The Montreal Canadiens (33-27-7) travel to face off against the New York Islanders (31-28-8) on Thursday, March 20th. This game will be played at UBS Arena in Elmont and televised on ESPN+. Both the Canadiens and Islanders will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 ET.

Canadiens vs Islanders

The Montreal Canadiens Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Montreal’s 3-1 loss to the Penguins dropped their record to 33-27-7. The Canadiens entered the game as underdogs on the puck line, and the total was set at 6.5 goals, but the combined score of 4 fell short of that mark.

After falling behind 2-0, Christian Dvorak scored for Montreal in the third period, but the Penguins sealed the win with an empty-net goal. The Canadiens’ defense struggled, allowing the Penguins to score at 4:03 in the first period.

The New York Islanders Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

The Islanders fell to 31-28-8 after a 5-2 loss to the Rangers. The total was set at 6 goals, but the combined 7 goals pushed the game over. The Islanders were underdogs on the puck line and failed to cover.

After falling behind 2-0, Casey Cizikas put the Islanders on the board at 15:22 in the second period. The Rangers responded with another goal before Brock Nelson scored for the Islanders with just 8 seconds left in the second period, cutting the deficit to 3-2. The Rangers added two more goals in the third period to seal the win.

Montreal Offense Breakdown

Montreal’s offense struggled in their 3-1 loss to Pittsburgh, with Christian Dvorak netting his first goal of the season at 14:28 in the third period. The Canadiens managed 26 shots on goal but were held scoreless until Dvorak’s goal.

Juraj Slafkovsky picked up his 7th assist of the year, while Emil Heineman recorded his first. The Canadiens had 20 giveaways in the game.

Islanders Offense Breakdown

The Islanders fired 37 shots on goal in their 5-2 loss to the Rangers, but only managed to find the net twice. Casey Cizikas scored his first goal of the season, while Brock Nelson added his fifth, with just 8 seconds left in the second period.

New York was held scoreless in the first and third periods, with both goals coming in the second. The Islanders recorded 23 giveaways in the game.

Montreal Team Defense

Defensively, the Canadiens gave up the first two goals of the game—one at 15:57 in the first period and another at 18:40 in the second—before allowing a late empty-netter with 45 seconds left in the third. Sam Montembeault made 21 saves with a 91.3% save percentage. Montreal’s defense also recorded 4 takeaways and 28 hits.

New York Team Defense

The Islanders’ defense allowed the first goal just 3:44 into the game and conceded two more in the third period, including an empty-netter. Ilya Sorokin made 35 saves with an 89.7% save percentage, while the defense added 12 takeaways and 17 hits.

Canadiens vs Islanders Trends

• In their last five road games, Montreal has averaged 2 goals per game while allowing 2. The team’s record in this stretch was 2-3 while going 5-0.
• The Islanders are 4-1 puck line in their last home games and 3-2 straight-up.
• Going back to their previous three games as the underdog, New York has an puck line mark of 2-1 while going 1-2 straight up.
• Against the spread, the Canadiens have put together of 0-5 in their last five games as the betting favorite. In these same games, they went 3-2 straight up.

Canadiens vs Islanders Prediction

If you’re looking for a moneyline pick, my choice is the Islanders to take down the Canadiens at home. With the moneyline currently at -128, I’m placing my bet on the Islanders straight-up.

For my recommended choice in the puck line, I’m leaning towards the Canadiens to cover. Even if the Islanders secure a straight-up win, this game is expected to be tightly contested, and the Canadiens should cover the puck line.

If you’re looking at the over/under line set at 5.5 goals, our prediction is that this game will exceed that mark, and we strongly advise placing a bet on the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.