It’s Patrick Roy’s first appearance in Montreal since becoming head coach of the New York Islanders, but the true importance tonight is the points on the table. The Isles have two games remaining before the All-Star/Bye break, the other one against the Stanley Cup runner up Florida Panthers.
So two points against the Canadiens feels like the proverbial must.
It’s also the return of Semyon Varlamov, who the Islanders really need to remain good (check, thus far this season) and healthy (this is our concern, Dude). He’s been out long enough that it would be a real shame if he came back just before the break and experienced reinjury.