Squaring off for the fourth and final time this season, the New York Islanders and the New Jersey Devils collide at the Prudential Center. This Metro Division matchup gets underway at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, February 7, and it will be shown live on MSG Network.
New York Islanders vs. New Jersey Devils Odds
New Jersey (+110) is entering this one as the underdog to New York (-130), and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-120 to bet the under, +100 for the over).
New York is 30-22 straight up (SU) and has earned 14.4 units for moneyline bettors this year. 32 of its contests have gone under the total, while 17 have gone over and just three have pushed. The Isles are 15-11 SU as an away team in 2018-19.
New York has converted on just 16.1 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that places them in the bottom-10 overall among NHL teams. Its penalty kill is ranked 21st overall, and the team’s successfully killed off 79.1 percent of all penalties.
For the team as a whole, New York has been sent to the penalty box just 3.5 times per game overall in the 2018-19 season, and 2.2 per game over its past five outings. The team has had to kill penalties just 5.0 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Averaging 26.3 saves per game with a .932 save percentage, Robin Lehner (16-13-4) has been the top option in goal for New York this season. If it chooses to give him a rest, however, the team might roll with Thomas Greiss (17-10-2), who has a .924 save percentage and 2.39 goals against average this year.
The visiting Islanders have relied on Mathew Barzal and Josh Bailey heavily this year. Barzal has 47 points via 15 goals and 32 assists, and has recorded two or more points 11 times. Bailey has 11 goals and 27 assists to his name, and has logged at least one point in 31 games.
New Jersey is 20-32 straight up (SU) and has lost 12.6 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 52 regular season matches, 28 of its games have gone over the total, while 22 have gone under and just two have pushed. It’s 13-12 SU at home this season.
New Jersey has converted on 18.7 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 fifth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 83.9 percent of all opponent power plays.
The Devils have been penalized 3.9 times per game this season, 3.8 per game over their past five outings total, and 4.4 per game over their last five home outings. The team has had to kill penalties just 8.6 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Keith Kinkaid (25.9 saves per game) has been the top choice in the crease for New Jersey. Kinkaid has 14 wins, 23 losses, and six overtime losses to his credit and has recorded a subpar .896 save percentage and 3.18 goals against average this year.
The Devils will be led on offense by Kyle Palmieri (23 goals, 17 assists).
New York Islanders vs. New Jersey Devils Betting Picks
Pick: SU Winner – Devils, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- For both of these teams, the game went over the total in three of their past five outings.
- New York has managed 24.8 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while New Jersey is averaging 30.0 shots per game over its last five home outings.
- The Devils are 9-11 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 10-25 in games where they serve fewer than 10 penalty minutes, in total.
- Two of New York’s past 10 outings have ended in a shootout. The team’s 0-2 in those games and 2-5 overall in shootouts this season.
- New Jersey is ranked 15th in the NHL this season with 7.7 takeaways per game. That figure has trended down, however, as the team has averaged 6.2 takeaways over its last 10 games and 6.0 takeaways over its last five.
- New York has created 8.4 takeaways per game over its last five road games, an improvement over its season average of 7.3 takeaways per game (ranked 17th in the NHL).
