New York Islanders vs. Montreal Canadiens Prediction, NHL Odds
Roy takes the reins of an Islanders squad that has fallen out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture while losing 13 of the past 19 games, capped by Tuesday night’s heartbreaking 3-2 loss to Vegas. The Canadiens are coming off a decisive 4-1 loss to Ottawa, and have been outscored by a wide 19-7 overall margin during their current three-game losing streak.
Despite going winless in five straight road games, the Islanders arrive in Montreal perched as -155 road favourites on the Thursday NHL odds and as an attractive +150 puck line bet to hand Montreal a fourth straight loss by multi-goal margins. The Canadiens are pegged as +130 underdogs on the NHL moneyline while -120 odds favour the total going UNDER 6.5.
Islanders vs. Canadiens NHL Betting Odds
The Islanders have experienced an epic collapse since opening their season on a steady 14-7-7 run. New York has compiled a dismal 6-9-4 record in 19 contests since, including a 2-6-3 mark in 11 road games, but still sits just two points back of Detroit in the hunt for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference. While the oddsmakers have given the Islanders the nod in Thursday’s contest, the Islanders still have work to do to overcome a checkered track record at Bell centre, where they have lost two straight including a 5-3 defeat on December 16, and eight of 12 since 2014.
The Canadiens enter Thursday’s action searching for an end to a three-game slide during which they have been totally dominated. In addition to being widely outscored, the Habs have also been outshot by an average margin of over 10 shots per game during their current swoon, and have produced just 23.5 shots per game over their past four contests. Not surprisingly, the Canadiens have mustered just 2.38 goals per game over their past nine contests, and have been limited to two or fewer goals four times over their past six home dates.
New York Islanders
The Islanders rewarded their new bench boss with a win in his debut, eking out a 3-2 overtime victory over Dallas last Sunday. However, Islanders shooters were unable to close the deal despite outshooting the Golden Knights by a 42-27 margin in Tuesday’s 3-2 defeat, and have now failed to record consecutive wins during their 19-game tailspin. While the Isles have mustered just eight total goals during a five-game road slide, they have continued to get production from their top rearguards. Noah Dobson has racked up five assists during his current three-game points streak while former Canadiens defenceman Alexander Romanov has contributed a goal and two helpers over the past three games.
Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens have quickly found themselves playing catch-up during their current slide. The club has been outscored by a combined 7-3 margin in first-period action during their three-game swoon. To further put in perspective just how sloppy this team has been out of the gate, Montreal has also been outshot in first-period action by a massive 40-20 margin over that stretch. Cole Caufield has remained the most consistent Canadiens shooter, potting five goals and adding four assists during a seven-game points streak. Caufield has also recorded four points with the extra man during that surge and is worthy a value wager as +210 bet on the NHL player props to pick up another power play point on Thursday.
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