Cizikas, Beauvillier score early, Isles top Canadiens 2-1
By Allan Kreda, The Associated Press on January 14, 2023.
NEW YORK (AP) – Casey Cizikas and Anthony Beauvillier scored first-period goals and Ilya Sorokin made 22 saves as the New York Islanders snapped a four-game losing streak by beating the Montreal Canadiens 2-1 on Saturday night. Nick Suzuki scored for Montreal midway through the third. The Islanders had lost the first two games of their five-game homestand to Dallas and Minnesota after dropping three of four on a Western road trip to start the calendar year. The last-place Canadiens were coming off a 4-3 home win over Nashville on Thursday but have only three wins in their last 15 games. Montreal has lost eight of 10 and is 3-11-1 since Dec. 12. Cizikas opened the scoring at 2:25 of the first, beating Canadiens netminder Sam Montembeault for his fourth goal of season. Assists went to Noah Dobson and Cal Clutterbuck. Dobson leads Islanders defencemen with 26 points. Beauvilier made it 2-0 at 6:03 with his ninth goal, assisted by defenceman Scott Mayfield and Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Suzuki scored his 16th of the season at 9:56 of the third to ruin Sorokin’s shutout bid. Sorokin has allowed only seven goals in the last six home games. He improved to 15-14-2 this season. Montembeault made 36 saves in defeat. The Islanders entered with only two wins over Montreal in their last 12 meetings in New York. REMEMBERING BOSSY The Islanders honoured Hall of Fame right wing and four-time Stanley Cup winner Mike Bossy before the game. A Montreal native, Bossy scored 50 goals or more in each of his first nine NHL seasons and finished with 573 in a 10-year career cut short by back injuries. Bossy died last April at age 65 from lung cancer. NOTES The Islanders are 15-5-0 when scoring first. “¦ New York (23-18-3) did not reach 23 wins last season until March 11. “¦ The Islanders scratched forward Ross Johnston. “¦ The Canadiens scratched goaltender Jake Allen and forwards Mike Hoffman and Michael Pezzetta. “¦ The teams meet again Feb. 11 in Montreal and April 12 in New York. UP NEXT Canadiens: Visit the New York Rangers on Sunday. Islanders: Host the Washington Capitals on Monday. ___ AP NHL: http://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL and http://www.twitter.com/AP_Sports 20-19
