The New York Islanders and the Calgary Flames meet in NHL action from the Scotiabank Saddledome on Saturday night.
Islanders Losing Streak Hits Seven
The New York Islanders come into this one looking to snap their seven-game losing skid after a 4-3 shootout loss to Seattle last time out. Noah Dobson leads the Isles with 14 points including 9 assists while Mathew Barzal has 14 points with a team-high 11 assists. Bo Horvat has 13 points with 5 goals and 8 assists while Brock Nelson has 10 points with a team-high 7 goals. Kyle Palmieri has 9 points with 3 goals and 6 assists. Ilya Sorokin has posted a 3-3-4 record in goal for the Islanders this season with a 3.28 GAA and a .907 save percentage while Semyon Varlamov is 2-3-1 with a 2.18 GAA and a .934 save percentage this season.
New York Islanders Team Facts
- The Islanders have lost each of their last seven games.
- The Islanders have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last six night games after coming off a shootout.
- The Islanders have lost the third period in each of their last four games as underdogs after coming off a shootout.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2′ market has hit in each of the Islanders’ last 10 games as underdogs against opponents on a winning streak.
Flames Win Back-To-Back Games
The Calgary Flames come into this one looking to build on back-to-back wins after a 5-2 win over Vancouver last time out. Elias Lindholm leads the Flames in scoring with 11 points including a team-high 8 assists while Andrew Mangiapane has 9 points with a team-high 4 goals. Nazem Kadri and Jonathan Huberdeau each have 9 points with 3 goals and 6 assists while Blake Coleman has 8 points with 4 goals and 4 apples. Jacob Markstrom has gone 4-6-1 with a 2.66 GAA and an .906 save percentage while Dan Vladar is 2-1-1 with a 3.92 GAA and an .858 save percentage this season.
Calgary Flames Team Facts
- The Flames have lost each of their last four games as favorites against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- The Flames have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last eight games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- The Flames have won the first period in each of their last four games against the Islanders.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in each of the Flames’ last six games as favorites against the Islanders.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Calgary Flames ranks T5th in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (86.79%).
- The Calgary Flames ranks 26th in the league for goals per game this season (2.75).
- The New York Islanders ranks 31st in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (67.86%).
- The New York Islanders ranks 30th in the league for goals per game this season (2.44).
Chris’ Pick
I’m leaning towards the Flames here. I don’t back the Flames at all, but this is just one spot where the Flames are actually the lesser of two evils. New York just does not know which way is up right now, and until they sort it out, I’m not putting one red cent on them. That defensive style the Islanders would implement so successfully has disappeared and until it comes back, they’re on my auto-fade list. Give me the Flames.
