The New York Islanders are winning lately, but they will be facing a tough opponent this Tuesday night at home, as they host the Seattle Kraken, who are also coming off a win. The Isles are on the outside looking in of a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, so that’s an extra motivation for New York to get the job done in front of their home fans. With all that being said, let’s now take a look at our NHL odds series plus our Seattle Kraken-New York Islanders prediction for this showdown scheduled at 7:30 PM ET.
Here are the Seattle Kraken-New York Islanders NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Odds: Seattle Kraken -New York Islanders Odds
Seattle Kraken: +1.5 (-290)
New York Islanders: -1.5 (+225)
Over: 5.5 (-115)
Under: 5.5 (-105)
How To Watch Seattle Kraken -New York Islanders
TV: ESPN+
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 7:30 PM ET/4:30 PM PT
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Seattle Kraken Could Cover The Spread
The Kraken are on top of the Pacific Division over in the Western Conference with a 29-15-5 record, good for 63 points. However, they are still in a precarious position, especially given how tight the race is in the division. Seattle snapped back to form last Saturday when it took care of business on both ends of the ice in a 3-1 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets to end a five-game home stand on a positive note. Philipp Grubauer stepped up for Seattle in that game, as he stopped all but one of the 25 shots he faced, including four while Columbus was on the power-play attack.
If Grubauer gets another start this Tuesday, the Kraken can have full confidence in him, given how good he has been over his last few starts. In his last three appearances between the pipes, Grubauer has gone 1-1-1 with only four goals allowed on 81 shots faced. If Seattle turns to Martin Jones again, there is still a reason for the Kraken to feel good about their defense. After all, it was Jones who was in front of the net during the Kraken's 4-1 home win against the Islanders last month. Jones is second in the entire league to date with a 23-7-3 record to go with a 2.82 GA/A and .896 SV%. All that being said, what will most likely influence the outcome of this game for Seattle is the team's ability to control the puck and its efficiency with it.
On the season, the Kraken are fifth in the NHL with a 5-on-5 52.0 CF% and fourth with a 5-on-5 53.1 FF%. They are not taking as many shots from premium spots on the ice as the other teams but the Kraken are No. 1 in the league with a 12.0 shooting percentage — the only team with a rate higher than 11.4 percent. As a result, Seattle is fifth with 3.61 goals per game. In the first meeting with the Isles, Seattle posted a dominant even-strength 53.41 CF% while outshooting New York by a wide margin, 35-19. The Kraken are 7-1 in their last eight games in enemy territory.
Why The New York Islanders Could Cover The Spread
Bo Horvat didn't do much in his first game with his new team, but the Islanders still managed to sustain their momentum by beating the Philadelphia Flyers on the road on Monday, 2-1. The Isles have now won three straight games following an ugly stretch that saw the team suffer six losses in a row. The major reason for the Islanders' recent success is their defense. New York is being held together by the excellence of their goalies.
Against the Flyers, Semyon Varlamov turned away 25 of 26 shots. Prior to the win against Philadelphia, the 34-year-old Varlamov put up a much more incredible performance in the Islanders' 2-1 overtime home win against the Vegas Golden Knights last Saturday. With tonight's meeting with the Kraken the second leg of a back-to-back set for the Islanders, the expectation is that New York will turn back to Ilya Sorokin for the team's netminding needs. Sorokin is still the best option in front of the net for the Islanders, who are eighth in the NHL this season with just 2.71 goals allowed per game. Sorokin has simply been sensational for the Islanders, and his excellence in patrolling the crease can't just be done justice by merely looking at basic stats.
Apart from the fact that he is fifth overall with a 2.38 GA/G and second with a .923 SV%, Sorokin is also second in the league among goalies with at least 20 starts in goals above expected (25.5) and third in terms of saves percentage on shots on goal (.923) plus second in GAA better than expected (4.25). He struggled in the first meeting with Seattle, but Sorokin might be getting better scoring support this time, with Horvat starting to familiarize himself with his new teammates. The Islanders have won eight of their last 11 games versus teams from the Pacific Division.
Final Seattle Kraken-New York Islanders Prediction & Pick
The Kraken have covered the puck line in 18 of 23 road games, but the Islanders have the home-ice advantage and the goalie who can shut Seattle down, notwithstanding the result of the first meeting. Don’t be too surprised to see the Isles blank Seattle tonight. Taking the Isles to cover.
Final Seattle Kraken-New York Islanders Prediction & Pick: New York Islanders -1.5 (+225)
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