The New York Islanders and the San Jose Sharks meet in NHL action from the SAP Center on Thursday night. Who comes out on top in Thursday’s inter-conference matchup? Let’s dive in and find out with our Islanders vs. Sharks Prediction.
New York Islanders Team Preview
The New York Islanders come into this one looking to build on their four-game win streak after a 4-2 win over St. Louis last time out. Mathew Barzal leads the Islanders in scoring with 65 points including 19 goals and 46 assists while Noah Dobson has 63 points with a team-high 56 assists and Brock Nelson’s added 51 points with a team-high 28 goals this season. Bo Horvat’s also chipped in 53 points with 24 goals of his own and 29 assists and Kyle Palmieri has 38 points with 19 goals and 19 assists. Ilya Sorokin has posted a 21-13-11 record in goal for the Islanders this season with a 3.03 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.
New York Islanders Team Facts
- The Islanders have lost each of their last four games as favorites against Pacific Division opponents.
- The Islanders have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last six games as favorites against Pacific Division opponents.
- The Islanders have won the second period in each of their last five games against the Sharks following a win.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in six of the Islanders’ last seven night games at SAP Center at San Jose.
San Jose Sharks Team Preview
The San Jose Sharks come into this one looking to snap an eight-game losing streak after a 7-6 OT loss to Dallas last time out. Mikael Granlund leads the Sharks in scoring with 38 points including a team-high 29 assists while Tomas Hertl has 34 points including a team-high 15 goals along with 19 assists. William Eklund has 28 points with 18 assists and Fabian Zetterlund has 28 points with a team-high 16 goals. MacKenzie Blackwood’s gone 9-18-3 between the pipes for the Sharks this season, posting a 3.48 GAA and an .899 save percentage while Kaapo Kahkonen is 6-20-2 with a 3.82 GAA and an .895 save percentage this season. The Sharks will face the Senators after this game.
San Jose Sharks Team Facts
- The Sharks have lost each of their last eight games.
- The Sharks have covered the puck line in each of their last eight night games after coming off overtime.
- The favorites have won the second period in each of the last four games between the Islanders and Sharks.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1’ market has hit in five of the last six games between the Islanders and Sharks.
Islanders vs. Sharks Prediction
I’m leaning towards the Islanders here. The Sharks continue to have issues with their allergy of playing defense and keeping the puck out of the net. New York’s had issues with that at times but their goaltending is far more steady between these two and the Islanders have the more consistent and trustworthy offense side-by-side. Give me the Islanders -1.5 here.