Free NHL Picks Today: New York Islanders vs Montreal Canadiens 1/14/23

Free NHL Picks Today: New York Islanders vs Montreal Canadiens 1/14/23
Sat 14th January 2023

The Montreal Canadiens (17-22-3) are on the road to take on the New York Islanders (22-18-3), who will be hoping to end their losing run, at UBS Arena on Saturday.

Montreal is coming off a 4-3 win over the Predators on Thursday. The Canadiens committed six penalties in the game, though they held Nashville without a power play goal. Cole Caufield led the Canadiens with two goals.

Jonathan Drouin had three assists to lead the team in scoring. Sam Montembeault saved an impressive 39 of 42 shots (.928%) in the win. New York dropped their fourth straight game, falling 3-1 to the Wild on Thursday. Scott Mayfield was the only player to score for the Islanders. Ilya Sorokin saved 33 of 35 shots (.942%) in the loss.

HEAD TO HEAD

The Islanders won two of the three games between the teams last season, including a 3-0 victory in their final meeting in April. Brock Nelson led New York with two points (1G 1A). Sorokin saved 44 shots to earn the shutout win.

FACING OFF

Montreal is averaging 2.60 goals per game for the season, 29th in the NHL, and they are taking on an Islanders team that is allowing 2.70 goals a game (7th). Meanwhile, New York has found the net 3.05 times a game on average, 23rd in the league, and the Canadiens are allowing opponents to score 3.79 goals per game (29th).

Montreal averages fewer shots a game (28.0) than most teams in the league, ranking 30th. New York has been one of the league’s best shot-stopping teams, ranking No. 2 with a team save percentage of .922%.

Expect multiple power play opportunities for the Islanders, as the Canadiens are averaging 4.64 penalties per game, fourth-most in the NHL. The visitors’ 12.74 penalty minutes a game ranks first-highest. The home team has been penalized 3.70 times a game (24th) for an average of 9.05 minutes (15th).

The Canadiens’ 16.03% power play percentage is the third-lowest in the league, while the Islanders rank 27th with a conversion rate of 18.25%. In terms of penalty killing, New York has the league’s eighth-ranked PK% at 82.31%, while Montreal is 22nd at 74.83%.

TOP PERFORMERS:

Nick Suzuki and Caufield have been the top skaters for the Canadiens this season with 35 and 34 points. In the net, Montembeault (6-6-2) is Montreal’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 3.42 GAA and a .900% save percentage.

Jake Allen (10-16-1) leads the Canadiens in games played in goal. He has a GAA of 3.52 and a save percentage of .892%.Mathew Barzal and Nelson lead the Islanders in scoring with 41 and 39 points, respectively.

Barzal has 11 goals and 30 assists, while Nelson has 15 goals and 24 assists in 43 games. Sorokin (14-13-2) has the best goals against average for New York at 2.30, fifth-best in the league. He has a save percentage of .925%, second-best.

HOME AND AWAY

Montreal has lost six in a row away from Bell Centre this season. New York is 12-7-1 at home this season.

SportsTips’ NHL Pick:

NY Islanders (-250)

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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.

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