EAST MEADOWS, NY | “Be in the mix”, the fashion motto in Montreal this year. The New York Islanders have been “in the mix” the last two seasons. And they see the results.

• Also read: Another defeat for CH: “If we had won this game, we would have deserved it,” says Martin St-Louis

• Also read: Logan Mailloux blames himself: ‘It’ll keep me from sleeping’

Now, the Islanders aren’t necessarily on the same level as the Canadiens.

Patrick Roy’s squad had an average age of 29.2 at the start of the season, making it the third oldest in the entire NHL. The Canadian? 25.7 years old, the second-youngest team in the entire circuit, according to data from the defunct website CapFriendly.

It’s clear that the two teams are not at the same level of maturity.

On Long Island, general manager Lou Lamoriello tries year after year to add pieces to an aging roster in hopes of making the playoffs.

In Montreal we barely say the “p” word and are just starting to talk about the importance of results…sometimes.

But if there is a connection between the two groups: the famous presence in the “mix”.

Experience you can’t buy

Last year, the Islanders were struggling at the bottom of the standings in January when Patrick Roy came on after Lane Lambert was fired. The Islanders then had an excellent finish to the season, qualifying for the playoffs before being eliminated in the first round by the Carolina Hurricanes in five games. Despite the final result, they were in the game in every game.

The year before, the team also lost in the first round to the same Hurricanes.

Even though the Islanders have an older and more experienced team than the CH, the playoff experience is noticeable this year.

So if you are in the mix you can learn regardless of age.

“We learned to play close games. Against Dallas and St-Louis and even against Colorado, we played with the score. We didn’t force the game for nothing and we were patient in our games. I liked the patience and the way we behaved in these games, even when we were on the road,” explained Patrick Roy on Saturday morning, a few hours before the game against the Canadian.

“We see veterans playing. You can see that the boys have been in the league for a long time and know what they are doing. “It’s a professional environment,” noted Anthony Duclair, who is in his first year with the Islanders after signing a four-year deal with the team last summer.

Learn to win

The contrast was interesting when Martin St-Louis also answered questions from journalists a few minutes later in the run-up to the game against the Islanders.

“We are in the transition from learning to winning. Learning how to win has nothing to do with the identity you want to have as a team. Rather, it’s about learning that there have to be certain actions on the ice that will help you win, regardless of which system you want to play. That’s what we do.”

So no, it makes no sense to compare the alignment of the Islanders and CH. Obviously the future is brighter in Montreal.

But one thing we can conclude is that given the Islanders’ last two experiences, we know what being in the thick of it does to a locker room.

Because you can’t buy experience, regardless of age.

In collaboration with our partners