New York Islanders vs Vancouver-canucks Picks and Predictions March 26th 2025

New York Islanders vs Vancouver-Canucks March 26th 2025

Planning on watching today’s Canucks and Islanders game? Catch the action at UBS Arena in Elmont, NY, as the Islanders hosts this showdown at 7:30 ET on ESPN+. The over/under goal line for this matchup is currently at 5.5 goals, and the Islanders are favored by -1.5 vs. the Canucks.

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Vancouver vs. New York Key Information

• Teams: Canucks at Islanders
• Where: UBS Arena Elmont
• Date: Wednesday, March 26th
• Betting Odds NYI -122 | VAN +103 O/U 5.5

The Canucks Can Win If…

Vancouver improved to 33-26-12 with a 3-2 road win over the Sharks. The Canucks were favored on the puck line, but didn’t cover. The total was set at 6.5 goals, and the combined 5 goals fell short of the mark.

The Sharks scored first, but Pius Suter tied it up in the second period. Vancouver took the lead with a goal from Jake DeBrusk in the third, only for San Jose to even it up again. Suter’s second goal, with just 26 seconds left, secured the win for the Canucks.

Pius Suter led the way for the Canucks with two goals, bringing his season total to 4. He scored Vancouver’s first goal at 14:41 in the second period and added the game-winner with just 26 seconds left in the game. Suter took 3 shots on goal. Jake DeBrusk, who had 2 shots on goal, scored his first goal of the season at 15:38 in the third period.

The Canucks fired 27 shots on goal but were held scoreless in the first period. They found the net once in the second and added two more in the third. Vancouver recorded 25 giveaways in the game.

Kevin Lankinen recorded 21 saves with a 91.3% save percentage, helping the Canucks secure a 3-2 win over the Sharks. Defensively, the Canucks finished with 5 takeaways and 24 hits. They’ll look to tighten things up after allowing the first goal at 2:37 into the 2nd period and the tying goal at 18:43 in the 3rd.

• Across Vancouver’s last three regular season games, their record sits at 1-2. This also includes going 2-1 ATS, and posting an over-under record of 3-0.
• Over their last ten regular season games, the Canucks have gone 5-5 straight up. In these matchups, they ended with an puck line record of 6-4 and an over-under mark of 7-3.

The Islanders Can Win If…

The Islanders dropped to 32-29-10 after a 5-2 loss to the Rangers. Entering as underdogs on the puck line, the total for the game was set at 6 goals, but the teams combined for 7.

New York fell behind 2-0 before Casey Cizikas scored at 15:22 in the second period. The Islanders added another goal in the second, but the Rangers pulled away with two more goals, including an empty-netter in the third.

The Islanders took 37 shots on goal in their 5-2 loss to the Rangers but only found the net twice. Casey Cizikas scored his first goal of the season, while Brock Nelson added his fifth, just eight seconds before the end of the second period.

New York had 23 giveaways and went scoreless in the first and third periods. Pierre Engvall picked up his first assist of the year on Cizikas’ goal, and Simon Holmstrom added his fourth assist.

The Islanders’ defense struggled in their last game, allowing the Rangers to score five goals on 39 shots. Ilya Sorokin made 35 saves with a save percentage of 89.7%. The Islanders also had 17 hits and 12 takeaways. After closing the gap to 3-2, they gave up two more goals, including an empty-netter.

• Through their last three regular season contests, New York has a record of 1-2. The team’s record vs the puck line was just 0-3, in addition to an over-under mark of 3-0.
• New York has put together a record of 5-5 in their last ten games (regular season). Their record vs the puck line sits at 5-5 in these matchups, while posting a 4-4-2 over-under mark.

The Lean

For a moneyline bet, I’m backing the Islanders to secure a victory over the Canucks at home. With the moneyline currently set at -122, I’m locking in my bet on the Islanders straight-up.

My recommended pick for the puck line is to take the Canucks to cover. Even if the Islanders win straight-up, this one should be close throughout and the Canucks should cover the puck line.

When considering the over/under line, which is currently at 5.5 goals, we believe that this game will go over that threshold, and we recommend wagering on the over.

Islanders, Canucks Collide in High-Stakes Wild Card Showdown

Two ninth-place teams in their respective conferences — the New York Islanders and Vancouver Canucks — will square off Wednesday night in a pivotal cross-conference clash in Elmont, N.Y., with both clubs still clinging to postseason hopes.

Islanders Searching for Stability Amid Injuries, Controversy

The Islanders (32-28-10, 74 points) find themselves on the wild card bubble despite trading veteran Brock Nelson and dealing with the continued absence of top center Mathew Barzal. The loss of Barzal, who hasn’t played since early February, has placed added pressure on the rest of the lineup.

New York missed a golden opportunity Monday when it blew an early two-goal lead in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. The game’s final moments were marred by controversy, as Kyle Palmieri’s apparent go-ahead goal with 9.6 seconds remaining was disallowed due to goalie interference — a call that left the Islanders seething.

Still, the Isles remain within a point of a wild-card berth and will lean heavily on Bo Horvat, Palmieri and Ilya Sorokin to deliver a crucial win against the visiting Canucks.

Canucks Defying Odds Despite Injuries, Roster Shakeups

Vancouver (33-26-12, 78 points) enters Wednesday’s game with a tenuous grip on ninth place in the Western Conference. They trail St. Louis by three points for the final wild card position and are battling through a turbulent season that included the midseason trade of J.T. Miller and recent injuries to Elias Pettersson and Nils Hoglander.

Despite being undermanned, the Canucks pulled off an emotional 4-3 shootout win over the Devils on Monday. Conor Garland’s late game-tying goal and the shootout heroics of Jake DeBrusk and Jonathan Lekkerimaki gave Vancouver a much-needed boost.

Goaltender Thatcher Demko made 22 saves in his return from injury and will be a key figure as Vancouver tries to stay in the mix with a thinned roster.

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What’s at Stake

The Islanders are chasing the Canadiens and Rangers for the second Eastern Conference wild card, while the Canucks continue their pursuit of the Blues in the West. With each team running out of games and both rosters depleted by injury or trades, this head-to-head becomes a must-win for each side’s postseason ambitions.

Looking for more NHL betting insights and analysis? Check out our NHL Expert Picks for tonight’s best bets and predictions.