BEST LINES:  Pinnacle -½ +168 BET 365 -½ +170 SportsInteraction -½ +165 5DIMES -½ +165

Posted at 12:30 PM EST.

7:05 PM EST. Montreal comes into this game with a 7-4-2 record while the Islanders come in with a 8-4-1 record but there is a big difference between the two that is not seen in their respective records. You see, the Habs are legit with their speed and talent but the Islanders are not legit. Montreal is a top-7 analytics squad while the Islanders are a bottom three. Montreal winning games is sustainable while the Isles model is not.   

On October 27th, the Islanders beat the Flyers in Philadelphia, 6-1. Since then, the Islanders have won four more in a row to run their winning streak to five games. In between that win over Philly and their 2-0 win over the Devils on Saturday night, the Isles defeated the Penguins in back-to-back games, 6-3 and 3-2 in OT. Yes indeed, the Isles are winning games but their performances on the ice are among the worst in the NHL, thus their winning ways are not sustainable.

The Isles rank 29th out of 31 teams in Expected Goals for per 60 minutes (xGF/60). Only the Sens and Ducks are worse. The Isles are winning because their Shooting Percentage ranks third in the NHL and Sv% ranks 4th. That makes them the #1 ranked PDO team (Shooting % + Save %) in the NHL. Against the Pens, the Isles were outshot, out-chanced and outplayed in both games but went 2-0. That’s actually been the story of the Isles season and as they have won the xGF% in just three of its 13 games thus far. In fact, the Isles have been literally destroyed In Corsi For % during five-on-five play, losing that battle 71-32 (!) in a 2-1 victory over Carolina, 52-31 in a 4-0 victory over San Jose, 55-33 in that aforementioned 6-3 win over the Penguins and the list goes on. The Islanders have been lucky and while nothing says that luck will run out here, they are getting outplayed almost every night, they have taken the second most penalties in the NHL and therefore, their luck will run its course.

Therefore:

OT included - Montreal +105 for 1 unit.

Regulation only - Montreal-½ +170 for 1 unit.

Open an account today at and take advantage of their -104 style pricing on sides and totals, which is 60% better than other sportsbooks.