New York Islanders vs Anaheim Ducks Prediction: Best Bet for Saturday
Anaheim owns the best power play on the Saturday slate and the Islanders own one of its best penalty kills, and that single clash sits on top of a crease gap just as wide. New York already won the first meeting 3-2 in this building, and Saturday is a rematch between two teams built to play opposite games.
The Matchup
Anaheim is 10-8-1, scoring 3.74 goals per game and allowing 3.68, a +0.05 differential from the most entertaining team on the slate. Cutter Gauthier leads the Ducks with 16 goals, Jackson LaCombe has 21 assists, and Leo Carlsson has 26 points. Anaheim has won four of its last five, scoring five on Pittsburgh, Edmonton and Vancouver in that run. The catch is the building: the Ducks are 3-5-1 at the Honda Center, where their open game has produced more thrills for visitors than points for the home side.
The Islanders are 8-6-4, scoring 2.94 per game and allowing 2.89 for a +0.06 differential, a near mirror of Anaheim's record with the opposite style. Bo Horvat leads New York with 8 goals and 18 points, and Matthew Schaefer has 12 assists from the blue line. The Islanders are 4-3-2 on the road and won the first meeting 3-2 in Anaheim on October 20. New York won 5-2 at Los Angeles on Thursday, the kind of tidy road game the Islanders keep producing while Anaheim trades chances.
Key Factors
The game turns on one matchup. Anaheim converts 36.8 percent on the power play, the best mark on the Saturday slate, and the Islanders kill 85.7 percent of their penalties, one of the best marks on the slate.
If New York's kill holds, Anaheim's biggest weapon is blunted and the game becomes an even-strength contest the Islanders are built for. If it cracks, the Ducks can score in bunches, because Anaheim's 36.8 percent power play against New York's own 16.4 percent conversion the other way is the one place the Ducks can run up a margin.
The crease is the second edge. Ilya Sorokin is at 2.53 and .915 for the Islanders, with Semyon Varlamov at 2.72 and .892 behind him. Anaheim's three goaltenders, Lukas Dostal at 3.76 and .866, Ville Husso at 3.55 and .868, and Laurent Brossoit at 3.42 and .867, have all played below .870 this season, which fits a team allowing 3.68 a night.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau is day-to-day for the Islanders with a lower body injury. Keep an eye on whether Pageau plays before placing a bet. Alexander Romanov is out tonight on injured reserve, and Calum Ritchie is out tonight. Anaheim is without Ryan Poehling, Ian Moore and A.J. Greer, all out tonight.
The Anaheim case is Gauthier, the power play, and four wins in five. It is the fun case. It fails on the two things that travel: goaltending and the kill, both of which New York owns, in a building where Anaheim has lost more than it has won.
The Islanders kill penalties at an elite rate, own the only reliable goaltender in the game, and already won this matchup in this building. Take the New York Islanders moneyline at -105.
Game Information
| Date | Saturday (11/14) |
|---|---|
| Start Time | 9:00 PM CT |
| How to Watch | NHL |
| Venue | Honda Center |
| Total | 6.5 |
| Moneyline | Anaheim Ducks -115 |
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Player Props for This Game
1 prop- Jackson LaCombe PointsOver 0.5 -155
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