UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Frans Nielsen scored the tying goal with 2:01 left in regulation and added a goal in the shootout as the New York Islanders beat Montreal 4-3 to prevent the Canadiens from clinching a playoff spot on Tuesday night.
The Canadiens were moments away from securing their third straight trip to the postseason when Nielsen wrecked the plans. He and Matt Moulson scored on New York's only two attempts in the shootout to give the also-ran Islanders their fifth win in six games.
Martin Biron made 28 traditional saves and then stopped Maxim Lapierre on Montreal's first shootout attempt. The win was sealed when Mike Cammalleri hit the post on the final try.
Lapierre's breakaway goal gave the Canadiens a 3-2 lead in the third period. Tomas Plekanec had a goal in the first for the Canadiens, who had won three straight — including shutouts in their previous two.
Jaroslav Halak, who appears to have won the job as Montreal's No. 1 goalie over Carey Price, had his long shutout streak snapped when Blake Comeau gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead in the first period. Halak bounced back and made 39 saves, but that wasn't enough.
Coming off back-to-back shutouts against Philadelphia and Buffalo, Halak allowed Comeau's 17th of the season at 12:29 of the first. It was the first goal Halak had given up in 156 minutes, 30 seconds.
Nielsen got the Islanders into overtime with a snap shot that beat Halak with just 2:01 left in regulation. That offset Lapierre's goal that made it 3-2 at 6:20 of the third and delighted the large contingent of fans that cheered and chanted for the visitors from the moment the first puck was dropped.
Sean Bergenheim had a goal and two assists for the Islanders, who have already been eliminated from postseason contention. Montreal had earned points in 12 straight games against New York (10-0-2) and was looking for a season sweep.
Just over four minutes after Bergenheim got the Islanders even at 2, Lapierre split New York's defensemen and came in alone on Biron. He shifted the puck quickly to his backhand and lifted a shot over the fallen goalie.
Plekanec and Brian Gionta had goals 2:36 apart in the second period for the Canadiens, who erased an early 1-0 deficit and would have secured their place in the playoffs with a win because the New York Rangers lost at Buffalo on Tuesday.
Comeau played only five shifts that totaled 2:34 of ice time — all in the first period — before being forced out of the game by a foot injury. He is expected to be re-evaluated on Wednesday. He put the Islanders ahead when he took Bergenheim's blind, behind-the back feed from the lower right corner and smacked in a shot from the doorstep. New York carried that lead into the second after outshooting Montreal 15-5 in the first.
Notes
Before Comeau scored, Halak hadn't allowed a goal since New Jersey's Dainius Zubrus got a puck past him with 4:41 left in the second period of Montreal's 4-2 home loss on March 27. … Montreal hasn't had three straight shutout wins since they posted four in 1949. … Comeau has five goals and two assists in the past four games.