Sunday NHL Odds, Picks, Prediction: Anaheim Ducks vs. New York Islanders Betting Preview
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images. Pictured: Ilya Sorokin.
- The New York Islanders are favored against the Ducks in the middle of a strong home stand ahead of Sunday's NHL meeting.
- While New York is playing better of late, Anaheim has faded since its hot start.
- Nicholas Martin breaks down the matchup below and delivers his top selection.
Ducks vs. Islanders Odds
| Ducks Odds | +125 |
| Islanders Odds | -155 |
| Over/Under | 5.5 (+100 / -120) |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
| Odds via BetMGM. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
The Islanders may be playing for nothing but pride now, but that hasn't stopped them from competing hard over this recent homestand. They've won back-to-back games entering this matchup against the Ducks.
Anaheim has continued its free fall down the Western Conference standings after a hot start to the season of late. The Ducks enter this one as a +125 underdog, despite holding eight more points than the Islanders this season.
Is New York worthy of being a relatively large favorite here?
Islanders Playing Well With Home Cooking
Over the first five games of this homestand, the Islanders have played to a 3-2-0 record with a strong 54.08 expected goals rate and +8 goal differential. The two losses came in one-goal games against the red-hot Canucks and the Avalanche.
The Islanders enter this one likely to play at full health and having rested since Friday, which are considerable advantages that the team has very rarely enjoyed this season.
Surely the Islanders roster does hold some concerns that have contributed to the regression this season. At full health, I certainly feel they have more to offer than their opponent tomorrow in the Ducks, and I like this spot for them to keep rolling on home ice.
Ilya Sorokin projects to start here between the pipes, looking to build on a +4.5 Goals Saved Above Expected rating (GSAx) with a .925 save percentage in 38 games this season.
Ducks Continue Downward Spiral
Anaheim put together a reasonable effort against the Devils in a shootout loss on Saturday night, but this team continues to show much closer to what most would have expected this offseason. The Ducks have been regularly outplayed of late as their young stars begin to struggle through the grind of an 82-game schedule. It also doesn't help that the supporting cast is below average.
Over their last 11 games, the Ducks hold a lowly 44.90 expected goals rate, 4-7-0 record and -19 goal differential.
The overall play this season in what is still a rebuilding season for Anaheim has still been very positive, especially with the promising play of young stars Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale. The Ducks have certainly fallen down to earth of late, though, and been a quietly strong squad to fade as this season has progressed.
John Gibson will likely get the start here in goal. Like the rest of the team, Gibson has fallen into a dreadful run of play, having managed just an .822 save percentage over his last 10 appearances. Gibson has faced some tough opposition during those 10 games and seen some shaky play in front of him, but it is certainly fair to say that he has not been at his best.
Ducks vs. Islanders Pick
New York enters this one coming off two dominant home victories over the Blue Jackets and Jets, and I think we will see them post another strong effort here catching a very middling Ducks team in a favorable spot.
The Islanders sit with fewer points in the standings, but it's clear they're finding closer to the form we expected from this group to an extent. On the other side, the Ducks have continued to slowly regress all season after a surprisingly excellent start.
New York are currently priced at +100 to win this game inside of regulation, and I think we have some value backing the Islanders to close out their six game homestand with another win here. I'd play that down to -120.
Pick: New York Islanders Regulation (3-Way) Moneyline +100
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