The St. Louis Blues and the New York Islanders meet in NHL action from the UBS Arena on Tuesday night. Who comes out on top in Tuesday’s inter-conference matchup? Let’s dive in and find out with our Blues vs. Islanders Prediction.
St. Louis Blues Team Preview
The St. Louis Blues come into this game looking to build on a 2-1 shootout win over the Flyers last time out. Robert Thomas leads the Blues in scoring with 69 points including team-highs of 20 goals and 49 assists while Pavel Buchnevich has 48 points split between 24 goals and 24 assists. Jordan Kyrou also has 47 points with 19 goals and 28 assists as well this season. Jordan Binnington’s gone 22-16-3 with a 2.83 GAA and a .912 save percentage between the pipes for St. Louis while Joel Hofer is 10-10 with a 2.88 GAA and a .911 save percentage this season. The Blues will face the Devils after this game.
St. Louis Blues Team Facts
- The Blues have won eight of their last 10 games as underdogs against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- The Blues have covered the puck line in 14 of their last 16 games as underdogs after coming off a shootout.
- The Blues have lost the second period in six of their last seven night games following an overtime win.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in each of the Blues’ last 11 games following a road win.
New York Islanders Team Preview
The New York Islanders will look go build on their three-game win streak after a 5-1 win over Boston last time out. Mathew Barzal leads the Islanders in scoring with 63 points including 18 goals and 45 assists while Noah Dobson has 61 points with a team-high 54 assists and Brock Nelson’s added 48 points with a team-high 27 goals this season. Bo Horvat’s also chipped in 50 points with 23 goals of his own and 27 assists and Kyle Palmieri has 33 points with 15 goals and 18 assists. Ilya Sorokin has posted a 20-13-11 record in goal for the Islanders this season with a 3.06 GAA and a .910 save percentage while Semyon Varlamov is 6-7-3 with a 2.91 GAA and a .910 save percentage this season. The Islanders will take on the Sharks after this one.
New York Islanders Team Facts
- The Islanders have lost each of their last four games as favorites following a home win.
- The underdogs have covered the puck line in 14 of the last 15 games between the Blues and Islanders.
- The Islanders have lost the second period in each of their last six games against Central Division opponents.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2′ market has hit in each of the Islanders’ last 11 home games against opponents on a winning streak.
Blues vs. Islanders Prediction
I’m on the Islanders here. St. Louis played well against Philadelphia, but they’re on the back-to-back here and no disrespect, but Joel Hofer (who I believe gets the start here) is a step down from Jordan Binnington. The Islanders have had a tendency to run hot and cold, but they’re hot right now, scoring and playing good defense and despite the win, the scoring issues continue to be present for St. Louis. I think the Islanders take care of business at home, so I’ll side with New York in this one.