The Florida Panthers (30-26-3) and New York Islanders (34-21-5) meet in the NHL tonight. Puck drop is set for 6:30 p.m. EST at UBS Arena in Belmont Park, N.Y. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN.
The Panthers are favored by -1.5 on the puck line, with the over/under set at 5.5 (-132o / +110u). The Panthers are a -137 favorite to win outright, while the Islanders are +115 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Panthers vs. Islanders predictions and NHL picks.
Panthers vs. Islanders Odds, Pick
| Panthers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +180 | 5.5 -132o / +110u | -137 |
| Islanders Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -225 | 5.5 -132o / +110u | +115 |
- Panthers vs. Islanders Puck Line: Panthers -1.5 (+180), Islanders +1.5 (-225)
- Panthers vs. Islanders Over/Under: 5.5 (-132o / +110u)
- Panthers vs. Islanders Moneyline: Panthers -137, Islanders +115
Panthers vs. Islanders Preview
Florida Panthers
Every one of the Panthers’ next three games before the trade deadline feels like a must-win.
They’ve logged a ton of hockey over the past two years. Between back-to-back Stanley Cup runs, strong representation at last year’s 4 Nations Face Off, and a league-leading 10 players at the Olympics, it’s fair to wonder whether some burnout has crept in.
Friday’s 3–2 loss to Buffalo didn’t help matters. A questionable non-call on goaltender interference cost them, and despite 10 high-danger chances in the first period, Florida came away empty-handed thanks to some bad puck luck.
Still, the urgency is there, and it got a bit of help from Philly beating Boston in regulation yesterday.
On the injury front, it seems like someone exits early every night. Uvis Balinskis left Friday’s game with no update, and Seth Jones hasn’t played since the Winter Classic, though he skated in practice this week.
If Florida wants to turn things around, keep an eye on the third line. When healthy, Brad Marchand, Anton Lundell, and Eetu Luostarinen can really spark the offense.
Without Marchand this season, the Panthers are averaging just 2.18 goals per game. They cruised past Toronto 5–1 earlier this week, and you could see the difference that line makes offensively when clicking.
In net, things haven’t gone according to plan for Sergei Bobrovsky. While it sounds crazy, his name could pick up in trade discussions if the Panthers stumble in this three-game stretch. At 37 years old and on a less-than-desirable contract, a move would be complicated, but his deal is expiring and his playoff pedigree always generates interest.
Bobrovsky will get the nod tonight. He looked sharp in Florida’s first game back from the break against Toronto, stopping 29 of 30 shots in a win, though over his last 10 starts, he has posted a -7.8 GSAx and an .851 SV%.
New York Islanders
The Islanders have been rolling lately, winning four straight games, with three of those coming in overtime. Interestingly, they're the only team undefeated in 3-on-3 OT this season, sitting at a perfect 8-0 after yesterday.
It’s hard to talk about the Islanders without mentioning Matthew Schaefer. The rookie is third among defensemen in goals and has been a huge part of accelerating New York’s turnaround.
Not just Schaefer, the defense as a whole has stepped up, allowing the fourth-fewest goals against. It does, however, give up a fair number of scoring chances, ranking 24th in xGA/60. To me, that speaks more to Ilya Sorokin’s brilliance than anything, as he leads all netminders in GSAx this season.
Up front, the Islanders rank in the bottom third for goals per 60 minutes, but they’ve shown more promise over their last 10 games, netting 16 during their current four-game winning streak. Mathew Barzal has led the surge, riding a six-game point streak with four goals and six assists over that span.
Sorokin started yesterday, so David Rittich is expected in net tonight. He has struggled a bit in his last five starts, with just a .868 SV%, but has been solid in his role overall this season, posting a 7.9 GSAx, 2.57 GAA, and .900 SV%.
Panthers vs. Islanders Prediction
Watching Florida on Friday, I thought they were extremely unlucky not to win based on the chances they generated. They also ran into a stellar performance by Alex Lyon in net.
It’s worth noting that Florida looked dominant against Toronto in their first game back from the break as well.
It’s clear they know what’s at stake, and I expect another desperate effort tonight. They also get a bit of luck with the Islanders on the second game of a back-to-back, meaning they’ll see Rittich in net instead of Sorokin.
As I mentioned previously, the Islanders aren’t immune to giving up chances, ranking 24th in xGA/60. If Florida plays anything like it did against Toronto and Buffalo, I like their chances given the matchup in goal.
The first game of a road trip is always crucial, and this marks the start of four straight for the Panthers. Everything adds up to them finding the win column.
Pick: Panthers Moneyline
