Wednesday evening brings a very important matchup for the New York Islanders as they look to keep their Wild Card hopes alive against the lowly Montreal Canadiens, who can play spoiler. The puck is expected to drop at 7 PM ET at UBS Arena. The Isles are coming off a loss to the now-eliminated Washington Capitals but have won three in a row at home. As for the Habs, they were thrashed 7-1 by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday at Scotiabank Arena. Find the Canadiens vs Islanders prediction below.
Before we get into the odds and picks for Wednesday, encounter, make sure to check out our online sportsbook reviews, and the top NHL betting sites, like Bovada.
Canadiens vs Islanders Odds
The Islanders are a huge favorite here with -360 moneyline odds at Bovada. The Habs come back at +280. However, Montreal did win its last meeting with New York by a score of 4-3 in February.
Montreal Dealing With a Plethora of Injuries
The Canadiens were never expected to do much this season, but the injury bug has bitten them hard. Montreal is just hobbling to the finish line at this point, currently sitting at 31-43-6. That puts the team in eighth place in the Atlantic Division.
Heading into Wednesday's matchup, a whopping 14 players are unavailable due to injuries. That includes the likes of Kirby Dach, Jake Allen, Cole Caufield, and Alex Belzile. Their depleted roster certainly struggled on Saturday in Toronto, losing in embarrassing fashion to the Maple Leafs.
Netminder Sam Montembeault allowed seven goals on 46 shots as the Habs were down 4-1 at the end of two periods before Toronto added another three in the third. In fact, Montreal has now lost five of their last six, getting outscored 16-4 in the process. There is not much reason to be optimistic about these days for the Canadiens and their campaign finishes with pair of tough matchups. After visiting the Isles, Montreal heads home to host the Boston Bruins, who are the clear-cut Stanley Cup favorite.
Very Important Game For New York
A victory here or a point at the very least secured the Islanders' spot in the playoffs. It's that simple. With a one-point cushion over the Pittsburgh Penguins who actually lost Tuesday, New York will be facing a first-round matchup with the Bruins. Difficult, to say the least.
The Isles saw a brief two-game winning streak come to an end Monday with a 5-2 defeat to the Caps, who didn't even have Alex Ovechkin or TJ Oshie. Casey Cizikas and Hudson Fasching found the back of the net in the loss.
New York was surely panicking after the disappointing outcome, but their postseason fate is in their hands at this point. Hopefully, Matthew Barzal can return for the playoffs if they make it. He hasn't played since February 20th due to injury. The Isles will be confident for this Habs matchup considering they're a mile better at home as opposed to on the road, going 24-13-3. That includes four wins in five at UBS Arena. With Montreal extremely shorthanded, there is no excuse but to grab a victory here.
Canadiens vs Islanders Prediction
With a lot of the line, I do expect the Islanders to come through. But, the moneyline offers basically no value. Two of their previous wins over Montreal covered the puck line. That looks like the best bet here.
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