New York Islanders vs Chicago Blackhawks Prediction & Picks – 12/30/2025

The New York Islanders head to United Center on Tuesday night to take on the Chicago Blackhawks in an NHL contest between two teams in very different places at this point in the season. New York comes into this game with a 21-14-4 record and in second place in the Metropolitan Division. Chicago is 14-18-6 and is at the bottom of the Central. Before these teams do battle in the Windy City, continue reading for my Islanders vs Blackhawks prediction.

Our Islanders vs Blackhawks Pick

Game Snapshot

• Matchup: New York Islanders vs Chicago Blackhawks
• Date & Time: Tuesday, December 30, 2025, 8:30 p.m.
• Venue: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
• Broadcast: NHL Network

Key Storylines

Recent form

The Islanders had a two-game winning streak snapped in a 4-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets in their latest outing. In that game, they surrendered three late goals after a Mathew Barzal ejection. The Isles will try to get back on track in this game against a struggling Blackhawks team. Chicago snapped a six-game skid with a 4-3 shootout win over Dallas, but followed that up with a 7-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Chicago is allowing 3.21 goals per game this season and defense has been a major issue for them.

Goaltending

Spencer Knight has been steady for Chicago with a .910 save percentage and a 10-11-5 record this season, while the Islanders have rotated through netminders. David Rittich has been seeing action after Ilya Sorokin’s recent absence and Rittich is posting respectable numbers. He has a 2.30 GAA this season and will try to step up for the Isles again in this contest.

Key skaters

• Islanders: Bo Horvat leads New York offensively with 20 goals and 12 assists, while Mathew Barzal has been a creative force with a team-high 19 assists.
• Blackhawks: Chicago is currently led by Tyler Bertuzzi’s 19 goals and 10 assists in the absence of Connor Bedard, who racked up 43 points before going on IR.

Best Player Props

Betting Trends & H2H

• This is the first of two games that the Islanders and Blackhawks will play against each other this season.
• The Islanders are 21-18 in the puckline market going into this contest.
• Chicago is an impressive 25-13 on the puckline so far this season.

Islanders vs Blackhawks Model Projection

Final Thoughts

Jay Sanin

Jay Sanin is the GM and Head of Sports at ATS.io. He has been writing about sports gambling since 2013, handicapping tens of thousands of sporting events. He plays sides and totals aggressively across most sports and is more selective in player prop markets. He does his own modeling across most sports, and his family is jealous of how much time he spends on his precious spreadsheets.