The Florida Panthers will play the New York Islanders on Saturday night at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York. Florida has won three games in a row, while New York has lost six of their last seven. Let’s take a look at the betting matchup and the Panthers vs Islanders prediction.
Panthers Preview
The Florida Panthers are 30-14-4 this year after they defeated the Penguins in a shootout by a score of 3-2 in their last game. Florida led 2-1 late in the third period, but they allowed the tying goal with about 42 seconds left, before they won in a shootout. The Panthers were out shot by a total of 37-31 and went 2-3 on the power play in the game. Florida defeated Arizona by a score of 6-2 and Nashville by a score of 4-1 in the two games prior to Pittsburgh. The Panthers are scoring 3.23 goals per game and they are allowing 2.60 goals against per game, while going 22.3% on the power play and 82.4% on the penalty kill. Sam Reinhart has led Florida with 36 goals, 25 assists, and 131 shots on goal. The projected starting goalie for Florida is Anthony Stolarz, who is 7-4-2 this season with a 2.12 goals against average and a .917 save percentage.
Florida Panthers Team Facts
- The Panthers have lost each of their last five games as favorites following a shootout win.
- The Panthers have failed to cover the puck line in 12 of their last 13 games as favorites after coming off a shootout.
- The Panthers have lost the second period in each of their last five games following a shootout win.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3′ market has hit in each of the Panthers’ last 11 games following a shootout win.
Islanders Preview
The New York Islanders are 20-17-11 this season after they lost to Montreal by a score of 4-3 in their last game. New York was able to erase a 3-0 first period deficit, but they allowed Montreal to score with 2:12 left for the loss. The Islanders out shot Montreal by a total of 46-26 and went 3-8 on the power play in the game. New York lost to Vegas by a score of 3-2 in the game prior to Montreal, but did beat Dallas by a score of 3-2 before that. The Islanders are scoring 2.92 goals per game and they are allowing 3.33 goals against per game, while going 23.1% on the power play and 73% on the penalty kill. Noah Dobson has led New York with six goals, 45 assists, and 109 shots on goal. The projected starting goalie for New York is Ilya Sorokin, who is 14-12-9 this year with a 3.17 goals against average and a .909 save percentage.
New York Islanders Team Facts
- The Islanders have won six of their last seven games as underdogs against opponents on a winning streak.
- The Islanders have covered the puck line in each of their last nine games as underdogs against Eastern Conference opponents.
- The Islanders have lost the second period in each of their last six games following a road loss.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2′ market has hit in each of the Islanders’ last 17 games as underdogs against opponents on a winning streak.
Panthers vs Islanders Betting Prediction
Florida went through a small rough patch about a week ago, but they come into this game on a three game winning streak and they are 16-7-2 on the road. The Panthers will be on a back to back here, after beating the Penguins in a shootout last night. New York has been very disappointing this season, but they are still in the postseason race, so they need to turn things around quickly. Florida is very good defensively, while the Islanders have not played solid defense this season. The Panthers were out shot against Pittsburgh last night and I think this is a tough back to back for them, so give me the Islanders here.