(My Sportsbook) - A sudden coaching change produced an instant boost for the Montreal Canadiens. The embattled club will now try to build off that encouraging victory when the New York Islanders invade the Bell Centre this evening.

Just one day after general manager Bob Gainey replaced Guy Carbonneau with himself behind the bench, the Canadiens rallied behind captain Saku Koivu to overtake the visiting Edmonton Oilers in overtime on Tuesday.

Koivu scored the game-tying goal with 4:35 remaining in regulation, then later netted the winning marker on a power-play opportunity 1:40 into extra time to give the Habs a thrilling 4-3 victory.

The win followed Sunday's 3-1 road ousting of Dallas in Carbonneau's final game and was the sixth in eight tries for Montreal. The surge has the Canadiens fifth in the Eastern Conference standings with 79 points, although only three points separate the team from the ninth-place New York Rangers.

The Canadiens appear to have an opportunity to distance themselves from the pack, as Tuesday's contest was the first of nine home tilts over a 10-game stretch. Montreal has posted an excellent 21-6-4 record as the host this season and has won four in a row on home ice.

The Islanders did defeat the Habs in their previous trip to the Bell Centre this season, however, having earned a 4-3 shootout win there on November 24. New York had lost six straight times to Montreal prior to that breakthrough, though, and are 2-7-0 over their last seven games as the visitor in this series.

In addition, the Islanders come in on a seven-game road losing streak and are a woeful 6-23-3 away from home on the season. The team has dropped 21 of its last 22 matchups in enemy arenas (1-19-2).

New York's road woes continued with Tuesday's 3-2 overtime loss at Toronto, in which the Islanders failed to hold onto a one-goal edge after two periods.

Kyle Okposo and Blake Comeau scored 45 seconds apart in the first period for the lone New York goals, while Joey McDonald made 25 saves in a losing cause.

Comeau is riding a five-game scoring streak and has tallied three goals and three assists during the run, while Okposo -- the seventh overall selection in the 2006 draft -- has a goal in three consecutive games.

The Islanders had won four of their last five tests prior to Tuesday's defeat and had a two-game win streak halted by the Maple Leafs.