MTL@NYI: What you need to know

TEAM COMPARISON

The Islanders have been hot and cold in their 1-1-2 start to the season. A four-goal win against the Utah Hockey Club in the season opener and a 6-2 road win against the Colorado Avalanche are signs of what New York has to offer offensively. However, two shutout losses in the first four games have raised concerns, matching last season’s 22 losses^nd-rated offense. Special teams have been particularly tough on Roy’s group, which ranks in the bottom 10 in both power play and penalty kill percentage despite the small sample size. For the second time this year on home ice, the Isles will look to give their fans something to cheer about on Saturday.

Montreal is looking to bounce back from an underwhelming 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday at the Bell Center. The Canadiens have also shown flashes of offense with wins in two of their five games and two four-goal results to start the new season, however the offense has faltered of late, scoring just one goal in the team’s last four periods . Cole Caufield, who scored in each of his first three games, and Nick Suzuki, who has yet to score this season, will be instrumental in propelling the Habs’ offense against the Islanders’ typically stingy defense.

BY THE NUMBERS: HABS ISLES

Suzuki and Caufield both had success against the Islanders, averaging a point per game or more against Metropolitan Division opponents over their careers.

The Canadiens defeated the Islanders 2-1 in last year’s regular season series. Looking back, it can be seen that the teams have split their last ten meetings down the middle and each team has won five. It is noteworthy that five of the last six direct duels have been decided by just one goal, which shows how close these teams are to each other.

Here’s a look at how the Canadiens and Islanders match up in numbers: