Islanders vs. Kraken, Devils vs. Lightning prediction: NHL bets, odds, picks
The Islanders quietly own an NHL-high five game point streak, and moved back into a playoff spot with their 5-2 win in Vancouver on Thursday.They will look to continue their strong play in Seattle on Saturday, in a matchup which oddsmakers are expecting to be a slog.The Devils made a statement this week with back-to-back regulation wins in Sunrise over the defending champion Panthers.
They face another quality opponent Saturday evening, as they will visit Nikita Kucherov and the Lightning.I’ll outline my best bets for the pair of matchups below.In the time since Mathew Barzal and Adam Pelech have been sidelined, the Islanders have posted a record of 4-1-2 (4-3 straight-up), and have been a highly profitable team to back in that side as oddsmakers haven’t given much credit to their skeleton lineup.What’s also interesting is that those games have averaged 6.85 combined goals per game, and have all gone over the betting total.Before the Canucks game most of those efforts were hard-fought games in which they held somewhat less of the play, but managed to scrape out a point or two. I’ve been quite favorable to their play in that time, and fully appreciate the organized team game that has allowed them to surprise a number of quality opponents.Maxim Tsyplakov and Isiah George continue to thrive in larger roles, which has helped to cover up for the other shortages among the roster.What has been particularly surprising about the Isles’ recent play is the high score-lines of their recent matchups.
They have played a lot of notably high-event teams, but the analytics still suggest that won’t continue moving forward.Over the last six games, the Islanders have generated 3.17 xGF/60, and allowed 3.25 xGA/60.A number of those matchups have featured late offensive outbursts, including a number of wild comebacks both for and against in the final 10 minutes of the game.
In time those outbursts likely won’t continue, which should make the totals more accurately refl...