Josh Anderson scores twice lifting Montreal Canadiens to 5-3 win over New York Islanders

Josh Anderson netted two goals as the Montreal Canadiens secured a 5-3 victory against the New York Islanders on Saturday night.

This marked Anderson’s initial scoring instances against a goaltender in the current season. Up until that game, he had managed only one goal, an empty-netter, in 29 games, earning him a resounding applause from the home audience.

Montreal’s head coach, Martin St. Louis, expressed satisfaction, stating, “Josh got rewarded tonight, and we’re very happy for him.”

In addition to Anderson’s contributions, Cole Caufield, ending a seven-game goal drought, along with Joel Armia and Christian Dvorak, also found the net for Montreal. Sean Monahan, Nick Suzuki, and Justin Barron each provided two assists.

The Canadiens’ goalie, Sam Montembeault, made 30 saves, leading his team to only their second win in the last 10 home games.

While the Islanders faced a 4-0 deficit entering the third period, they managed to score three times, narrowing the gap. Brock Nelson scored twice, Noah Dobson assisted three times, and Semyon Varlamov made 36 saves for New York. It was the Islanders’ first regulation loss in December.

Bo Horvat extended his point streak to a career-high 10 games by contributing to New York’s third goal.

Montreal dominated the first period, outshooting New York 14-10, and intensified their efforts in the second, tallying four unanswered goals.

Despite the Islanders playing on the second night of a back-to-back after a shootout loss to the Boston Bruins on Friday, Montreal capitalized on the opportunity.

Anderson emphasized the importance of a strong start, saying, “Obviously with them coming off a back to back, we needed to take advantage and have a great start like we did.”

The third period saw a spirited comeback attempt by the Islanders, with Nelson scoring short-handed and adding another goal to make it a one-goal game. Horvat’s rebound goal brought New York within one, but Montreal held off the pressure, and Dvorak sealed the win with an empty-net goal in the final seconds.