NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction: Flames vs Islanders (Saturday, February 10)
(Photo by Chris Tanouye/Getty Images) Pictured: Bo Horvat
Flames vs. Islanders Odds
| Flames Odds | +110 |
| Islanders Odds | -130 |
| Over / Under | 6.5 -120 / +100 |
Here's everything you need to know about the Calgary Flames vs. New York Islanders on Saturday, February 10 – our expert NHL prediction and pick.
Riding a three-game winning streak, the Flames are playing some really solid hockey. Aside from losing four straight right before the All-Star break, they’ve made significant ground in the Western Conference and are only one point away from the final playoff spot.
Since the arrival of coach Patrick Roy, the Islanders have played a different brand of hockey. They are 3-2-1 under Roy, though each loss has been a one-goal game. The Islanders continue to make waves in the Eastern Conference playoff race, so let's make a pick for Flames vs. Islanders.
The Flames are riding high, but there’s a lot of uncertainty in Calgary. The Flames traded away Elias Lindholm and pieces like Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin are still on the trade block. Amidst all of the questions, Calgary has still received top-notch production from Nazem Kadri, Blake Coleman and Yegor Sharangovich.
Since January 15th, the Flames haven’t played great 5-on-5 hockey. They’re ranked 20th in the past month in expected goals with a 48.79 xGF%, and are ranked 26th defensively with a 2.79 xGA/60.
Calgary also has a terrible power play and is only scoring 14.4% of the time. However, the Flames have the third-best penalty kill in the league at 84.3%
Jacob Markstrom has received the bulk of the starts for Calgary, but he is also on the trade market. The Flames recently recalled goaltender Dustin Wolf since Dan Vladar is on injured reserve. It will be interesting to see who starts, but I would assume Markstrom will get the nod as he’s played to a solid .914 SV% with 14.6 goals saved above expected (GSAx).
There has been an excess of production from the Islanders' top players. Mathew Barzal is playing his best hockey since his rookie year and Noah Dobson is shaping up to be an elite defenseman. To go with that, both Bo Horvat and Brock Nelson have 21 goals and are legitimate threats on the power play.
New York is certainly feeling the benefits of the new coach, and it shows in its 5-on-5 play. Since January 20, the Islanders are ranked 10th with a 52.65 xGF%, and eighth with a 2.24 xGA/60.
Conversely to their opponents, the Islanders have a great power play, but a terrible penalty kill. They score at a 22.7% clip, but their penalty kill is the league’s worst at 71.8%.
Additionally, New York has a really solid goaltending tandem. Ilya Sorokin is recognized as a top goaltender, but this season hasn’t been easy on him. Luckily since Roy’s arrival, Sorokin has played to a .921 SV% in four starts, which is back to his career average.
Flames vs. Islanders
Betting Pick & Prediction
The Flames have made it clear that they don’t plan on ending the season with this current roster. As a result, Calgary's potential is a lot more volatile than what we’re seeing from the Islanders.
New York is playing a very aggressive style and has reacted incredibly well to the coaching change. I also like the Islanders a lot more at 5-on-5 than I do the Flames. I don’t foresee special teams being a big factor here since each team’s weakness cancels the other out.
I’m expecting the Islanders to come out on top today. They have the talent advantage and are playing like they care – something that they didn’t do much of before Roy was at the helm.
Pick: Islanders 60-Minute Moneyline (+120)
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