MONTREAL — The Islanders have the highest aspirations for the quality of hockey they want to play, following back-to-back trips to the NHL semifinals. It hasn’t been easy finding consistency through a stop-and-start schedule. But facing the struggling Canadiens certainly helped them get closer to the level they want to attain.
Brock Nelson’s career-high four-goal performance, including a late empty-netter, another strong outing from Ilya Sorokin and three assists from local product Anthony Beauvillier were the highlights. But the Islanders, until late in the third period, played an overall strong team game in Thursday night’s 6-2 win at Bell Centre as they resumed their season-opening 13-game road trip.