NY Islanders Favored Over Montreal Canadiens

  • What: Montreal Canadiens vs. NY Islanders
  • Date: Wednesday, April 12, 2023
  • Location: UBS Arena in Elmont, NY
  • Time:Β 7:00 p.m. ET
  • How to Watch: TSN2, RDS, NESN, ESPN+

If the NY Islanders hope to make the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, they need a win tonight against the Montreal Canadiens. The Islanders are 41-31-9 on the 2023 NHL season. The club enters tonight’s home game, their final game of the season, with 91 points. A win keeps them in the mix for a wild card berth into the 2023 NHL Playoffs. Even if the Islanders win, their fate hinges on how the Florida Panthers, who also have 81 games played (92 points) and the Pittsburgh Penguins, who have two games remaining as of this writing and 90 points, finish the 2023 season. In short, tonight’s game against the Canadiens, who are out of the 2023 NHL postseason mix, is a must-win for the Islanders.

New York enters tonight’s final home game of the year with a 24-13-3 record. They are 5-4-1 in their past 10 games and coming off a 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals. The Isles gave up two goals in 63 seconds to start that game and finished the first period down 3-0.

Montreal, who has a 31-43-6 season record, is 14-23-3 on the road this year. The Canadiens come into this matchup with a 4-6-0 mark in their 10 most recent outings. The Habs are coming off a 7-1 trouncing at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Before we look at theΒ betting breakdownΒ for tonight’sΒ NHLΒ matchup between the Montreal Canadiens and the NY Islanders, check out ourΒ guide to betting on the 2023 Stanley CupΒ and ourΒ tips for betting on the NHL.

Montreal Canadiens vs. NY Islanders picks for April 12, 2023

TeamsBetOnline ReviewBovadaBetUS ReviewGTBets Review
Montreal Canadiens+297+280+290+280
NY Islanders-340-360-350-360

Montreal Canadiens breakdown

March has not been a good month for the Montreal Canadiens. The team opened things with a 3-2 road loss to the Los Angeles Kings, and they didn’t pick up their first win until they topped the Penguins 6-4 on March 14. The team’s losing skid reached seven games before that win. Things have been only slightly better since that win over the Pens, as the team’s record is 4-8 since then.

Montreal does not have a single 30-goal scorer on the team this year, and only three players have hit the 20-goal threshold: Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Josh Anderson. Suzuki leads the team in scoring with 64 points.

The team’s goaltending has been poor this year with a 3.70 goals against average and a .897 save percentage. Montreal’s -72 goal differential is second worst in the Eastern Conference.

Montreal CanadiensTO BEAT NY ISLANDERS
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+297
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NY Islanders breakdown

The Islanders scoring leader isΒ Brock Nelson, with 73 points. Nelson’s 34 goals also lead the team. Matthew Barazl, who has the second-most assists on the club with 37, is the team’s second-highest scorer. Unfortunately for the Islanders, Barzal has not played since heΒ suffered aΒ lower-body injury against the Bruins on February 18 when Craig Smith hit him on what appeared to be a knee-on-knee hit. After Brazal, Anders Lee has the third most points on the club with 49 (27 goals, 22 assists).

The Islanders have one of the best goalies in the league inΒ Ilya Sorokin. Sorokin has quietly put together a 30-22-7 record with a goals against average of 2.35 and a save percentage of .925.

NY IslandersTO BEAT MONTREAL CANADIENS
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-360
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Best bet for Montreal Canadiens vs. New York Islanders

The teams have split their season series at one game apiece heading into tonight’s important, for the NY Islanders at least, matchup. I expect the Islanders to play this game as if their postseason hopes hang on getting a win. With the loss to the Capitals, New York lost the chance to determine their own fate for the 2023 NHL Playoffs, so the best they can do here is hope for a win and keep their fingers crossed. The best bet for this game is to pick the NY Islanders to beat the Montreal Canadiens.

Pick: NY Islanders to beat the Montreal Canadiens.

NY IslandersTO BEAT MONTREAL CANADIENS
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-350
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Trent Reinsmith

Trent is a professional sports journalist specializing in UFC, MMA, and esports coverage. His work has been featured in prestigious publications such as USA Today Sports, Vice, Bloody Elbow, Fight! Magazine, UFC 360, and Narratively. Trent's connection to MMA dates back to the early days when he and his friends pooled their resources to purchase the pay-per-view broadcast of UFC 1. He also has extensive experience in esports, particularly League of Legends and Counter Strike, dating back to the game's launch.