NEW YORK — Brock Nelson scored twice as the New York Islanders beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-2 Wednesday night and clinched a playoff berth.
The Islanders are awaiting the outcome of the Florida Panthers-Carolina Hurricanes game on Thursday to determine their first-round playoff opponent. New York missed the postseason last year, and that led to the firing of head coach Barry Trotz in May.
"We've played a lot of hockey, but now it gets fun," Zach Parise said. "You zero in on a team. You focus on their strengths and weaknesses and it really turns into a chess match.