Mike Matheson scored with 20.2 seconds left in overtime to lift the Montreal Canadiens to a 4-3 win against the visiting New York Islanders on Saturday afternoon.
Matheson scored on a rebound after Semyon Varlamov made a save on Mike Hoffman’s breakaway. After a long offsides review, the game-winner was upheld.
Nick Suzuki, Justin Barron and Kirby Dach also scored, Hoffman had three assists, and Sam Montembeault made 27 saves for the Canadiens, who were playing their first game in 11 days.
Brock Nelson had a goal and an assist to extend his career-high point streak to 10 games, Bo Horvat scored for the third straight game and Varlamov made 27 saves for the Islanders, who were trying to win five of six.
Montreal took a 1-0 lead at 12:57 of the first period after Rafael Harvey-Pinard won a battle for the puck in the corner and made a quick centering pass to Suzuki, who scored on a one-timer.
The Islanders tied it 1-1 at 15:01 of the first period on a stylish redirection by Nelson, who was just above the crease when he redirected the puck between his legs and into the net for his 21st goal of the season.
Nelson has New York’s first 10-game point streak since Josh Bailey went 11 games from Dec. 9-31, 2017.
Horvat scored on a power play with five seconds left in the second period to give the Islanders a 2-1 lead.
Horvat was below the goal line when he shot the puck toward the Montreal net. The puck skidded into the crease, hit the far skate of Montembeault and was redirected into the net.
The Islanders, who came into the game one point out of a playoff spot but 25th in the NHL at 2.89 goals a game, acquired Horvat from the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 31.
Barron filled in on the rush and scored his first of the season on a one-timer to tie the score 2-2 at 4:02 of the third.
Matt Martin tipped in a point shot from Alexander Romanov to give New York a 3-2 lead at 10:54.
The Canadiens fought back to tie the score for a second time in the period when Dach scored with 3:16 left to make it 3-3.
–Field Level Media
