A couple of teams currently on losing streaks, the New York Islanders and the Vancouver Canucks take the ice at Rogers Arena for a cross-continent matchup. Sportsnet Pacific will showcase the matchup, which gets underway at 10 p.m. ET on Monday, March 5.
New York Islanders at Vancouver Canucks Odds
New York (-105) is currently the underdog to Vancouver (-115), and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-130 for the over, +110 for the under).
New York is 29-37 straight up (SU) and has lost 8.8 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 66 regular season matches, 39 of its games have gone over the total, while 24 have gone under and just three have pushed. This 2017-18 Islanders team is 13-21 SU on the road.
New York has converted on 20.7 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 31st in the league, and it’s successfully killed off only 74.5 percent of all penalties.
For the team as a whole, New York has been called for penalties just 3.3 times per game in the 2017-18 season, and 2.2 per game over its last five road outings. The team has had to stave off opponent power plays just 5.9 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Boasting a .909 save percentage and 30.3 saves per game, Jaroslav Halak (18-28-5) has been the primary option in goal for New York this year. If head coach Doug Weight decides to rest him, however, the team might turn to Thomas Greiss (12-12-2 record, .891 save percentage, 3.84 goals against average).
Mathew Barzal and John Tavares will both spearhead the attack for the visiting Islanders. Barzal has 67 points on 18 goals and 49 assists, and has recorded multiple points 14 times. Tavares has 30 goals and 35 assists to his name (and has registered at least one point in 37 games).
On the other bench, Vancouver is 24-41 straight up (SU) and has lost 10.2 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 65 regular season contests, 38 of its games have gone over the total, while 27 have gone under and none have pushed. The team is 11-21 SU at home this season.
Vancouver has converted on 21.8 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that’s good enough for fifth-best in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 25th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 77.2 percent of all opponent power plays.
Vancouver players have been sent to the penalty box 3.8 times per game in total this season, 3.6 per game over their last five outings total, and 4.2 per game over their last five at home. The team has been forced to kill penalties just 7.9 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Jacob Markstrom (25.9 saves per game) has been the top option in goal for Vancouver. Markstrom has 17 wins, 31 losses, and seven overtime losses and has registered a subpar .909 save percentage and 2.79 goals against average this season.
Brock Boeser (29 goals, 26 assists) will lead the offensive counter for Vancouver.
New York Islanders vs. Vancouver Canucks Betting Predictions
NHL Pick: SU Winner – Canucks, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- The total has gone over in three of Vancouver’s last five games.
- New York has managed 28.6 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Vancouver is averaging 34.0 shots per game over its last five home outings.
- Power-play chances could be key in tonight’s matchup. The Islanders are 11-20 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 19-28 in games where they’re in the penalty box for fewer than 10 minutes, total. The Canucks are 9-12 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 14-29 when total penalty minutes are in the single digits.
- New York is 3-2 in games decided by a shootout this season while Vancouver is 0-3 in shootouts.
- Vancouver skaters have created 6.1 takeaways per game (ranked 25th in the league).
- New York has averaged 3.2 goals per game overall this season, but has been averaging 2.2 goals per match up over its last six games (0-6 SU over that span).
- New York has averaged 9.2 takeaways per game over its last five road games, an improvement over its season average of 6.3 takeaways per game (ranked 24th in the league).
