<p>Betting on today's Canadiens and Islanders game? Catch the action at UBS Arena in Elmont, NY, as the Islanders hosts this showdown at 7:30 ET on ESPN+. The odds for this Eastern conference game currently have the Islanders as the -1.5 goal favorite with the over/under line sitting at 5.5 goals.</p><h3>MONTREAL CANADIENS VS NEW YORK ISLANDERS BETTING PICK</h3><p>The Pick: New York Islanders -1.5</p><p>This game will be played at UBS Arena at 7:30 ET on Thursday, March 20th.</p><h3>WHY BET THE NEW YORK ISLANDERS:</h3><ul><li>With the Islanders being favored by 1.5, our NHL analytics models has this one playing out 4-3 in favor of the Islanders.</li><li>Take the Islanders on the moneyline</li><li>On the spread, we like Canadiens (+1.5)</li></ul><h3>Can the Canadiens Pull Off a Road Win?</h3><p>Montreal fell to 33-27-7 after a 3-1 road loss to the Penguins. The Canadiens were underdogs on the puck line, and the total of 4 goals fell short of the 6.5 set for the game.</p>

<p>The Penguins scored the first two goals before Christian Dvorak got Montreal on the board in the third period. Pittsburgh sealed the win with an empty-net goal at 19:15 in the final period.</p><p>Montreal's offense struggled in their recent 3-1 loss to Pittsburgh, with Christian Dvorak scoring his first goal of the season at the 14:28 mark in the third period. The Canadiens fired 26 shots on goal but were unable to capitalize on any power play opportunities.</p> <p>Emil Heineman picked up his first assist of the season on Dvorak's goal, while Juraj Slafkovsky added his seventh assist. The Canadiens were plagued by 20 giveaways in the game.</p><p>Montreal's defense gave up the first two goals of the game, with both coming off the stick of Sidney Crosby. The first was at 15:57 in the first period, and the second was a power-play goal at 18:40 in the second. The Canadiens cut the deficit to 2-1 in the third, but Pittsburgh added an empty-netter with 45 seconds left, sealing a 3-1 victory. Sam Montembeault finished with 21 saves and a 91.3% save percentage, while the defense recorded 4 takeaways and 28 hits.</p><h3>Is a Home Win Possible for the Islanders?</h3><p>The Islanders fell to 31-28-8 after a 5-2 loss to the Rangers. As +1.5 goal underdogs, the Islanders failed to cover the puck line. The total for the game was set at 6 goals, but the combined 7 goals surpassed that mark.</p> 

<p>New York trailed 2-0 before Casey Cizikas put them on the board at 15:22 in the second period. The Islanders added another goal in the second, but the Rangers pulled away with two more goals, including an empty-netter in the third.</p><p>In their 5-2 loss to the Rangers, the Islanders fired 37 shots on goal but managed only two scores. Casey Cizikas netted his first goal of the season, while Brock Nelson added his fifth, coming with just 8 seconds left in the second period.</p> <p>New York had 23 giveaways and didn’t score in the first or third periods. Their two goals came in the second, with Cizikas’ goal at 15:22 and Nelson’s at 0:08.</p><p>Defensively, the Islanders gave up the first goal just 3:44 into the first period and allowed another early in the second. After pulling within 3-2 late in the second period, they conceded two more goals in the third, including an empty-netter. Ilya Sorokin made 35 saves with an 89.7% save percentage.</p>

Montreal Canadiens vs New York Islanders Betting Pick & Prediction 3/20/25

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