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Surging Canadiens look to bounce back from OT loss

Feb 2, 2008 - 11:33 AM NY Islanders (24-22-6) at Montreal (27-15-9) 2:00 pm EST

MONTREAL (Ticker) -- One of the hottest teams in the Eastern Conference, the Montreal Canadiens are beginning to figure out how to win at home.

The Canadiens will look to grab their fourth victory in five home games Saturday afternoon, when they begin a four-game homestand against the New York Islanders.

Montreal, which has won seven of its last 10 overall to climb within five points of first-place Ottawa in the Northeast Division, has enjoyed plenty of success on the road this season, going 17-7-4 away from home. But the Bell Centre has not been quite as kind, with the Canadiens owning just a 10-8-5 record in their own building.

But things have begun to take a turn for the better, as Montreal has posted consecutive home wins over Boston and Washington, outscoring its opponents by a 12-2 margin in the victories.

The Canadiens are coming off a 5-4 overtime loss to the Capitals on Thursday despite tying the game with just 33 seconds remaining to force the extra session. Montreal was unable to stop superstar Alex Ovechkin in that one, as the All-Star scored four goals - including the winner in overtime - and added an assist.

Getting away from home will be a good thing for New York, which has lost six consecutive games at Nassau Coliseum. The Islanders have dropped three straight overall and five of their last six to fall into last place in the Atlantic Division.

Offense has been the root of New York's problems, as it has totaled just nine goals in the five losses.

While defenseman Bryan Berard has scored a goal in each of the Islanders' last two games, captain Bill Guerin - who leads the team with 18 tallies - has been held without a point in his last five contests.

The Canadiens won the first two meetings between the teams - both on the road - by a combined margin of 7-2. Steve Begin tallied twice on November 21, while Tomas Plekanec has scored three goals in the two contests.