The New York Islanders and Vancouver Canucks don't play against each other often, but the games are typically high-event affairs. The teams have played ten games since 2018, with the total going over in nine and eight-straight. Vancouver has won three consecutive meetings, sweeping the series last season with a victory in New York and an overtime win at home. It's time to continue our NHL odds series with an Islanders-Canucks prediction and pick.
Here are the Islanders-Canucks NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Islanders-Canucks Odds
New York Islanders: +1.5 (-169)
Moneyline: +143
Vancouver Canucks: -1.5 (+143)
Moneyline: -169
Over: 6 (-110)
Under: 6 (-110)
How To Watch Islanders vs. Canucks
Time: 10 PM ET/7 PM PT
TV: Sportsnet, MSGSN
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why the Islanders Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Islanders are starting to recover after a rough start to the season. They have won two of their last five games but lost their recent games in overtime, giving them six points over their past ten games. The normally offensive-inept Islanders scored 14 goals in their past four games, which has put them in fifth in the Metropolitan Division. The Islanders are in a challenging spot this season, as the New York Rangers, Washington Capitals, Carolina Hurricanes, and New Jersey Devils all look like the real deal. The Islanders need more players stepping up to become more of a contender in the Eastern Conference.
Arturs Silovs could get the net again on Thursday night after Kevin Lankinen started the past two games. Silovs has been struggling this season, owning a 0-2-1 record with a 4.77 goals-against average and a .808 save percentage.
Why the Canucks Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Canucks seemed like they'd have some massive regression after a first-place performance in the Pacific Division last season. Many wondered if losing valuable pieces like Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov would hurt the team's chances. However, the Canucks have earned points in eight of their past ten games, owning a 7-2-1 record. Their only setback has been a 7-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night. They bounced back with a 3-1 win over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night.
After returning from a preseason injury, Ilya Sorokin had an excellent start to the year. Sorokin hasn't been in form over his last two losses, allowing four goals in both overtime losses. His defense is just as much to blame, as they've allowed 75 shots on goal over the two games. Kevin Lankinen bounced back nicely after allowing seven goals against the Oilers on Saturday night. He allowed one goal on 29 shots against the Flames to earn the 3-1 victory.
Final Islanders-Canucks Prediction & Pick
The goalies haven't been announced yet, but it's possible that Silovs and Semyon Varlamov will get the starts for the Canucks and Islanders. Silovs' struggles were mentioned earlier, as he has been one of the worst backups in the league after all the hype surrounding last year's playoff performance. Varlamov was also a question mark entering the season, as he had a history with Patrick Roy, and it seemed like Roy was leaning on him more than past coaches. However, Varlamov has a 2-3-1 record this season with a 3.01 goals-against average and a .887 save percentage.
It's difficult to explain, but these teams score many goals against each other, which could continue in this game depending on the goalie situation. The teams combined for 7+ goals in eight straight games.
Final Islanders-Canucks Prediction & Pick:
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