games for New York.
LAST 10 GAMES: Canadiens: 5-5-0, averaging 3.2 goals, 5.3 assists, 3.2 penalties and 7.4 penalty minutes while giving up 2.8 goals per game with a .897 save percentage.
Islanders: 5-4-1, averaging 2.8 goals, 4.6 assists, 3.2 penalties and 7.5 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game with a .920 save percentage.
Islanders Injuries: Robin Lehner: day to day (upper body), Johnny Boychuk: day to day (upper body).
Canadiens Injuries: None listed.
