New York Islanders vs. Montreal Canadiens
Free Pick: New York Islanders (+170 NHL odds)
Mon October 26th 2009 7:35p
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The New York Islanders have won just once in nine games (1-4-4) while the Montreal Canadiens have won three straight games including a 5-1 win over the Isles here in Bell Centre, but we actually this New York has value at this fat price.

The Islanders are really not as bad as their record, as they are actually improved compared to the dreadful team they put on the ice last season. They are just running low on luck right now, as five of their nine games have gone to either overtime or a shootout, and they are an unfortunate 1-4 in those games.

They have actually been in almost every game, and we look for them to improve on what was their worst game of the season here last Thursday. They bounced back from that outing by limiting the high-powered Washington Capitals offense in a tough 3-2 overtime loss Saturday, and anything close to that kind of effort should result an a big upset here.

Now we realize that the Canadiens are hot right now, but this is a team in transition that replaced its five leading scorers from last year, and the Habs may also be going through a transition in net, as supposed backup Jaroslav Halak has outplayed the incumbent, Carey Price. This should lead to inconsistency, and that has been the case as Montreal was 2-5 before the current three-game winning streak.

Thus, we really do not trust the Canadiens just yet laying this kind of big chalk, and with the Islanders undervalued with their record not matching up with the effort and performance, this seems like a nice spot for a value pop.

NHL Free Pick: Islanders +170