Islanders vs. Canadiens Pick
Will the New York Islanders win at the Montreal Canadiens tonight despite being the underdog? The puck drops at 7:30PM ET.
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Canadiens are a -145 favorite to win on the moneyline. The Islanders are a +125 underdog, while the total is set at 6 goals.
New York enters with a 22-18-3-1 record after a 7-2 blowout victory Saturday at the Rangers. Montreal is 18-20-3-2 following a 4-3 home shootout loss Saturday versus the Bruins. The Islanders went 2-1 in three meetings last season, while the under went 2-0-1.
In the win at the Rangers, Mathew Barzal highlighted the effort with a two-goal and three-assist explosion. Anthony Beauvillier contributed two goals and an assist. Thomas Hickey had a goal and an assist. Cal Clutterback and Shane Prince added one goal apiece. Scott Mayfield dished out two assists. Jaroslav Halak made 37 saves on 39 shots to get the win. Prince broke a 1-1 tie with his goal at the 3:35 mark of the first period, while the Islanders added three goals in the second period to make it a 5-1 game through 40 minutes.
Montreal was outscored 2-1 in the shootout loss to Boston with Paul Byron tallying the only score for the hosts. Nicolas Deslauriers, Alex Galchenyuk and Max Pacioretty all scored in regulation for the Canadiens. Carey Price allowed three goals on 32 shots to suffer the defeat. Montreal led 3-2 following the Galchenyk goal midway through the second period, but allowed the tying goal at the 2:18 mark. No goals were scored in the third period.
New York is 2-7 in the last nine meetings overall and 9-19 in the last 28 meetings in Montreal. The under is 7-3-1 in the last 11 meetings.
Bet on Islanders vs. Canadiens
New York hasn’t had good history in Montreal, but I like them in this spot. They are the better team offensively by a long shot and even though they struggle in the back end, Montreal is in the same boat there. The over is also in play here, but I believe the Islanders will continue their momentum from the decisive win at the Rangers and triumph again here.
NHL DAILY PREDICTION: NEW YORK ISLANDERS +125