The New York Islanders will head down to Texas tonight to take on the Dallas Stars. This will be the second meeting between these two teams this year as the Islanders won their first matchup 4-2. The Islanders are not going to make the playoffs this season, but the Stars have been battling for their spot since the All-Star break – now just one point behind the Golden Knights and Predators for the final playoff spot. It’s time to continue our NHL odds series with an Islanders-Stars prediction and pick.

Here are the Islanders-Stars NHL Odds, Courtesy of FanDuel

NHL Odds: Islanders-Stars Odds

New York Islanders: +1.5 (-260) (+112 ML)

Dallas Stars: -1.5 (+210) (-134 ML)

Over: 5.5 (+104)

Under: 5.5 (-128)

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Why The Islanders Can Cover The Spread/Win

The New York Islanders aren't looking for a playoff spot this year, but are more than willing to ruin it for others, which is exactly what they'll look to do tonight against the Stars. The Islanders' offense hasn't been awful, averaging 3.4 goals per game, but their defense is what really needs to be noticed. All three of their options at goaltending are decent options, but we can assume that starter Ilya Sorokin will be making the start tonight after coming back from his concussion. On the season, Sorokin is supporting a .927 save percentage while allowing 2.30 goals against per game. He's been playing pretty well this season as long as he can stay healthy, and they'll definitely lean on him a lot in this game.

Why The Stars Can Cover The Spread/Win

The Dallas Stars come into this matchup after a 4-1 loss to the Kraken on Sunday. Over their last eight games, the Stars have given up just three goals per game, but their offense hasn't been able to keep up, scoring just 2.82 goals per game over their last 11 games. The majority of their defense as of late can be credited to starting goaltender Jake Oettinger, who is currently sporting a .916 save percentage while allowing 2.49 goals against per game. He's starting between the pipes tonight for the Stars as they look towards earning another two points for the playoffs.

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Final Islanders-Stars Prediction & Pick

The Islanders have been pretty underrated this season, not making any splashes at the trade deadline, kind of just in an awkward limbo of semi trying to rebuild but also trying to compete for playoffs, which clearly isn't happening this year; something about the Islanders this season feels off to me. The Stars on the other hand are desperate for points and are going to do everything they can to make the playoffs this year. Because of that, I'm going to grab the Stars Moneyline in their own barn tonight. This just kind of feels like a low-scoring win for the Stars which will put them back in playoff contention.

Final Islanders-Stars Prediction and Pick: Stars ML (-134)