Montreal Canadiens defeat New York Islanders 7-2 in Quebec City
The Colisee arena in Quebec has not seen any National Hockey League action since 1995, when the Quebec Nordiques moved south to be reborn as the Colorado Avalanche. But, on Saturday evening,
the NHL made a brief return to Quebec’s capital, with the Montreal Canadiens in town to take on the New York Islanders in an exhibition game. A capacity crowd of 15,077 hockey-hungry fans packed the arena to watch the Habs defeat the Isles in a 7-2 rout.
One of the many highlights of this game was the four-point effort from first-line centre Tomas Plekanec, who scored two goals and two assists. If his nine points in four pre-season games
are any indication, then Plekanec will have a highly productive 2010-11 season in Montreal.
“You want to get a good feeling about your game and be ready for the first regular season game,” Plekanec said. He skated on a line with wingers Mike Cammalleri and Andrei Kostitsyn. The
line was a holdover from last season, where it had been effective in many key situations for the Habs.
Cammalleri and Kostitsyn also turned in strong efforts all night, with Cammalleri scoring a goal and adding an assist. He was later ejected from the game after a questionable slash to
the ankle of Islanders rookie Nino Niederreiter. The young Swiss forward fell to the ice after the slash, and left the ice soon afterwards. He did not return to the game. The NHL is investigating the slash, and may pursue further disciplinary action.
Benoit Pouliot also scored a pair of goals for the Canadiens, who hold a 4-3 record in seven pre-season games. The Habs also got supplementary offence from P.K. Subban and Danish newcomer
Lars Eller. Carey Price played a solid game, and stymied many Islanders shooters with some great saves. He was in the Habs’ net for the entire game.
The Islanders, who are winless in four pre-season games, got goals from Jon Sim and Jesse Joensuu. New acquisition Manny Legace played the first two periods for the Isles, but was lit
up by the Habs. Finnish rookie Mikko Koskinen came on in relief of Legace, and he played for the entire third period.
After the game, the Canadiens headed off to La Malbaie, Quebec for four days of team bonding activities. They will open their regular season on the road against the Toronto Maple Leafs,
at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, on Thursday evening.
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