NHL Best Bets: Islanders vs. Ducks Game Picks

The New York Islanders will look to continue their quest for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference tonight when they visit the Anaheim Ducks.

All Odds Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

This is the exact type of matchup that the Islanders need to continue picking up points in. The Ducks are looking to develop their young talent, but there’s a significant talent gap between these two clubs. That’s also highlighted by their prices on the moneyline tonight, with the Islanders listed as sizable road favorites at -200 while the Ducks are priced at +162. This will be the second meeting of the year between these teams, which has already seen the Islanders blow out the Ducks 7-1 back on October 15. 

Entering this contest, both teams are quietly playing some solid hockey. The visiting Islanders have posted a 6-3-1 record over their past ten games amidst a two-game losing streak, while the Ducks are sitting at 5-2-3 over that same sample size. 

Looking toward the projected goalie matchup tonight, the visiting Islanders are expected to start Semyon Varlamov, while the Ducks should be countering with John Gibson. The Islanders netminder has posted another strong campaign, owning an 11-8-2 record, paired with a .910 save percentage. The veteran Gibson is sitting at 14-24-8, along with a .903 save percentage. To Gibson’s credit, he’s played much better of late, but the Isles should have the advantage in net. 

New York must win this hockey game after dropping two in a row. There are still plenty of teams in the running for the final wild card spots in the East, and the Islanders have already shown us they’re capable of succeeding in this matchup. Even though Anaheim’s played well of late, targeting the Isles on the puck line at +130 is a great value play. 

Best Bet: Islanders Puck Line (+130) 

Goal-scoring might be at a premium tonight when you consider the problems these clubs have in finding the back of the net. The Isles sit 26th in the NHL in goals scored per game, while the Ducks are all the way down in 31st. What makes matters worse is that the Ducks are also 32nd in goals allowed per game. Over the Islanders’ past five games, they’ve seen six or more goals scored in three of those contests, while the Ducks have seen that transpire twice. With the earlier matchup seeing these clubs combine for eight goals and recent trends, targeting the over 5.5 is the direction bettors should take here at -128. 

Best Bet: Over 5.5 (-128) 

Despite not having a lot of high-end goal-scoring talent in this contest, that doesn’t mean we can’t find some value prices worth targeting. The Islanders found success in the earlier matchup against the Ducks, and Anders Lee has been on a mission of late, tallying four goals over their past five games to lead the club. Lee is one of the more potent scoring weapons New York has on their roster, and he’s priced at a nice value number of +186 to light the lamp tonight. 

Best Prop: Anders Lee to Record Over 0.5 Goals (+186) 

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