New York Islanders vs. Montreal Canadiens Prediction, NHL Odds
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Jeremy Perry
The New York Islanders have looked like a completely different team since they went big in the trade market. The addition of Bo Horvat to the offence completely has changed the trajectory of this squad as they’ve scored nine goals in the last two games with him available. They’ve won four out of their last five as well.
Meanwhile, the Montreal Canadiens have lost four straight and five of their previous six. Which of these two teams can rise above the challenge and get a win?
Islanders vs. Canadiens NHL Betting Odds
The Islanders are 4-1 in their last five games and 54-26 in their last 80 when going up against a team with a losing record on the season. However, they’ve lost four of their last five against teams from the Atlantic Division. As for the total, the under has hit in five of the last six games overall as well as five of their last six games on the road.
Meanwhile, the Canadiens are 17-45 in their last 62 games against a team with a losing record on the season. They are also 2-6 in their last eight games played on a Saturday. Looking at totals, the over has hit in five of their last six against teams with a losing record.
New York Islanders
The Islanders have been excellent defensively all season long but the offence had been lagging. It looks like that might be changing with the addition of Horvat after the Isles picked him up from the Canucks. Horvat has played in just three games with the team, scoring three points already in that span. He seems to be fitting in beautifully with this group at this point.
His addition to Brock Nelson and Mathew Barzal could be explosive down the stretch of the season. Nelson has picked up 49 points on the season with Barzal right behind him at 48. These two are likely a lot happier that they have another All-Star coming in to alleviate some pressure on the offensive end. This could now be a significantly improved offence.
Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens can’t keep pucks from getting into their own net and that’s a big issue in the game of hockey. In their last five losses, they’ve allowed over four goals in all of them. They’ve only had one game in their last six where they didn’t allow over that total. This hasn’t been the work of just one goalie either as both Sam Montembeault and Jake Allen have each started at least two of those games.
Montembeault is the probable starter and while he has a respectable .915 save percentage in January, he’s faded of late. He’s allowed 14 goals in his last four games, posting a save percentage of .893 or worse in three of the four contests. It’s tough to trust the Habs when they’re playing like this.
