The Islanders got two points from a “schedule win” meeting on the calendar with the young and loose Montreal Canadiens, but they did it the hard way, coughing up a 2-0 lead as well as a late 3-2 lead before finally prevailing in a lengthy shootout on Long Island, 4-3.
Noah Dobson got the winning non-goal tally in the shootout’s ninth round, after neither team converted in the required first three rounds. The Isles sent a random list of players, while the Habs threw a kitchen sink of youngsters to test old man Semyon Varlamov.
There is more damage than the extra man-hours consumed, however: Anthony Duclair left the game with what looked like a groin or abdominal injury.