Two teams facing each other for the first time this season, the New York Islanders and the Florida Panthers meet at the BB&T Center in an Eastern Conference showdown. The opening face-off is at 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday, December 4, and you will be able to witness it live on MSG Network.
New York Islanders vs. Florida Panthers Odds
Florida (-115) is currently favored over New York (-105) and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-135 over, +115 under).
New York is 15-10 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 5.3 units this year. Through 25 regular season matches, 16 of its games have gone over the total, while eight have gone under and just one has pushed. The Isles are 7-7 SU on the road in 2017-18.
New York has converted on 21.6 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a figure that places them in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 25th out of 31 teams, and the teams successfully killed off only 77.5 percent of all penalties.
For the team as a whole, New York has been sent to the penalty box just 3.6 times per game overall during the 2017-18 season, 3.0 per game over its past five outings total, and 3.8 per game over its last five games as the visiting team. The teams been forced to kill penalties just 6.6 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Averaging 29.1 saves per game with a .896 save percentage, Thomas Greiss (8-5-2) has been the primary option in goal for New York this year. If head coach Doug Weight chooses to rest him, however, New York could go with Jaroslav Halak (7-7 record, .905 save percentage, 2.86 goals against average).
Josh Bailey and John Tavares will both be relied on to produce for the visiting Islanders. Bailey has 30 points on five goals and 25 assists, and has recorded two or more points nine times. Tavares has 16 goals and 13 assists to his credit (and has notched at least one point in 13 games).
Over on the other bench, Florida is 10-16 straight up (SU) and has lost 6.0 units for moneyline bettors this year. 13 of its contests have gone over the total, while another 13 have gone under and none have pushed. It’s 5-7 SU at home this season.
Florida has converted on just 15.1 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that places it in the bottom overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 31st overall, and it’s successfully killed off 74.7 percent of all penalties.
Florida players have been sent to the penalty box 4.3 times per game in total this season, and 2.2 per game over their last five at home. The team has had to kill penalties just 8.2 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Roberto Luongo has denied 33.1 shots per game as the primary netminder in goal for Florida. Luongo has six wins, eight losses, and one overtime loss to his credit and has registered a pedestrian 2.61 goals against average and a .928 save percentage this season.
Jonathan Huberdeau (eight goals, 18 assists) will lead the offensive counter for Florida.
New York Islanders vs. Florida Panthers Betting Predictions
Predictions: SU Winner – Panthers, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- The under has hit in four of Florida’s last five outings.
- New York has managed 30.2 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Florida is averaging 36.8 shots per game over its last five at home.
- The Islanders are 7-4 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 9-7 in games where they’re in the penalty box for fewer than 10 total minutes.
- New York is 1-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Florida is 2-1 in shootouts.
- Florida is ranked 8th in the league this season with 8.8 takeaways per game. That figure has trended higher recently, as it has created 9.6 takeaways over its last 10 games and 10.8 takeaways over its last five.
- New York skaters have averaged 9.4 takeaways per game over its last five road games, an improvement over its season average of 6.6 takeaways per game (ranked 21st in the NHL).
