In the 2022 draft, Kent Hughes took Montreal by surprise: he traded defenseman Alexander Romanov to the Islanders in a three-team trade, which would allow him to get a hold of Kirby Dach.
Six months later, Romanov will reunite with his former teammates for the first time, as the Canadian visits the Islanders for the first of two games in 24 hours.
The 23-year-old fullback is having the best offensive season of his career with one goal and 14 points in 43 games this season. Used more than 20 minutes per game on average, Romanov still enjoys distributing shoulder shots, he who has 105 hits this season.
“The players have to be ready when he’s on the ice,” said head coach Martin St-Louis. We know Romanov is a tough player who likes to hand out checks. »
New York is having a tough four-game losing streak. On his side, the canadian has won two of its last three games since suffering a sluggish seven-game losing streak.
In the last game, once morest the Predators, Cole Caufield hit the mark twice to reach 25 goals this season. He is 10th in the NHL in this chapter in 2022-2023.
Martin St-Louis will also use the same formation as in the last game, with 11 attackers and 7 defenders. Mike Hoffman and Michael Pezzetta will be left out.
Barring a surprise, Samuel Montembeault will be in the net for a third straight game.
Jonathan Drouin is also having a good time with five points in its last five games. He notably contributed to CH’s success once morest Nashville with three assists.
Against the Islanders, the Canadian will try to win a first game in a row since November 25.
After Saturday’s game, the Canadiens will be back on the ice on Sunday, to face the New York Rangers. Montreal lost 4-1 once morest those same Rangers, a little over a week ago.
More details to come.