Monahan’s Heroics Lift Canadiens to Victory in Patrick Roy’s Homecoming

Sean Monahan scored a pair of goals to lead the Montreal Canadiens to a thrilling 4-3 victory over the New York Islanders in Patrick Roy‘s highly anticipated homecoming at the Bell Centre. The former star goaltender, who achieved Stanley Cup success with the Canadiens in 1986 and 1993, made his return to the NHL as the Islanders’ new head coach. Despite the Islanders mounting a late comeback, Monahan’s clutch performance secured the win for Montreal.

The Canadiens displayed a heartfelt photo montage of Roy during the national anthem, resulting in a thunderous ovation from the passionate Bell Centre crowd. Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield also played pivotal roles in the victory, contributing with a goal and an assist each. Goaltender Sam Montembeault put on an impressive display, making 43 saves and even earning an assist on Monahan’s first goal.

Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat had a goal and assist each, supported by Noah Dobson’s three assists, for the Islanders. Kyle Palmieri also found the back of the net for New York, but it wasn’t enough to secure the win. Semyon Varlamov made 22 saves in the losing effort.

The Canadiens had a commanding 3-1 lead with just nine minutes remaining in the game when Brendan Gallagher delivered an elbow to Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech’s head. The controversial hit resulted in a five-minute major penalty for Gallagher, and the Islanders capitalized by scoring two power-play goals with 3:32 left on the clock to tie the game.

However, Monahan came through for Montreal in the clutch, firing a one-timer into the Islanders’ net with just over two minutes remaining to regain the lead. The Canadiens managed to hold off the late surge from the Islanders, including a shot off the post from Horvat.

Patrick Roy’s much-anticipated return to the NHL certainly lived up to the hype. The crowd at the Bell Centre, adorned in Roy’s jerseys and waving signs that paid tribute to his iconic number 33, welcomed him back with open arms. Throughout the game, Roy remained animated, passionately motivating his players from behind the Islanders’ bench.

The victory halted a three-game losing streak for the Canadiens, who have a record of 20-21-7 this season. The Islanders, now 1-2-0 under Roy’s guidance, dropped to a 20-17-11 record.

This report was first published on January 25, 2024, by The Canadian Press.