(Photo credit: John Jones-Imagn Images)

Two teams look to solidify their holds on a playoff spot when the New York Islanders visit the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday in the first game for each following the NHL's pause for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

The Islanders sit third in the Metropolitan Division with 69 points, one behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for second in the division, though Pittsburgh holds two games in hand. New York won its last two games before the break and has won five of its past seven overall.

'The break gave us a chance to recover, both with little injuries and the mental aspect of the game,' Islanders center Jean-Gabriel Pageau said. 'It gave us a chance to look at ourselves in the mirror and see where we can be better. We took advantage of practices in the past week to work on those details. We're all excited to get back to action.'

The power play is one area that they will be watching. It's been a season-long struggle on the man advantage for New York, which sits 30th in the NHL with a mere 15.7% success rate. The Islanders are 0-for-10 over their past five games, a drought that comes after their most successful stretch of the season on the power play over their previous seven outings. They went 6-for-24 during that run, connecting at a 25% clip.

They'll also be looking for more offensive contributions from their depth, namely forward Jonathan Drouin. The 30-year-old has just three goals in 51 games this season while averaging 17:17 of ice time, third-most among active forwards on the team.

'If you probably ask him, (Drouin) probably would like to score a goal and take some pressure off of himself,' Islanders coach Patrick Roy said. 'Eventually, I mean, his confidence will be back. But I like the fact that he's focusing on the big picture. And to me, the big picture is how you play with or without the puck. ... He's bringing a lot to the team that maybe sometimes we don't place enough attention on.'

The Canadiens will be looking to pick up where they left off before the break, having won four of five (4-0-1) and six of their previous nine.

They'll welcome back forward Alex Newhook for Thursday's tilt after a 40-game absence following surgery for a fractured ankle sustained Nov. 13.

'It's been a while since he's played, but it's been encouraging watching him in practice this week. He has jump,' Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said.

Newhook was off to a solid start this season, with 12 points (six goals, six assists) in 17 games. He's on pace for 30 points in 42 games, should he play in all of Montreal's remaining 25 contests -- an output that would match the third-highest total of his career.

'I think I gained a lot of confidence from the start of the year,' Newhook said. 'I have expectations for myself and had expectations coming into the year as to where I thought I could be as a player and what kind of player I could be to this team. I think early on in the season I proved that.'

The Canadiens entered Wednesday in second place in the Atlantic Division with 72 points, tied with the Detroit Red Wings but holding a game in hand.

--Field Level Media