Horvat's overtime goal and Sorokin's 38 saves and 2 assists lift Islanders to 4-3 win over Canadiens

New York Islanders' Bo Horvat celebrates with teammates Tony DeAngelo (4), Casey Cizikas (53) and Noah Dobson (8) after scoring the game-winning goal during the overtime period of an NHL hockey game against the Montreal Canadiens Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

NEW YORK (AP) — Bo Horvat scored his second goal of the game 3:37 into overtime to lift the New York Islanders past the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 on Thursday night for their third straight victory.

Ilya Sorokin made 38 saves and had his first two assists of the season, the first Islanders goalie with multiple points in a game. Anthony Duclair and Simon Holmstrom also had goals for the Islanders, who moved within two points of the Canadiens for the second wild-card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

New York is 7-3-1 in its last 11 since a four-game skid and has won three in a row for the first time since a 7-0 run spanning Jan. 18 to Feb. 1.

Brendan Gallagher tied it for Montreal with 14:16 left after the Canadiens trailed 3-1 early in the third period. Patrik Laine had a goal and an assist and Joshua Roy also scored for the Canadiens. Sam Montembeault made 21 saves.

Takeaways

Canadiens: Despite the loss, Montreal has points in 11 of its last 12 games, going 8-1-3 in that span.

Islanders: Duclair’s goal at 5:37 of the first period gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead and snapped New York’s 0-for-18 power-play drought.

Key moment

With the game tied at 3 in OT, Horvat capped a 2-on-1 break by driving up the left wing and beating Montembeault high on the short side. That came after Montreal’s Lane Hutson was checked off the puck on a rush the other way.

Key stat

The Islanders went 1 for 2 on goal challenges. Coach Patrick Roy was successful in challenging Nick Suzuki’s goal that would have put Montreal up 2-1 early in the second period when a replay review showed he was just inches offside entering the Isles zone.

Laine’s power-play goal, cutting the Islanders' lead to 3-2 at the 4:32 mark of the third period, was allowed to stand after being challenged for goalie interference.

Up next

Canadiens: Host the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night.

Islanders: Host the Calgray Flames on Saturday.

The Associated Press