The Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Islanders meet Sunday in NHL action at the UBS Arena. Here’s a Islanders vs Blue Jackets Prediction. This article will include a Islanders vs Blue Jackets Pick.
Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Preview
The Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Maple Leafs and Blues, and play the Flames next. The Blue Jackets have won 6 of their last 7 games.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are averaging 3.36 goals per game and are scoring 19.2 percent of their power play opportunities. Kirill Marchenko leads Columbus with 5 goals, Charlie Coyle has 7 assists and Zach Werenski has 40 shots on goal. Defensively, the Columbus Blue Jackets are allowing 3 goals per game and are killing 67.7 percent of their opponent’s power plays. Jet Greaves has allowed 16 goals on 190 shots faced, and Elvis Merzlikins has given up 15 goals on 177 shots.
New York Islanders Betting Preview
The New York Islanders lost to the Hurricanes, beat the Capitals, and they play the Bruins next. The Islanders have lost 3 of their last 4 games.
The New York Islanders are averaging 3.36 goals per game and are scoring 14.6 percent of their power play opportunities. Bo Horvat leads New York with 7 goals, Mathew Barzal has 6 assists and Kyle Palmieri has 34 shots on goal. Defensively, the New York Islanders are allowing 3.55 goals per game and are killing 75 percent of their opponent’s power plays. David Rittich has allowed 10 goals on 101 shots faced, and Ilya Sorokin has given up 27 goals on 220 shots.
Why the New York Islanders will win
- The Islanders have won six of their last seven home games against the Blue Jackets.
- The Blue Jackets have lost 22 of their last 27 road games on the second leg of a back-to-back.
- The Blue Jackets have failed to cover the puck line in 13 of their last 17 games as underdogs on the second leg of a back-to-back.
- The home team has covered the puck line in three of the last four games between the Blue Jackets and Islanders.
- The favorites have won the second period in seven of the Blue Jackets’ last eight games.
Why the Columbus Blue Jackets will win
- The Blue Jackets have won each of their last four games as road underdogs.
- The Islanders have lost each of their last four games as favorites against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- The Blue Jackets have covered the puck line in each of their last seven road games.
- The Islanders have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last six night games at UBS Arena following a road win.
- The Blue Jackets have won the third period in each of their last seven road games when leading after the second period.
Total Goals Facts
- Eight of the Islanders’ last nine games against Eastern Conference opponents have gone OVER the total goals line.
- Each of the Blue Jackets’ last four road games following a home win have gone UNDER the total goals line.
- Six of the last seven games between teams from the same division have gone OVER the total goals line.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in each of the Blue Jackets’ last nine games following a home win.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2′ market has hit in each of the Islanders’ last eight home games against the Blue Jackets.
New York Islanders Player Prop Facts
- Kyle Palmieri has scored a goal in each of the Islanders’ last three games as favorites against Eastern Conference opponents.
- Mathew Barzal has recorded at least one assist in seven of his last eight appearances with the Islanders as favorites.
- Mathew Barzal has recorded at least one point in each of his eight previous appearances with the Islanders as home favorites against the Blue Jackets.
- Pierre Engvall has scored the first goal in three of his last four appearances with the Islanders as favorites against the Blue Jackets.
- Anthony Duclair has recorded 16 career assists against the Blue Jackets – most against any opponent (including playoffs).
Columbus Blue Jackets Player Prop Facts
- Zach Werenski has scored a goal in each of the Blue Jackets’ last three games.
- Sean Monahan has recorded at least one assist in nine of his last 10 appearances against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- Kirill Marchenko has recorded at least one point in nine of the Blue Jackets’ last 10 games.
- Ivan Provorov has scored six career goals against the Islanders – equal-most against any opponent (including playoffs).
Matchup/League Facts
- The New York Islanders rank 27th in the league for goals against per game this season (3.55).
- The New York Islanders rank 27th in the league in power play percentage this season (14.63%).
- The Columbus Blue Jackets rank 29th in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (67.65%).
- The Columbus Blue Jackets rank 32nd in the league for shots against per game this season (33.5).
Islanders vs Blue Jackets Prediction
The Islanders are at home with the rest advantage, but we’re still getting the hotter team at a more favorable price. I’ll take it. The Islanders continue to underachieve with an offense that can’t score on the power play and a defense that’s been poor across the board. The Blue Jackets continue to win, and they’ve played some of their best hockey on the road, where they have four wins. I’m not sure how long it will last, but I’ll keep backing them in the underdog role as long as the tickets keep cashing.