NHL: Vancouver Canucks vs New York Islanders Game Preview
The Canucks are on an 11-2-2 run after a massive win at Madison Square Garden
The Vancouver Canucks (26-11-3, 55 points) seem to be handling their East Coat trip just fine after a 6-3 win against the New York Rangers as a +125 underdog. The Canucks extended their lead over the Idle Vegas Golden Knights to four points in the Pacific Division. They’ll play the second of back-to-back games against the New York Islanders (18-11-10, 37 points) who are 4-4-3 in their last 11 games. New York is the only team in the NHL to have 10 overtime losses, putting them in third place in the Metropolitan Division, eight points behind the New York Rangers. Oddsmakers have made the Islanders a -140 home favorite with a total of 6.5 (under -115). Puck-drop is scheduled for 7:35 p.m. ET / 4:35 p.m. PT and can be seen on the MSG Sports Network. We start our Canucks vs Islanders game preview with a deeper look into Vancouver.
Canucks vs Islanders 
Day/Time:
Location: UBS Arena, Elmont, NY
Streaming: Watch Live Sports
Canucks Haven’t Gone Away Yet
We thought that this Vancouver Canucks team would go away after a while like teams of the past, but as we stand one game away from the halfway mark. Not only are the Canucks not going away, but they look like a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.
We have Vancouver second in our latest power ratings behind the Winnipeg Jets, granted this power ranking is based on a team’s ability to cash tickets but it also is a reminder of who is likely to cash a futures ticket. From a goal differential standpoint, they are by far the top team in the National Hockey League with a +50, meaning not only are they winning, but their opponents aren’t coming close.
The next closest hockey team in goal differential is the Winnipeg Jets at +38. Rick Tocchet’s team is the first to 25 regulation wins (now 26) and is a perfect 24-0 when leading after two periods. They’re the top money-making team for bettors with 8.05 units won.
They will have to find more consistency on the road with a 20-23 (-4.09 units) mark on the road but when they get back home they’re an automatic wager with a 14-5 home record, good for 5.58 units of profit (second to the St. Louis Blues +6.35 units). This is going to be one NHL score to keep an eye on.
First Game Home Always Dangerous
The New York Islanders are back from a four-game road trip where they finished 1-2-1 after a 5-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights to conclude the trip. The first game back from a road trip is always the toughest, especially when coming back from the West Coast, even if you’ve been home for a couple of days.
We’ve always thought it takes a couple of games to acclimate from a West Coast trip. One area of concern is which Illya Sorokin (12-7-8, 3.17), who is the listed starter, will we get tonight after allowing five goals on 29 shots against Vegas.
Sorokin hasn’t had back-to-back wins in almost a month and is on a 2-3-1 run over his last six games. In his previous three games, the Russian netminder has faced an average of 24.33 shots per game but has allowed four goals or more in those games, 10 overall.
New York is 22nd in the NHL with a 3.26 goals-against average. We’ll know more after the morning skate, but it appears that Sorokin will face off against Casey DeSmith (6-3-2, 2.58) for Vancouver. We conclude our Canucks vs Islanders game preview with our official selection.
Bettors Flocking To Back New York
Maybe the Florida Panthers and the St. Louis Blues are a better match-up to watch, but the betting public thinks this is the best game to wager on with the most tickets written than any other of today’s NHL games.
So far, the Islanders are the best bet on the board, with 85% of the early money showing New York tickets. That means to bet the Islanders now before the moneyline increases any more, which we think will happen.
Playing two straight nights is challenging enough, playing two straight nights against the Rangers at MSG and then having to crank back up against the Islanders in front of 2,000 fewer people at a less historic venue is a difficult task, especially after a convincing win.
We are going to take the plus money and the Islanders. That does it for our Canucks vs Islanders game preview, we wish you the best with all of your NHL picks and parlays.
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