UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Star defenceman Andrei Markov returned to the Montreal Canadiens’ lineup Saturday night after a 35-game absence and had an immediate impact — scoring two power-play goals.

But the difference-maker was backup goaltender Jaroslav Halak, who made 40 saves as the Canadiens beat the New York Islanders 3-0 to snap a season-high five-game losing streak.

Halak, who has been angling for a trade because he wants to play more, showed why general manager Bob Gainey can’t afford to deal him away.

Halak also made a strong argument for more starts as he posted the Canadiens’ first shutout of the season and the fifth of his career.

“During the warmup, I wasn’t feeling my best,” said Halak, who improved his record to 7-5-0 with his third win this season over the Islanders. “When the game started, I made a few stops at the beginning of the game and that gave me confidence.”

Halak, who was making only his fourth start in the past 19 games, was sharp from start to finish and was at his best in the second period, when he was tested in close three times by Islanders rookie Matt Moulson.

Markov gave the Canadiens a 1-0 lead when he scored on a power play at 7:44 of the first period. Islanders goaltender Martin Biron made a save on Markov’s initial shot and Tomas Plekanec had a swipe at the rebound before Markov scored during the ensuing scramble.

“The first few shifts, I was lost a little bit,” said Markov, who was making his first appearance since suffering torn tendons in his left leg in the club’s season-opening game. “As the game went on, I felt more comfortable.”

The Canadiens’ second power play wasn’t as successful. Montreal not only failed to get a shot on goal, but Halak faced two good scoring chances.

Markov lost his balance while trying to keep the puck in at the blue-line and that gave Islanders forward Richard Park a breakaway. He tried to go wide, but Halak used his stick to direct the shot wide.

On the same power play, Canadiens centre Glen Metropolit turned the puck over in the Canadiens zone, but Nate Thompson shot the puck into the middle of Halak’s chest.

“(Halak) gave us the win,” said Markov. “He made some huge, unbelievable saves.”

Markov gave the Canadiens some breathing room when he teed off on a slap shot at 13:12 of the second period after former Canadien Mark Streit was whistled off for slashing. Markov gave Biron little chance as connected on a high shot to the glove side.

Canadiens head coach Jacques Martin was surprised that Markov was so effective in his first game back.

“There’s no doubt he was a big factor tonight,” said Martin. “He had two goals on the power play but also he’s an all-star defenceman playing five-on-five.”

The Canadiens added another power-play goal — they were 3-for-5 on the night — when Metropolit established position on the far side of the net and redirected a cross-ice pass from Scott Gomez.

While the power play benefited from the return of Markov, the penalty-killing unit turned in another strong performance with Halak serving as the final barrier. The Islanders had 10 of their 40 shots on their six power plays, but came up empty.

There were large pockets of vocal Montreal fans among the announced crowd of 7,482 and they made themselves heard because a snowstorm battering the U.S. East Coast kept many local fans at home.

The storm also threatened to ground the Canadiens’ charter flight to Atlanta, but the team headed to a private airfield near the Nassau Coliseum and expected to leave on schedule