Canucks vs. Islanders prediction: NHL odds, pick Thursday Feb 9

The New York Islanders are on a roll. The Isles have won four in a row, acquired and signed Bo Horvat, and now are firmly back in the hunt for a Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. 

The Islanders were left for dead a fortnight ago, but with a handful of soft games coming up and the team in good form, we could see this team make a real go of it as we head toward the business end of the season.

That said, the Islanders can’t afford to slip up as big favorites over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night.

Canucks vs. Islanders prediction

(7:30 p.m. ET., ESPN+)

It should be a great atmosphere at UBS Arena on Thursday as Horvat plays his former team just over a week after the former captain was traded to Long Island. Anthony Beauvillier, who played 457 games and scored one of the biggest goals since The Dynasty for the Islanders, will make his return to Nassau County, as well.

If you look past all the noise that will surround Horvat, Beauvillier and the fallout from the blockbuster, this game looks like it could be one-way traffic.

The Canucks, who fired Bruce Boudreau and replaced him with Rick Tocchet on Jan. 22, are an absolute mess defensively. Only one team (Anaheim) has fished more pucks out of the back of its net than Vancouver this season and it doesn’t seem like that’s a problem that a coaching change will fix. 

Vancouver’s blueline is a mistake-happy disaster, but the team also gets very little defensive help from its forwards. The personnel just isn’t there for the Canucks to improve defensively overnight. 

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At this point of the season, everyone is well aware of the Isles’ scoring woes. The Islanders had scored two or fewer goals in 13 of 14 games — including eight in a row — before beating Seattle, 4-0, on Tuesday night. Horvat’s impact on the first line already looks legitimate, but there’s still plenty of work to be done to get this offense firing again.

The good news is that this Canucks’ defense is just what the doctor ordered. Vancouver ranks dead last in the NHL in save percentage, 26th in expected goals allowed and 29th in high-danger scoring chances conceded at 5-on-5. 

The Islanders play a lot of close games, so they don’t really profile as a team you want to lay the -1.5 with, but against this defense they should be able to post a crooked number and allow Ilya Sorokin to do the rest.