Mathew Barzal, Brock Nelson, and the New York Islanders will face off against Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov, and the Florida Panthers at the BB&T Center for an Eastern Conference matchup. Fox SportsNet Florida will air the matchup, and the action gets going at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 12.
New York Islanders vs. Florida Panthers Odds
New York (+105) is currently the underdog to Florida (-125), and oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at an even 6 goals (-105 for the over, -115 for the under).
New York is 20-9 straight up (SU) and has earned 10.4 units for moneyline bettors this season. Through 29 regular season contests, 16 of its games have gone under the total, while 11 have gone over and just two have pushed. The Isles are 8-6 SU on the road in 2019-20.
New York has converted on 19.4 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that’s right around league average. Additionally, its penalty kill is ranked 13th overall, and the team’s successfully killed off 82.1 percent of all penalties..
Averaging 25.9 saves per game with a .926 save percentage, Semyon Varlamov (11-6-2) has been the best option in goal for New York this year. If head coach Barry Trotz decides to rest him, however, the team might go with Thomas Greiss (10-5), who has a .930 save percentage and 2.24 goals against average this year.
Over on the other bench, Florida is 15-15 straight up (SU) and has lost 1.8 units for moneyline bettors this year. 18 of its contests have gone over the total, while 10 have gone under and just two have pushed. This year, the team’s 9-7 SU as the home team.
The Panthers have converted on 22.9 percent of their power play chances this season, a mark that’s good enough for eighth-best in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked fifth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 85.3 percent of all penalties.
Sergei Bobrovsky (25.9 saves per game) has been the primary selection in goal for the Panthers. Bobrovsky has 12 wins, 12 losses, and four OT losses to his name and has recorded a subpar .898 save percentage and 3.19 goals against average this year.
New York Islanders at Florida Panthers Betting Predictions
NHL Tip: SU Winner – Panthers, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- The Panthers are 8-11 when the team serves fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 11-13 in games where they’re in the box for fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
- Florida (3-3 in shootouts) has more experience this season in games decided by shootout. New York, however, is undefeated in two shootouts this year.
- New York may hold an advantage if this one comes down to the wire. The team’s an impressive 10-3 in one-goal games, while Florida is 7-9 in such games.
- The total has gone under in four of Florida’s last five outings.
- New York skaters have averaged 11.6 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 15.7 giveaways per game (ranked 31st overall).
- Florida has averaged 13.0 giveaways over its last five home games, its season average of 12.3 giveaways per game (ranked 29th in the league).
- New York skaters have accounted for the league’s second-most hits per game (29.7).
