With the Canadiens on the cusp of a playoff spot, the Panthers found themselves on their heels early at Bell Centre, falling behind 2-0 in the first period. After Mackie Samoskevich lit the lamp to cut the deficit to 2-1 in the second period, Christian Dvorak locked down the 3-1 win for Montreal in the third.

The climb into the Eastern Conference playoff race grew even steeper for the New York Islanders while they were idle Saturday. The task might not get any easier Sunday night, when the Islanders return to the ice by facing the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers in Elmont,

Pregame analysis and predictions of the Florida Panthers vs. New York Islanders NHL game to be played on March 16, 2025 on ESPN.

The Islanders are coming off a 2-1 OT loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Friday night. Bo Horvat scored the lone goal for New York while Ilya Sorokin made 33 saves in defeat. The overtime loss extended the Isles’ winless skid to three games (0-2-1).