The New York Islanders and the Florida Panthers meet in NHL action from the Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday night. Who comes out on top in this East Coast showdown? Let’s dive in and give out an Islanders vs. Panthers Prediction.
New York Islanders Team Preview
The New York Islanders come into this game looking to build on a 5-4 OT win over the Carolina Hurricanes in their last matchup. Mathew Barzal leads the Islanders in scoring with 23 points including 7 goals and a team-high 16 assists while Noah Dobson has 21 points with 16 assists of his own and Brock Nelson’s added 16 points with a team-high 10 goals this season. Bo Horvat’s also chipped in 16 points with 7 goals and 9 assists and Kyle Palmieri has 13 points with 6 goals and 7 assists. Ilya Sorokin has posted a 5-4-5 record in goal for the Islanders this season with a 3.10 GAA and a .913 save percentage while Semyon Varlamov is 4-3-1 with a 2.50 GAA and a .926 save percentage this season.
New York Islanders Team Facts
- The Islanders have won three of their last four games as underdogs.
- The underdogs have covered the puck line in each of the Islanders’ last eight games.
- The Islanders have won the second period in each of their last five games as underdogs.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in each of the Islanders’ last eight games as underdogs.
Florida Panthers Team Preview
The Florida Panthers come into this game looking to add to a 5-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens in their last matchup. Sam Reinhart leads the Panthers in scoring with 28 points including a team-high 15 goals while Aleksander Barkov has 22 points with 7 goals and a team-high 15 assists. Carter Verhaeghe has 18 points with 10 goals and 8 assists while Matthew Tkachuk has 18 points with 15 assists of his own this season. Sergei Bobrovsky has posted an 11-6-1 mark with a 2.41 GAA and .912 save percentage in goal for Florida this season while Anthony Stolarz is 3-1-1 with a 1.99 GAA and a .929 save percentage this season.
Florida Panthers Team Facts
- The Panthers have won each of their last eight games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- The Panthers have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last six games as home favorites against Eastern Conference opponents.
- The Panthers have won the first period in each of their last five games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2′ market has hit in each of the Panthers’ last 11 Saturday at Amerant Bank Arena.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Florida Panthers ranks 4th in the league for goals against per game this season (2.48).
- The Florida Panthers ranks 2nd in the league for shots per game this season (33.7).
- The New York Islanders ranks 31st in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (71.83%).
- The New York Islanders ranks 28th in the league for goals per game this season (2.73).
Islanders vs. Panthers Prediction
I’m on the over in this one. The Islanders, for being a team that is known for a lower-scoring and more physical brand of hockey, have been scoring fairly well in a lot of their recent road games, putting up 4+ goals a night. The Florida Panthers are also good enough to pour in goals left and right on any given night and I think this game ends up being a back and forth higher-scoring affair. Give me the over.
