Tonight there is a cross-conference match-up as the New York Islanders head to beautiful Anaheim tonight. It’s time to continue our NHL odds series with an Islanders-Ducks prediction and pick.

The Islanders visit the west coast losers of two straight games, giving up ten goals while only scoring three in the two games. The Islanders have been hot and cold this year, with six streaks of losing three or more straight games, including a six-game spell mid-season. They also have five streaks of winning three or more games in a row. The Ducks come in off a 5-4 loss to Nashville, and losers of three of their last four. They have cooled off since winning three out of four from the end of February into March. The Ducks hope to avenge their 7-1 loss in New York from October tonight. 

Here are the Islanders-Ducks NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel

NHL Odds: Islanders-Ducks Odds

New York Islanders: -1.5 (+126)

Anaheim Ducks: +1.5 (-152)

Over: 5.5 (-130)

Under: 5.5 (+106)

How To Watch Islanders vs. Ducks

TV: MSGSN / ESPN+

Stream: NHLPP/ESPN+

Time: 10:00 ET/ 7:00 PT

*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Islanders Could Cover The Spread

The Islanders come into Anaheim on their second game in two days on their California trip. The trip finishes Saturday in San Jose, which will give the Islanders a much-needed rest, but tired legs enter tonight. They enter tonight 24th in the league in goals per game, at 2.87 goals per game. That is less than expected, as MoneyPuck places them 14th in the league in expected goals for. The offense has struggled more as of the last ten games, averaging 2.7 goals per game in the last ten, but only three goals in their past two games. 

On offense they are led by Brock Nelson and Bo Horvat, both centers who have 63 points on the season, tying them for 37th in the NHL. The primary goal scorer of the two is Horvat, who is tied for 11th in the NHL in goals, but had not scored in the team’s last 6 games. He only has five goals in the 17 games since the All-Star break, averaging one goal every 3.4 games, as opposed to his one goal every 1.58 games prior to the break. Horvat has been getting plenty of shots off though, so the goals should start to follow once again.

Semyon Varlamov is expected to be in net tonight, and his 2.79 goals per game average is .41 more per game than the primary netminder in Sorokin. His save percentage would rank him 18th in the league if he qualified statistically for league leaders. He has only played in five games since the start of February and is 2-3 in that span. It has depended on which version of Varlamov the Islanders get. In the three losses, he has let in 15 goals. In the two wins, he has let in one. If Varlamov is on tonight, the Islanders will come away with enough goals to get the win.

Why The Ducks Could Cover The Spread

For as rough as the offensive showings have been for the Islanders, the Ducks have been worse. They are tied for last in the NHL, averaging 2.52 goals per game. This is not just a problem when it comes to even strength situations, as they are the third-worst team in the NHL when it comes to converting on the power play. Going down a man is not an option for the Ducks, as they sit as the fourth-worst team in the NHL in the penalty kill, but luckily for them, the Islanders are not good at converting those situations. 

Unlike the Islanders who have got some fairly good goaltending, the Ducks are the worst in the league, giving up 4.00 goals per game, and sitting with a .901 save percentage on the year.  It has not been all bad for the Ducks though. While they have lost three of four, they won four of five right before that. In that time, they let up only two goals per game in the wins, and scored 3.5 goals per game in those same games. The Ducks have some young and exciting players, led by 21-year-old Trevor Zegras. Zegras leads the team with 21 goals, 35 assists, and 56 points overall. This is a young team, with only one of their top five goal scorers being over the age of 30. That player is Adam Henrique who is currently out with an injury. 

When this team gets good goaltending from John Gibson, who is expected to start tonight, and a spark from one of their young guys, they win. When they do not, they fail to score, and they lose. Right now for the Ducks, it is about growing for the future, which does look bright in Anaheim. 

Final Islanders-Ducks Prediction & Pick

Goals may be hard to come by tonight. While the Duck defense has been bad this year, they have shown glimpses of getting better. Both teams struggle to score though, and tonight may be no different. Neither team gets a boost from the power play, and neither team has a hot goal scorer that can take over the game.

Final Islanders-Ducks Prediction & Pick: Under 5.5 (+106)