Islanders vs Canucks Odds, Predictions and Best NHL Pick for Wednesday (Feb 9)

• The Vancouver Canucks are home to the New York Islanders from Rogers Arena at 10:30pm ET
• Ilya Sorokin is projected to start against Jaroslav Halak
• Read below for the Islanders vs Canucks odds, prediction, and best NHL betting pick for Wednesday

The New York Islanders start a three-game road trip and face the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday, February 9th.

Puck drop is set for 10:30pm ET at Rogers Arena and will be broadcast on TNT.

The Islanders are listed at -113, with Vancouver at -108 in the Barstool Sportsbook. The total for this matchup is listed at 5.5 with the over at -107.

Will the New York Islanders get to .500? Let’s look closer at the Islanders vs Canucks odds and find the best NHL pick.

Islanders vs Canucks Odds 

Odds as of February 8th at Barstool Sportsbook.

Islanders Falling in NHL Odds

While the thought process was that the New York Islanders would right the ship, the best they have done is get right near .500 (16-17-6). The one silver lining is that New York has 43 games to go.

However, the bad news is despite several games in hand, the Islanders are 17 points out of a wildcard spot.

While the Islanders have a favorable schedule, 17 points and at least three teams to hop is not easy. Projections are that New York is more than likely going to miss the playoffs in 2021-22.

Someone who follows the NHL more closely than I do (which shouldn't be hard): The Eastern Conference playoff race is over, right?

Hockey-reference playoff probabilities:
8th: Boston – 95.0%
9th: New York Islanders: 5.4%

— Fiddle Elphier (@FiddleElphier) February 8, 2022

New York needs a miracle. They have defense and goaltending but average just a mere 2.36 goals per game (30th in the NHL), the defense came down from over three goals to 2.62 (5th in the league).

It does not matter who is in net. To think, Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov have looked more like Vezina Trophy candidates. However, the offense still has improved but not enough (2.9 goals per game in the last 10).

It is why their Stanley Cup odds have dropped from +2200 to +6300 in the past two months.

Canucks’ Betting Outlook

Vancouver leveling off in their last 10 games only mucks the NHL odds vs the Islanders. This is a team that strung together seven straight wins when Bruce Boudreau was brought aboard. Now, in their past 10, the Canucks are 4-3-3 and stand right at .500 (20-20-6).

If that was not enough, Quinn Hughes will be out this week due to COVID protocol.

The Vancouver Canucks will have to try to survive without star defenceman Quinn Hughes, who entered COVID-19 protocol on Monday, but just surviving will not be enough to get them to the playoffs. (By @imacSportsnet) https://t.co/fT1gXQgAj3

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 8, 2022

Hughes is their best defenseman and Vancouver is poised not to call up Jack Rathbone from the minors. So, going up against an Islanders team that is as stout defensively without their best creator from the blueline is problematic.

Vancouver is a team with the league’s worst shooting percentage (7.5%) and league worst penalty kill (69.9%)

If scoring  was not a challenge for Vancouver, it could be even more now.

Islanders vs Canucks Recent Results

Islanders vs Canucks Prediction & Pick

The problem is neither team surrenders a lot of goals and both teams do not score a lot. There is a reason why the two teams are right around .500. They just are not very good. These are two of the lowest shooting teams in the NHL.

For the Islanders, they have to keep getting Matthew Barzal the puck. Barzal has four points in his last five games but has to be involved. He had just two shots on goal against Seattle and Ottawa. That cannot happen for the Islanders to win. Ilya Sorokin has to allow two goals or less.

As for the Canucks, they have to tighten their defense further without Hughes. Jaroslav Halak knows the Islanders well so expect his best effort.

Pick: Islanders ML (-113), Under 5.5 goals (-114)