Stat Trick: Canadiens 5, Isles 1

"Go, Habs, Go" never sounded so loud... at least on Long Island. In a night where it seemed like there were more people rooting for the visitors, Montreal swamped the Isles. On to the trick:

1. Les Habs recorded three power play goals -- one more than they had scored in the first three games between the teams. Montreal scored on three of the first four pp's, meaning that the Isles had allowed 5 pp goals in less than 40 minutes of playing time.

2. Montreal scored the game's first 4 goals, marking eight straight goals for Montreal on Long Island, including a comeback win from 4-1 last November 1.

3. Jeff Tambellini continues to improve. He scored his second goal in three games, and extended his point streak to 3.

...and a few more...

4. Alexei Kovalev had three assists. Both he and Saku Koivu extended their point streaks to 5.

5. LI'er Mike Komisarek scored Montreal's final goal. It was his first goal since October 13 and his first point in 18 career games against the Isles.

6. Tom Kostopoulos was awarded a penalty shot early in the third period but was stopped by Yann Danis (33 saves). It was the second penalty shot vs. the Isles this season; Simon Gagne scored against Danis in February.

7. The Isles played without Dean McAmmond and Kyle Okposo; they lost Andy Hilbert in the 2nd period. If you own a pair of skates you may be able to get into the Isles line-up for Saturday night.

8. Sean Bentivoglio made his NHL debut. He was in the penalty box when Koivu scored the game's first goal. He had 2 shots and a hit in 11:31 of ice-time. Trevor Smith was also recalled; he had three hits and a shot in 14:08.

9. The road team won all 4 games in the season series, but Montreal finished with 6 points to the Isles' 4. Montreal dominated in the circle, winning 40 of 62 draws. It was the second night in a row that the Isles had lost at least 40 face-offs.

10. Up next: Tampa Bay visits Long Island on Saturday. The Isles lead the season's series 2 games to 1 and four points to 3. If Tampa earns a point in New Jersey on Friday, they could guarantee that they will finish ahead of the Isles if they win at the Coliseum on Saturday.

28
Tampa Bay Lightning SE 77 24 36 17 65 Friday at New Jersey; Saturday at Islanders
29
Colorado Avalanche NW 77 31 44 2 64 Sunday at Vancouver
30
New York Islanders ATL 77 25 43 9 59 Saturday vs Tampa

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.