In their third and last head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Detroit Red Wings and the New York Islanders meet at Nassau Coliseum. Fox Sports Detroit will showcase this Eastern Conference matchup, which gets underway at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, February 21.
Detroit Red Wings at New York Islanders Odds
Detroit (+260) is playing the role of underdog to New York (-320), and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals (-125 for the under, +105 for the over).
The Islanders are 33-26 straight up (SU) and have earned 3.9 units for moneyline bettors this season. That early-season winning percentage isn’t too far off from to what the team produced during last year’s regular season (48-34). 32 of its 59 games have gone under the total, while 24 have gone over and just three have pushed. The team’s 18-11 SU at home this season.
New York has converted on just 17.8 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that places the team in the bottom-10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is rated 15th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 80.6 percent of all penalties.
New York, as a collective unit, has been penalized just 3.4 times per game overall this season, 2.8 per game over its last five contests total, and 3.0 per game over its last five home outings. The team has had to stave off opposition power plays for just 7.1 minutes per game over its last 10 matchups, in total.
With a .918 save percentage and 26.3 saves per game, Semyon Varlamov (18-20-4) has been the most dependable goalkeeper for the Islanders this year. If head coach Barry Trotz chooses to give him the evening off, however, the Isles may go with Thomas Greiss (16-12-12 record, .916 save percentage, 2.65 goals against average).
The Isles will continue to rely on leadership out of Mathew Barzal and Brock Nelson. Barzal (49 points) has put up 18 goals and 31 assists and has recorded multiple points in 13 different games this year. Nelson has 22 goals and 24 assists to his name and has notched a point in 29 contests.
Detroit has lost 21.6 units for moneyline bettors this year and is currently 15-47 straight up (SU). Through 62 regular season contests, 30 of its games have gone under the total, while 25 have gone over and just seven have pushed. As a road team, Detroit is 5-27 SU.
Detroit has converted on just 14.4 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that’s ranked 31st in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 31st overall and it’s successfully killed off 75.0 percent of all opponent power plays.
Detroit’s skaters have been penalized 3.5 times per game in total this season, 3.4 per game over their past five outings total, and 3.4 per game over their last five games as the visiting team. The team has had to kill penalties just 7.1 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Jonathan Bernier (.908 save percentage and 2.89 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for Detroit. Bernier is averaging 26.3 saves per game and has 13 wins, 24 losses, and two overtime losses to his credit.
For the visiting Red Wings, the offense will be heavily coordinated by Dylan Larkin (15 goals, 27 assists) and Tyler Bertuzzi (18 goals, 22 assists).
Detroit Red Wings vs. New York Islanders Betting Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Islanders, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- The total has gone under in four of New York’s last five games.
- Detroit has managed 25.0 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while New York is averaging 33.0 shots per game over its last five home outings.
- The Red Wings are 6-14 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 10-34 in games where they’re in the box for fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
- New York is 3-2 in games decided by a shootout this season while Detroit is 2-1 in shootouts.
- New York is ranked 18th overall this season with 7.3 takeaways per game. That figure has trended down, however, as the team has averaged 4.4 takeaways over its last 10 games and 5.0 takeaways over its last five.
- Detroit has created 4.4 takeaways per game (ranked 32nd in the NHL).
- New York might hold the upper hand if this one comes down to the wire. The team’s 16-12 in games decided by one goal, while Detroit is 8-11 in such games.
