The New York Islanders lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night and that likely put their playoff hopes to bed. They’re now 15 points out of a playoff spot with nine games to go. Let’s face it: it’s unlikely they make that type of a run.

On the plus side, they have a manageable game in front of them, facing the Montreal Canadiens. They are dead-last in the Eastern Conference standings and are coming off a 5-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Islanders vs. Canadiens NHL Betting Odds

The New York Islanders are 6-1 in their last seven against Eastern Conference teams. This will be their third game in four nights, and are they are 4-1 in their last five in that spot.

As for the Canadiens, they are 17-35 in their last 52 as a home underdog. Overall, they have just eight wins in their last 30 home games, so there isn’t much of an advantage of being at home for them.

New York Islanders

The story of the Islanders this season has been that they are phenomenal at the defensive end and challenged on offense. To put it into perspective, New York ranks fourth in the league in goals allowed per game. In terms of goals scored per game, they rank 23rd.

The challenge is their defense and goaltending has faded of late. They’ve allowed 16 goals over their last three and might not be motivated to turn things around now that the playoffs are out of reach.

It’s looking likely that Ilya Sorokin will have a lot of pressure on his shoulders to help this team win. After all, he is 24-14-7 on the season with a stellar .927 save percentage. If the Islanders are hoping to win, they will desperately need to give their goaltender some help back there.

Montreal Canadiens

Montreal is worse in almost all major categories when compared to the Islanders. This just hasn’t been a great season at all for Montreal. While there have been a few bright spots, Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield to be exact, there have been twice as many rough patches to cover up. This is especially true on their defensive end. So far this season, the Canadiens have started five different players in the net. Two of them have gotten 35 games apiece, neither have winning records.

Sam Montembeault could be thrown into the net for this game, as he has a 7-16-6 record with a .895 save percentage. He has been a lot better than one of their backups, Cayden Primeau, who is 1-7-1 with a .868 save percentage. Montreal doesn’t have anything to play for, so a lot of different rotations could come around in this game.

NHL Prediction: Who Will Win Islanders vs. Canadiens?

• Regular Season

Islanders Team Leaders

NYI

Points	Mathew Barzal 59
+ / -	Adam Pelech 20
Shots	Noah Dobson 190
Penalty Mins	Zdeno Chara 85
Wins	Ilya Sorokin 26
GAA	Ilya Sorokin 2.4

MON

Points	Nick Suzuki 61
+ / -	Jordan Harris 3
Shots	Cole Caufield 188
Penalty Mins	Michael Pezzetta 81
Wins	Jake Allen 9
GAA	Jake Allen 3.3

• Regular Season

Canadiens Team Leaders

NYI

Points	Mathew Barzal 59
+ / -	Adam Pelech 20
Shots	Noah Dobson 190
Penalty Mins	Zdeno Chara 85
Wins	Ilya Sorokin 26
GAA	Ilya Sorokin 2.4

MON

Points	Nick Suzuki 61
+ / -	Jordan Harris 3
Shots	Cole Caufield 188
Penalty Mins	Michael Pezzetta 81
Wins	Jake Allen 9
GAA	Jake Allen 3.3

Injuries

NY Islanders

Sebastian Aho (D)

Out Fri Upper Body - 29 / 04 / 22

Ross Johnston (LW)

Out Fri Illness - 29 / 04 / 22

Ryan Pulock (D)

Prob Fri Illness - 28 / 04 / 22

Brock Nelson (C)

Prob Thurs Illness - 26 / 04 / 22

Zdeno Chara (D)

Prob Thurs Illness - 26 / 04 / 22

Anthony Beauvillier (LW)

Ques Thurs Upper Body - 21 / 04 / 22

Jean-Gabriel Pageau (C)

Out indefinitely Illness - 21 / 04 / 22

Grant Hutton (D)

Ques Sat Illness - 18 / 04 / 22

Semyon Varlamov (G)

Ques Tues Illness - 15 / 04 / 22

Kieffer Bellows (LW)

Ques Thurs Illness - 12 / 04 / 22

Montreal

Carey Price (G)

Prob Fri Knee - 25 / 04 / 22

Joel Armia (RW)

Out indefinitely Personal - 19 / 04 / 22

Paul Byron (LW)

Ques Fri Lower Body - 19 / 04 / 22

Jake Evans (C)

Prob Thurs Undisclosed - 19 / 04 / 22

Michael Pezzetta (LW)

Elig Sat Suspension - 17 / 04 / 22

Jake Allen (G)

out for season Groin - 09 / 04 / 22

Paul Byron (LW)

Prob Mon Undisclosed - 06 / 04 / 22

Justin Barron (D)

out for season Ankle - 06 / 04 / 22

Chris Wideman (D)

Ques Tues Undisclosed - 01 / 04 / 22

Jake Evans (C)

Prob Thurs Upper Body - 30 / 03 / 22

Injuries

NY Islanders

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Sebastian Aho (D)	Out Fri	Upper Body - 29 / 04 / 22	1-0	1-0	+ -
Aho is bothered by an upper-body injury, and he will not be active versus the Lightning on Friday.
Ross Johnston (LW)	Out Fri	Illness - 29 / 04 / 22	1-0	1-0	+ -
Johnston is ailing from an illness, and he will not suit up for Friday's game versus the Lightning.
Ryan Pulock (D)	Prob Fri	Illness - 28 / 04 / 22	2-0	1-1	+ -
Pulock was absent from the previous game due to a non-COVID illness, but it is projected that he will be active against the Lightning on Friday.
Brock Nelson (C)	Prob Thurs	Illness - 26 / 04 / 22	2-1	2-1	+ -
Nelson was held out of the last contest due to an illness, but it is expected that he will play against the Capitals on Thursday.
Zdeno Chara (D)	Prob Thurs	Illness - 26 / 04 / 22	2-1	2-1	+ -
Chara sat out the previous game with a non-COVID illness, but it is likely that he will dress for Thursday's clash with the Capitals.
Anthony Beauvillier (LW)	Ques Thurs	Upper Body - 21 / 04 / 22	3-3	4-2	+ -
Beauvillier has been absent from the last four contests with an upper-body injury, and it is unknown if he will face the Capitals on Thursday.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau (C)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 21 / 04 / 22	3-3	4-2	+ -
Pageau has been added to the COVID-19 list, and it has yet to be established when he will return.
Grant Hutton (D)	Ques Sat	Illness - 18 / 04 / 22	3-4	4-2-1	+ -
Hutton has sat out the previous three games with an illness, and it is unclear if he will lace up for Saturday's clash versus the Sabres.
Semyon Varlamov (G)	Ques Tues	Illness - 15 / 04 / 22	4-5	5-3-1	+ -
Varlamov has missed the last two contests due to a non-COVID-19 illness, and it remains to be determined if he will face the Panthers on Tuesday.
Kieffer Bellows (LW)	Ques Thurs	Illness - 12 / 04 / 22	5-6	7-3-1	+ -
Bellows sat out the last contest with an illness, and it is up in the air if he will take on the Penguins on Thursday.

Montreal

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Carey Price (G)	Prob Fri	Knee - 25 / 04 / 22	1-1	2-0	+ -
Price missed the previous game as he was given a break from travel. It is intended that he will return to the crease Friday versus the Panthers.
Joel Armia (RW)	Out indefinitely	Personal - 19 / 04 / 22	1-5	5-1	+ -
Armia is out of the lineup due to a personal matter, and he will miss an undetermined length of time.
Paul Byron (LW)	Ques Fri	Lower Body - 19 / 04 / 22	1-5	5-1	+ -
Byron has been absent from the last four games with a lower-body injury, and it has yet to be determined if he will take on the Panthers on Friday.
Jake Evans (C)	Prob Thurs	Undisclosed - 19 / 04 / 22	1-5	5-1	+ -
Evans sat out the last contest with an unspecified ailment, but it is projected that he will line up against the Flyers on Thursday.
Michael Pezzetta (LW)	Elig Sat	Suspension - 17 / 04 / 22	1-5	5-1	+ -
Pezzetta has been handed a two-game suspension for an illegal check to the head, and he is eligible to return against the Senators on Saturday.
Jake Allen (G)	out for season	Groin - 09 / 04 / 22	3-8	6-5	+ -
Allen is idle with a groin injury, and he will miss the remainder of the season.
Paul Byron (LW)	Prob Mon	Undisclosed - 06 / 04 / 22	3-9	7-5	+ -
Byron has sat out the last two games due to an undefined injury, but it is projected that he will suit up Monday against the Jets.
Justin Barron (D)	out for season	Ankle - 06 / 04 / 22	3-9	7-5	+ -
Barron will sit out the rest of the 2021-22 season with an ankle injury.
Chris Wideman (D)	Ques Tues	Undisclosed - 01 / 04 / 22	4-10	8-6	+ -
Wideman sat out the last game with an unspecified ailment, and it has yet to be established if he will face the Senators on Tuesday.
Jake Evans (C)	Prob Thurs	Upper Body - 30 / 03 / 22	4-11	9-6	+ -
Evans departed the last game due to an upper-body injury, but it is projected that he will play Thursday versus the Hurricanes.