The New York Islanders will be looking to extend their winning streak to eight straight games when they take on the New Jersey Devils on Saturday. New York defeated New Jersey on Thursday, 5-3.
Here you can find the best picks, news, and stats for this East Division battle at the Prudential Center. New York is the favorite at -169. This according to PointsBet Sportsbook, which puts the odds for New Jersey at +150 as the underdog.
Sebastian Aho is still out for New York. Anders Lee was hurt Thursday and will be out indefinitely. Defenseman Will Butcher is out for Covid protocols for the Devils.
Islanders Roll over Devils
The Islanders jumped out a 4-0 lead over New Jersey before settling on a 5-3 victory. Ilya Sorokin stopped 19 of 22 shots and five different players scored goals for New York. Ryan Pulock added two assists.
New York is playing exceptionally well defensively, second in the NHL in goals allowed per game at 2.19. They are fourth in fewest shots allowed per contest at 27.4 per game. The penalty killing units have been good as well, killing off 82.5% of penalties. The success has been in large part thanks to the play of the goaltenders. Semyon Varlamov (2.03, .929 save percentage) and Sorokin (2.25, .906) have both been outstanding.
The offense has been great of late. They are averaging 2.93 goals per game but have scored five goals in four of their last five games. The power play is connecting on 21.9% of their opportunities, 14th overall. Matthew Barzal leads the team in scoring with 23 points.
Devils Rally Falls Short
Despite the loss, the Devils showed a lot of heart and battling back to make the contest a two-goal game. MacKenzie Blackwood stopped 28 of 33 shots.
New Jersey is averaging 2.52 goals per game, 27th in the NHL. The special teams units have been horrific, starting with the power play which is connecting on 12.1% of their opportunities, 29th. Jack Hughes added his sixth goal of the season in the loss to New York and that is tied for second most on the team. Pavel Zacha is the team leader in points with just 16.
The Devils are allowing 3.22 goals per game, 24th overall. The penalty killing is dead last, holding a 67.1% success rate. Blackwood is 5-7-1 in 13 starts with a 3.13 GAA and a .900 save percentage. He has allowed five goals in each of his last two starts and has allowed three goals or more in nine straight starts.
Trends:
New York:
- 7-0 in their last seven games.
- 5-0 in their last five games when playing on one day’s rest.
New Jersey:
- 1-7 in their last eight games.
- 0-4 in their last four games on a Saturday.
There is an old saying that says that you go with the team until they can prove they can beat you. You cannot argue with that logic when you consider that New York has won seven straight games and New Jersey has lost seven of their last eight.
The differences between these teams are night and day. New York is scoring a lot of goals and getting great goaltending while the Devils are getting neither.
Pick: Take New York at -169.
The Total:
I total is a hard pick here. The Islanders have scored five goals in four of their last five games, including against the Devils on Thursday. However, the last time these two teams met in New Jersey the total was just three. The have gone under in six of the last eight meetings between them. Take the under here.
Pick: Go under 5.5 goals at -120.
