Vancouver Canucks vs. New York Islanders Prediction, NHL Odds
Bo Horvat will be the big story line.
Canucks vs. Islanders NHL Betting Odds
Thursday concludes the season series as New York won 6-2 in Vancouver on Jan. 3. Mathew Barzal had a goal and two assists and was the No. 1 star. Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored twice — once on a power play and then shorthanded late into an empty net. Aatu Raty, Anders Lee and Casey Cizikas also had goals for the Islanders. Ilya Sorokin stopped 24 shots in the win.
Bo Horvat had both Canucks goals and Spencer Martin took the loss. Of course, Horvat is now with the Islanders, acquired ahead of the All-Star break for forward Anthony Beauvillier, the rookie Raty and a 2023 conditional first round draft pick. Horvat was set for free agency this summer but already has agreed to an eight-year, $68 million (US) extension with the Isles. He surely will be jazzed up to score against his former team tonight.
The favourite is 9-2 in the past 11 in the series.
Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver hasn’t had much fun in the greater New York area yet with a 5-4 OT loss at New Jersey on Monday and a 4-3 loss at the Rangers on Wednesday. The Canucks definitely showed some fight in both, including three times cutting a two-goal lead against the Blueshirts to one. Vasili Podkolzin scored his first goal of the season in Wednesday’s loss. JT Miller had an assist to reach 500 career points. Centre Jack Studnicka (4G, 2A) was sent back to Vancouver ahead of Wednesday’s game with a non-COVID illness. Spencer Martin was in net against the Rangers, so it should be Collin Delia (6-3-0, 3.11 GAA, .893 SV) here. He stopped 29 of 34 shots in Monday’s loss. The Canucks are 1-9 in their past nine road games.
New York Islanders
New York improved to 2-0 since the All-Star Break/Bo Horvat trade and won its fourth game in a row overall with a 4-0 home victory over a good Seattle team on Tuesday. In his Islanders home debut, the former Canuck Horvat had a goal – the crowd gave him a standing ovation, greeting him with a “HOR-VAT! HOR-VAT!” cheer. “It was pretty amazing,” Horvat said of the chants. “I haven’t had a chant like that in a building, that loud, I don’t think ever, so that was pretty amazing.” Ilya Sorokin made 31 saves in his fifth shutout this season and No. 15 for his career and should start tonight. The Russian is 17-16-4 with a 2.31 GAA and .926 SV. Blueliner Alexander Romanov (1G, 14A) didn’t play Tuesday for personal reasons and not clear if he will here. The Islanders are 9-3 in their past 12 vs. Pacific Division teams.
