The Florida Panthers (35-33-3) and New York Islanders (41-27-5) meet in the NHL tonight. Puck drop is set for 1:00 p.m. EDT at UBS Arena in Belmont Park, N.Y. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
The Islanders are favored by -1.5 on the puck line, with the over/under set at 5.5 (-117o / -103u). The Islanders are a -190 favorite to win outright, while the Panthers are +155 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 -170 | 5.5 -117o / -103u | +155 |
| Islanders Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +142 | 5.5 -117o / -103u | -190 |
- Panthers vs. Islanders Spread: Islanders -1.5 (+142 ), Panthers +1.5 (-170)
- Panthers vs. Islanders Over/Under: 5.5 (-117o / -103u)
- Panthers vs. Islanders Moneyline: Panthers +155, Islanders -190
Panthers vs Islanders Polymarket Odds
Use Polymarket invite code Action to get early access and bypass 1 million+ people on the waitlist. Our Polymarket invite code also unlocks a trading bonus: Deposit $20, Get $20 Bonus!
Current odds: PAN 36% · ISL 65% · NHL
View full market & place a bet on Polymarket
Panthers vs. Islanders Preview
Florida Panthers
Mathematically, the Panthers aren’t eliminated just yet, but they might as well be, as they stand 12 points out of the playoffs with just 12 games left in the season.
And what a run it’s been.
But Florida was cursed from training camp, after losing captain Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk for the first half of the season. But down the stretch, it’s found Brad Marchand, Niko Mikkola, Uvis Balinskis, Anton Lundell, Evan Rodrigues, and Sam Reinhart on IR.
Not only that but this has been a very forgettable season for goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. After playing so much hockey for three seasons straight, his age is catching up to him
Bob has played to an .878 SV%, along with a bottom-10 -10.5 GSAx.
Alas, it’s been a season to forget for the Cats, as their 5-on-5 numbers in the past two weeks have been brutal, ranking in the bottom-five with a 43.05 xGF% and 3.41 xGA/60.
New York Islanders
The Islanders have a ton to play for, tied for the final playoff spot with the Senators.
Beating the Stars on Thursday is fantastic for the playoff run, but it doesn’t help that defenseman Tony DeAngelo is out for at least two weeks.
What’s great for New York is that its 5-on-5 play has been fantastic, conversely to what its season-long play has been. The Isles have played to a 53.33 xGF% and a 2.72 xGA/60, and having goaltender Ilya Sorokin at your disposal is a luxury.
In classic Isles fashion though, the power play has been brutal all season, scoring at a 16.5% clip. Luckily, their penalty kill has thrived with a 81.4% success rate.
I don’t anticipate Sorokin getting rest until the season ends. Patrick Roy tried to play David Rittich against the Blackhawks and it turned out to be a horrible decision, letting in three goals on 12 shots.
Sorokin has played like a Vezina goalie, with a .914 SV% and a league-best 31.1 GSAx.
Panthers vs. Islanders Prediction
While I look at these lines I keep leaning toward the under.
Over the past 10 games, seven of the Islanders’ games have gone under 5.5 goals. For the Panthers, the under has hit five times.
Obviously, it depends on Sorokin playing, but the Islanders do have a tendency to play down to their competition.
They have some legit playmakers in Matthew Schaefer, Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal, but I have a hard time trusting them putting up big numbers.
Because of how brutal Florida has been all season, this game lies in heavy favor of New York, so there’s no real value on the moneyline or puck line.
The trends say under 5.5 and the public likes the over, because that's what the public likes to do.
Usually I like to bet the under with Islander games. So let’s ride with a boring game.
Pick: Under 5.5 (FanDuel)
