ELMONT, N.Y. — Any number of factors made Thursday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens a dangerous one for the New York Islanders.

Sandwiched between games against the New York Rangers, especially after the overblown accusations and the word “vicious” thrown around after Tuesday’s Islanders win over their rivals, this visit from lottery-bound Montreal seemed a likely trap game. Noah Dobson exiting after just three shifts with an upper-body injury made it a difficult win no matter the opponent.

And facing a Canadiens team that barely had the puck Thursday but jumped up for a handful of odd-man rushes made this one dangerous for an Islanders team trying to keep building its game and stacking points to get in the playoffs.

There was no beauty at all in this one, but when the Islanders have been at their best the last five seasons, has there ever been? Kyle Palmieri’s overtime winner to beat the Canadiens 3-2 was pretty, but it was mostly a relief and a validation that the Islanders, now winners of six straight and with the potential to clinch a playoff berth Saturday, are hitting their stride at the right time of the season.

“I love how together we are right now,” Patrick Roy said after the win. “The guys are battling hard and they’re going to play for each other.”

The five remaining defensemen had to bring their games way up after Dobson went out just 5:33 in. He appeared to take a hit from a pair of Canadiens forwards behind the Islanders net and skated off gingerly, but it was hard to know exactly what caused him to leave the game and how severe the injury might be. His departure was barely noticed since he left just before Mathew Barzal needed a brief respite following a hit from Canadiens forward Michael Pezzetta and an awkward fall into the boards.

“It’s tough to lose him so early (in the game),” Adam Pelech said. “I thought we did a good job of possessing the puck. They were pretty opportunistic. We gave them some chances in the first and (Semyon Varlamov) shut them down, which was huge. … There’s a lot of commitment and dedication in this room. Everyone knows how important this game is. I’m really proud of the way the guys banded together today.”

Pelech had a pair of primary assists and played 24:36, with 24:10 of that time coming at even strength. Ryan Pulock played 24:47. Sebastian Aho, playing for just the second time in the last 11 games, logged 22:48 — he likely would have gotten 10 fewer minutes had Dobson not left. There were a couple of breakdowns, but the Islanders were the aggressors the majority of the night, unlike their previous two wins, when they blocked 33 and 34 shots, respectively, against the Predators and Rangers.

The Canadiens had just 32 shot attempts and 14 shots on Varlamov, both season-lows that the Islanders have allowed.

The regulation goals came from Pierre Engvall and Casey Cizikas, unlikely sources. Engvall spun and snapped one by Sam Montembeault 5:17 into a dominant second period to tie the game 1-1, and Cizikas alertly scooped a Pelech miss off the back wall and stuffed the puck in at 6:30 of the third, tying the game again. Engvall has been a source of frustration for Roy at times, but he played one of his best games of the season.

And the Islanders were able to exact a bit of revenge on Brendan Gallagher. The veteran Canadiens forward earned a five-game suspension for an elbow to Pelech’s jaw the last time these two teams played, on Jan. 25 in Montreal. With the game tied in the second, J-G Pageau delivered a big hit on Gallagher and then seemed to remind the Canadiens forward that it was time to answer for his dirty hit on Pelech, so the two dropped the gloves.

“It was a time in the game when we needed a little boost,” Pelech said. “I definitely appreciate Pager for that.”

The assortment of teams chasing the Islanders had a variety of results. The Penguins grabbed two points to leapfrog the Capitals into the second wild-card spot, the Red Wings got a single point in an OT loss to the Penguins and the Flyers’ faint playoff heartbeat still remains after beating the Rangers. But the Islanders, focused on being the lead horse in this race, moved to four points clear of the cut line.

Which means an Islanders win in any fashion on Saturday against the Rangers, plus losses of any kind by Washington (hosting Tampa Bay) and Detroit (in Toronto) would clinch a berth. The roller coaster of this Islander season feels unlike any other in recent memory, and if Dobson misses time beyond the last three regular-season games, their stay in the playoffs could be unpleasantly short.

But they have earned their way into this spot. This is their second six-game winning streak in the last six weeks — it’s sandwiched around a 2-7-1 skid, of course, but still. The Islanders have found a groove, they are riding a strong run by Varlamov and they are grinding out the points they need.

They are almost there. And they’re almost playing the way they need to make a playoff opponent wonder if they’ll be such an easy out.

(Photo: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)