The Florida Panthers (-115) and their high-volume offense are on the road to take on the New York Islanders (-105) and their suffocating goaltending at UBS Arena on Friday.
The total is 6.5 (O: -105, U: -115)Florida (15-15-4) is coming off a 4-2 loss against the Devils on Wednesday. The Panthers committed seven penalties in the game, conceding one power play goal.
Eetu Luostarinen and Eric Staal both scored once for the Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky saved only 29 of 32 shots against (.906%) in the loss.New York (18-14-2) is playing the second of a back-to-back after suffering a 5-3 loss against the Rangers yesterday.
Alexander Romanov, Mathew Barzal, and Anders Lee scored one apiece for the Islanders. Barzal and Romanov both added an assist to lead the team in scoring. Ilya Sorokin only had 29 saves on 33 shots against (.878%) in the loss.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Panthers have won both games between the teams this season, including a 3-2 victory in their most recent meeting in October, their fifth straight win against New York.
Luostarinen led Florida with two points (1G 1A). Lee (2G 0A) and Barzal (0G 2A) each had two points to lead New York. Spencer Knight got the win, saving 24 of 26 shots (.923%).
FACING OFF
Florida is averaging 3.29 goals per game for the season, 10th in the NHL, and they are taking on an Islanders team that is allowing 2.79 goals a game (10th).
Meanwhile, New York has found the net 3.15 times a game on average, 17th in the league, and the Panthers are allowing opponents to score 3.35 goals per game (21st).
Florida averages more shots a game (36.7) than any other team in the league, though the team’s 9.1% shooting percentage ranks 26th. New York has proven to be one of the league’s best shot-stopping teams, ranking No. 3 with a team save percentage of .922%.
Don’t be surprised to see a few power play opportunities for the Islanders, as the Panthers are averaging 4.76 penalties per game, third-most in the NHL.
The visitors’ 11.56 penalty minutes a game ranks fifth-highest. The home team has been penalized 3.85 times a game (19th) for an average of 9.47 minutes (15th).
The Islanders’ 20.00% power play percentage ranks 21st in the league, while the Panthers are 26th with a conversion rate of 18.18%. New York has been stronger at penalty killing, boasting the league’s fifth-highest PK% at 81.31%. Florida ranks 20th at 76.56%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 39 points this season, Matthew Tkachuk is the top skater for the Panthers. He has 14 goals and 25 assists in 31 games. In the net, Knight (8-5-3) is Florida’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 2.93 GAA and a .909% save percentage.
Bobrovsky (7-10-1) leads the Panthers in games played in goal. He has a GAA of 3.25 and a save percentage of .895%.Brock Nelson and Barzal lead the Islanders in scoring with 33 points apiece.
Nelson has 15 goals and 18 assists, while Barzal has five goals and 28 assists (7th) in 34 games. Sorokin (10-10-1) has the best goals against average for New York at 2.36. He has a save percentage of .926%, fifth-best in the league.
HOME AND AWAY
Florida is 7-10-1 away from FLA Live Arena this season. New York is 9-6-0 at home this season. Meanwhile, the Islanders are 4-2 without a day off and 2-2 playing with a rest disadvantage. The Panthers are 2-2 with a rest advantage.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Florida Panthers (-140)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
