Welcome back to the return of NHL Predictions. Each day, Last Word on Hockey takes a look at the games happening and gives our predictions. We break down head-to-head matchups and other factors that may play into the outcome of the game. Be sure to check out more prediction articles for all the hockey games. For this installment, we will be making predictions on the New York Islanders vs the Florida Panthers.
NHL Predictions
New York Islanders vs Florida Panthers
Time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
TV: MSGSN, Scripps Sports
This matchup will see two Eastern Conference opponents going at it. This will be the first of three matchups between these two. The Islanders will have the home ice advantage playing on Long Island for their fans at the UBS Arena in this game. Last season these teams played three times, with the Islanders winning two of the three games. So far this season the Islanders hold a record of 3-2-2. The Panthers record is 5-3-1 and are looking extend their streak to four road wins in a row on Saturday.
The Islanders Story
This will be a second of a back-to-back for the Islanders. They played the New Jersey Devils in their last game, winning 4-3 in overtime. Despite the four goals in this game, the Islanders have struggled to generate offence to start their season. They rank in tie for 29th in the league in goals for with 2.43 per game. It’s not for lack of effort though, as they rank sixth in shots at 32.57 per game. The chances are there, they just haven’t potted them.
Despite the one power play goal the Islanders scored versus the Devils, this has been an area of struggle for the team. They are now 3 for 23 on the man advantage. That has them ranked 28th in the league at 13.0%. Patrick Roy experimented with Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat on separate units until the third period. Noah Dobson leads the team in points with five in seven games. When your defencemen is leading in points, it shows you need more from your forwards.
What the Islanders do well, and what has kept them in most games, has been defence. The club ranks sixth in goals against at 2.57 per game. They have done a good job at limiting their opponents chances. They rank fourth in shots against at 26.71 per game. One area that hasn’t helped the defence has been the penalty kill. Their PK ranks 27th in the league at 72.7%. The goaltending has come along with the defence as well. Ilya Sorokin has been strong in what the team hopes is a bounce back year. He is 2-1-1 with a .937 save percentage and a 1.74 goals-against-average. After playing the first game, backup Semyon Varlamov will get the start. However, be sure to check for the latest lineup news and notes before locking in your fantasy goalies. He has been shaky and is 1-1-1 with a .868 SV% and 3.27 GAA.
The Panthers Story
The defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers are sitting in first place in the Atlantic Division. Florida had a day to rest after their most recent game, which was an impressive 3-1 win over the New York Rangers, one of the best teams in the NHL. However, even with this win they have struggled to find their footing a little bit out of the gate. They have struggled to score ranking 20th in goals scored with 3.00 per game. That hasn’t stopped top line winger Sam Reinhart from getting off to a blistering start with a team leading 13 points in their nine games. A majority of the Panthers offensive production comes from their top guns. Reinhart’s linemate Anton Lundell is second on the team in points contributing nine in nine games. A struggling power play has hurt the Panthers goal scoring ranking 22nd in at 17.4%.
Florida’s defence has not done their offence any favours either, making our NHL predictions task difficult. They were able to slow the Rangers offence down, holding them to only one goal last game. This hasn’t been the norm as they are giving up 3.33 goals per game which is middle of the pack ranking tied for 16th in the league. A struggling penalty kill cannot be to blame for this. They rank fourth in the league at 88.0%. The Panthers still have a future hall of fame goalie on their backend in Sergei Bobrovsky, who just picked up his 400 career win. His numbers haven’t been up this standards so far this season but can still singlehandedly win his team a game on any night. He is 4-2-1 with a 3.11 GAA and a .886 SV%. Expect to see him in net for this game.
Prediction for Tonight’s NHL Predictions
On paper, this appears to be an even matchup. Both teams have struggled to produce a lot of offence. However, the Islanders have the edge on the defensive side of things. We don’t think that will be enough to overcome the Islanders being on the second of a back-to-back plus traveling. The Panthers are rested and a great road team. We think they will secure their fourth straight road win in this one sending the fans on the Island home upset.
Prediction: Panthers win 4-2
Prop Bets of the Night
On Fanduel, the Panthers are the favorites at -128 on the money line. We feel that is a safe bet for this game. Despite both teams not having the best offence, the Islanders will have a lot of tired bodies. This will not allow them to play the defence we are used to seeing from them, take the over. As far as any time goal scorers, for the Islanders Mathew Barzal is +250. He only has one goal in seven games so he is due. For the Panthers Matthew Tkachuk is +200 to score a goal. He has five in ten career games against the Islanders, so he is a good bet to get one in this one.
Main Photo Credit: Dennis Schneidler – USA TODAY Sports
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