David Landsman
The Montreal Canadiens (37-21-10) will face the New York Islanders (39-25-5) on Saturday night, with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET.
If the Habs want to make the playoffs in consecutive seasons, they have no choice but to offer a strong performance versus the visiting Islanders. The Canadiens are currently sitting in third place in the Atlantic Division with 84 points, while the Islanders trail them by just one point, though it should be noted the Canadiens do have one game in hand.
Montreal had the opportunity to gain some ground on Thursday night in Detroit, but a late miscue by veteran defenceman Mike Matheson led to Alex DeBrincat’s 34th goal of the season, which wound up as the eventual game winner.
Brutal shift for Mike Matheson.
— Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) March 20, 2026
Red Wings take the lead with about 3 minutes left in the 3rd. pic.twitter.com/nvjaEoio8s
The Patrick Roy-coached Islanders also had a chance to move up the standings on Thursday versus the Ottawa Senators, but they managed to squander their lead with just 11 seconds left in the third period.
In other words, neither team was at their best.
As for Saturday’s game, there are two key players that should garner most of the attention.
For the Habs, it’s clearly Cole Caufield. Not only has he recorded 40 goals this season, he has rightfully earned the moniker “Mr. Saturday Night”. Caufield has 16 goals and 10 assists in 19 games that took place on a Saturday.
To make matters more interesting, he is just one point shy of tying his career-high, set last season when he reached the 70-point mark.
The player to watch for the Islanders is last June’s first overall pick, Matthew Schaefer. The kid has been a wrecking force on the blue line for New York this season, currently ranking second on his team in both goals (21) and points (50). The highly-talented defenceman has been shattering nearly every record held by previous 18-year-old blueliners. His 21 goals lead all NHL rookies, and his 50 points place him third overall among first-year skaters.
If Montreal can secure two points, their odds of making the playoffs will increase significantly. To achieve this, they’ll turn to rookie netminder Jacob Fowler, giving him his 13th start of the season.
Josh Anderson will miss yet another game, giving Zachary Bolduc a chance to stretch his legs on the third line, while Joe Veleno replaces Anderson on the fourth line.
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Juraj Slafkovsky
Alex Newhook – Oliver Kapanen – Ivan Demidov
Zach Bolduc – Jake Evans – Alex Texier
Joe Veleno – Phillip Danault – Brendan Gallagher
Mike Matheson – Noah Dobson
Jayden Struble- Lane Hutson
Kaiden Guhle – Alex Carrier
Jacob Fowler
New York Islanders Projected Lineup
Emil Heineman – Bo Horvat – Mathew Barzal
Anthony Duclair – Brayden Schenn – Simon Holmstrom
Anders Lee – Jean-Gabriel Pageau – Calum Ritchie
Ondrej Palat – Casey Cizikas – Kyle MacLean
Matthew Schaefer – Ryan Pulock
Adam Pelech – Tony DeAngelo
Carson Soucy – Scott Mayfield
Ilya Sorokin
How To Watch The Habs Vs. The Islanders
The Montreal Canadiens versus the New York Islanders, Saturday, March 21, 2026, will be aired on TVA Sports, Sportsnet East, and City TV. An instant recap complete with highlights will be available on Sportsnaut as soon as the final whistle blows.
