Canucks: Betting odds and prediction vs. Islanders (March 3)

The Vancouver Canucks are about to embark on the final third of their regular season schedule. Following a 7-2 drubbing at the hands of the New Jersey Devils, Vancouver seemed to take two steps back after a run of successful outings. On Thursday night, the Canucks will look to get back on track at UBS Arena when they take on the New York Islanders.

With a record of 26-23-6, Vancouver sits 6th in the Pacific Division and are currently five points out of the second wild card spot in the Western Conference.

The opponent on Thursday, the New York Islanders, are one of the surprise teams in the NHL this year, and not in a good way. After being only one game away from the Stanley Cup Finals during last year’s COVID-shortended season, the Islanders have fallen to sixth in the Metropolitan Division with a record of 20-22-8. New York sits a whopping 17 points out of a playoff spot. In their last outing, the Islanders fell 5-3 to the Colorado Avalanche, dropping their record to 3-5-2 in their recent ten games.

The Islanders are led by one of the best coaches in the NHL, Barry Trotz, and have talents including the likes of Brock Nelson, Mathew Barzal, and Noah Dobson. New York’s power play is 23rd in the NHL with a 17.2% efficiency, whilst the penalty kill ranks 9th in the league with a 82.1% success rate.

These teams met just a few weeks back on February 9th, with the Islanders winning the matchup at Rogers Arena by a score of 6-3.

After another horror showing by Jaroslav Halak on Monday night, Thatcher Demko is assured to be between the pipes on Thursday, whilst the Islanders should have incumbent starter Ilya Sorokin in net.

The odds for this game are courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook, the official betting partner of FanSided.

Betting Odds

Moneyline

Canucks +100

Islanders -120

Goal Total

Over 5.5 goals +105

Under 5.5 goals -125

Puckline

Canucks +1.5 at -250

Islanders -1.5 at +200

Prediction

Vancouver desperately needs to rebound following a disappointing defeat against the Devils. Another loss against a vulnerable team in the Islanders could see the Canucks playoffs hopes diminished too minimal. Both teams will be decently rested as neither will be on a back-to-back, and both seem to be relatively healthy and COVID-free as they head down stretch. Given the minimal disparity between these teams, the betting lines are relatively even without much value. In this situation I’m going to back the Canucks to bounce back given the fact they’re still in a playoff hunt and coming off a humiliating defeat.

Canucks win outright in an extremely close battle.

Pick: Canucks moneyline at +100

What are your thoughts on this upcoming game between the Canucks and Islanders? What bets will you be placing on the game? Let us know your thoughts down below in the comment section!