Florida Panthers at New York Islanders Free Preview

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The Barclays Center is the site for an Eastern Conference matchup as the Florida Panthers take on the New York Islanders. This one gets going at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 30 and it will air live on MSG Network.

Florida Panthers at New York Islanders Odds

Florida (+145) is entering this one as the underdog to New York (-165) and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 7 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -110 for the over and -110 for the under.

Producing 0.5 units for moneyline bettors, New York is 25-25 straight up (SU) overall this year. That early-season winning percentage is right in line with the 41-41 record the team posted during the 2016-17 season campaign. Through 50 regular season matches, 32 of its games have gone over the total, while 15 have gone under and just three have pushed. This season, the team is 13-10 SU at homeThe Islanders have converted on 20.1 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 31st overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 73.5 percent of all penalties.

The Islanders, as a collective unit, have been penalized just 3.5 times per game overall this season, and 2.4 per game over their last five games. The team has had to kill penalties for just 7.6 minutes per game over their last five outings, overall.

With a .909 save percentage and 29.8 saves per game, Jaroslav Halak (15-18-3) has been the top goalkeeper for New York this season. If New York decides to give him a rest, however, head coach Doug Weight may turn to Thomas Greiss (10-11-11 record, .886 save percentage, 3.89 goals against average).

John Tavares and Josh Bailey will each be offensive focal points for the Islanders. Tavares (57 points) has tallied 26 goals and 31 assists and has recorded multiple points on 17 different occasions this year. Bailey has 12 goals and 42 assists to his credit and has recorded a point in 31 contests.

On the other side of the rink, Florida is 19-28 straight up (SU) and has lost 9.2 units for bettors taking the moneyline thus far. A total of 26 of its matches have gone over the total, while 21 have gone under and none have pushed. As the away team so far, the Panthers are 8-17 SU.

The Panthers have converted on just 16.0 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a mark that places them in the bottom-10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 21st overall and it’s successfully killed off 79.5 percent of all penalties.

Florida’s players have been whistled for penalties 4.6 times per game this season, and 6.6 per game over their last five on the road. The team has been forced to kill penalties a whopping 16.5 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.

James Reimer (3.04 goals against average and .911 save percentage) has been the primary option in goal for Florida. Reimer is averaging 27.7 saves per game and owns a 13-19-5 record.

For the visiting Panthers, the offense will be facilitated by Jonathan Huberdeau (16 goals, 31 assists) and Vincent Trocheck (18 goals, 26 assists).

Florida Panthers vs. New York Islanders Betting Predictions

Free Pick: SU Winner – Islanders, O/U – Over

Betting Trends

  • Florida is 2-3 in games decided by a shootout this season while New York is 3-1 in shootouts.
  • The under has hit in three of New York’s last five outings.
  • The Panthers have averaged the leagues fourth-most shots on goal (34.5) and New York has attempted the 21st-most (only 31.2).
  • Seven of Florida’s last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 2-5 in those games.