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The Florida Panthers are the hottest team in the NHL right now. But even with a secured spot in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, they still have a reason to keep on collecting victories, as they are still neck-and-neck with the Colorado Avalanche for the best regular-season record with only a handful of games remaining before the postseason. Meanwhile, the New York Islanders have just struck out of the race for a playoffs seat, but that doesn’t mean they’ll just make things easy for the Panthers later tonight at home. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NHL odds series, which includes our Panthers-Islanders prediction, odds, and pick we have laid out below.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Panthers-Islanders odds:
NHL odds: Panthers-Islanders Odds
Panthers: -1.5 (+116)(-215 ML)
Islanders: +1.5 (-140) (+176 ML)
Over: 6.5 (-110)
Under: 6.5 (-110)
Why the Panthers Could Cover the Spread
Who's going to stop the Panthers? Florida has been on an absolute roll and is not showing signs of slowing down lately. The Panthers are heading to tonight's date with New York having gone unbeaten in all of their last 10 games. They are also 13-2-0 in their past 15 outings. In their last game, the Panthers mauled the Detroit Red Wings on the road Sunday to the tune of a 6-1 score — the same score when Florida took down the Winnipeg Jets at home in a prior contest. The offense is seemingly humming for Florida which is, by a significant margin, the highest-scoring team in the league this season.
They are feeding the net 4.19 times per game — the only team that is putting up more than 3.9 goals per contest. The Islanders don't need a lecture about how terrifying Florida's attack is because they have witnessed that firsthand this season. The Panthers won the first two meetings between these teams by an aggregate score of 11-2. While those games were both played at Florida's home, it doesn't seem that location is a factor for the Panthers, who are winning almost at will wherever they want.
Dating back to the start of 2022, the Panthers are 18-5-2 on the road. Russian netminder Sergei Bobrovsky was between the pipes for the Panthers in the two wins against New York and he could be making his third appearance versus the same team later tonight after taking a rest in the Red Wings game. He turned away 56 of 58 shots on goal by the Islanders in those games and is currently tied second so far this season with a 36-6-3 overall record.
Why the Islanders Could Cover the Spread
The 2022 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs will not be featuring the Islanders, who are now officially out of postseason contention after losing to the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-2, in the last of a three-game road trip. But maybe playing without the pressure anymore of having to win games to make the playoffs will do the Isles more good the rest of the way. The Panthers are indeed a terrifying matchup, but their foot might be a bit off the pedal now with a playoff spot secured. The Islanders, on the other hand, have nothing to lose as well.
They've just been so inconsistent of late, alternating wins and losses over their past games during which the Islanders went 3-4-0. One area where New York has consistency is on defense, particularly in the crease. Ilya Sorokin may not be the flashiest goalie out there — not even in New York — but he's got the numbers. While he is just 14th this season with a 25-16-7 record to date, Sorokin is fourth with a 2.31 GAA, second with a .927 SV%, and second with seven total shutouts.
Moreover, Sorokin is 10th among goalies with at least 30 starts this season in GAA better than expected (0.26). Against a high-flying Panthers offense, the Islanders' ability to contain premium shots will be tested again. New York owns the best defensive high-danger scoring chance conversion rate (9.5%). Still on defense, the Islanders' penalty kill has been superb, to say the least. In their last 17 games, Barry Trotz's squad has allowed opponents to score just four power-play goals on 45 chances.
Final Panthers-Islanders Prediction & Pick
The Panthers are just so hot right now. If there’s a team that would stop them, I’m fairly confident that it’s not going to be the Islanders. Not going to overthink this one and will go for Florida winning and covering the puck line.
Final Panthers-Islanders Pick: Panthers (-1.5)
