NEW YORK -- Andrew Hammond, playing in an NHL game for the first time in 1,425 days, made 30 saves and stopped two of three shootout attempts, leading the Montreal Canadiens past the New York Islanders, 3-2, on Sunday.
In a season full of surprises for Montreal, most of them negative, Hammond, 34, who earned the nickname "The Hamburglar" in playing for the Ottawa Senators for parts of four seasons, delivered a positive performance for a last-place team that has endured myriad injuries and trades, to go along with a midseason coaching and general manager change.