A couple of teams facing each other for the second time this season, the Florida Panthers and the New York Islanders meet at the Barclays Center. This Eastern Conference matchup will get going at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, November 9 and it can be caught live on Fox SportsNet Florida.
Florida Panthers at New York Islanders Odds
Moneyline and Over/Under (O/U) odds have not yet been posted for this matchup.
The Islanders are 11-4 straight up (SU) and have earned 7.6 units for moneyline bettors this season. That winning percentage, strongest in the NHL so far in the early season, is an improvement compared to how the team performed during last year’s regular season (48-34). Through 15 regular season outings, eight of the team’s games have gone under the total, while six have gone over and none have pushed. So far this year, the team is 7-3 SU at home.
New York has converted on 20.8 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked ninth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 85.7 percent of all penalties.
New York, as a collective unit, has been penalized just 3.4 times per game this season, a number that’s pretty close to the 3.3 penalties per game given up last year. After serving an average of 7.8 penalty minutes per game a season ago the team’s had to kill penalties for 8.9 minutes per outing this year.
Sporting a .937 save percentage and 27.8 saves per game, Thomas Greiss (6-2) has been the top option in goal for the Islanders this season. If they choose to give him the day off, however, the team might go with Semyon Varlamov (5-3-3 record, .924 save percentage, 2.37 goals against average).
The Isles will continue seeking offensive production from Mathew Barzal and Josh Bailey. Barzal (12 points) has tallied six goals and six assists and has recorded multiple points on three separate occasions this year. Bailey has six goals and six assists to his name and has recorded at least one point in eight contests.
Florida has lost 0.2 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year and is currently 7-8 straight up (SU). Nine of its contests have gone over the total, while four have gone under the total and just one has pushed. Florida’s 4-5 SU as the visiting team this season.
Florida has scored on 21.7 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s good enough for 10th-best in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked ninth overall and it’s successfully defended 85.4 percent of all penalties.
Florida’s players have been penalized only 3.1 times per game this season, a number that is fairly close to the 3.4 penalties per game given up last year. After serving an average of 8.4 penalty minutes per game a season ago the team has had to stave off opponent power plays for 7.5 minutes per matchup this year.
Sergei Bobrovsky (.878 save percentage and 3.50 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for Florida. Bobrovsky is averaging 22.7 saves per game and has six wins, seven losses, and four OT losses to his credit.
Aleksander Barkov (three goals, 16 assists) has been one of the primary offensive facilitators for the visiting Panthers.
Florida Panthers vs. New York Islanders Betting Predictions
Free Pick: SU Winner – Islanders, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- After averaging 33.0 shot attempts as a team last season (the sixth-most in the league), Florida’s attempted 34.7 shots per game overall this season, and 29.8 in its last five road outings.
- Over Florida’s last ten games, five of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 4-1 in those games).
- The Islanders this season have registered the sixth-most hits per game in the NHL (26.9), but the team’s averaged 31.0 over their past five home games.
