Nashville Predators at New York Islanders Predictions, Picks & Odds 12/17/19

Published by John Ford December 17, 2019 Categorie(s): Hockey, Nashville Predators, New York Rangers, NHL, Sports Betting

In tonight’s NHL matchups, we’ll see the Nashville Predators at New York Islanders for an interconference clash. The Predators come into this game off a big away win against the New York Rangers. They will be looking to continue their streak against the Islanders who are proving to be one of the better teams in the league this season. The Predators started off the season particularly well – at one time even leading the Central division – but are now sitting in sixth place, which they will surely looking to improving on, especially after being booed off the ice against the Dallas Stars.

The Islanders come into the game on a three game-winning streak, having picked up two big wins in Florida and another against the Buffalo Sabres at home. The team will be looking to continue their hot streak, especially if they intent to dethrone the Capitals as leaders of the Metropolitan division. So, who will win in this matchup between two real Stanley Cup contenders?

Nashville Predators at New York Islanders Predictions

Well, before we have a look at any of our predictions, here are some things you have to know about the Predators and Islanders:

The Nashville Predators enter the game with an overall record of 15-12-5 and on a single game win streak. This will be their second game in a row on the road with their last being against the New York Rangers. Their streak in their last 10 has been pretty even at 5-3-2 and their overall performance in away games veers slightly to the negative side.
Goaltender Pekka Rinne is projected to be starting this game. He has had a pretty fair season so far with a record of 10-5-3, a goals against average of 2.99 and a save percentage of .893. While Rinne is the Predators better option with regard to overall wins, he has been on a terrible streak lately with him picking up only three wins in his last ten games on the ice.
Offensively, the Predators seem to be a lot stronger than the Islanders. They currently rank 6^th in the league for goals per game, 3^rd for shots on goal and 2^nd for faceoffs. However, the Islanders do outrank them in shooting percentage and power play percentage.
The New York Islanders enter the game with an overall record of 22-7-2 and on a three-game winning streak. They are coming off an overtime win against the Buffalo Sabres who rank second in the Atlantic Division. They have pretty much nearly been unbeatable at home with a record of 13-2-1. In their last 10, they have done slightly better than average with a record of 6-4-0.
Goaltender Semyon Varlamov is thought to have the node for tonight’s match. He has got a pretty good record when on the ice at 11-3-2 this season so far. His goals against average sits at 2.24 and save percentage at .928. His record for his last 10 games sits at 6-2 with two not counting as a result for him.
Defensively, the Islanders outrank the Predators in most areas. They rank 2^nd for average goals allowed, 17^th for penalty minutes and 15^th for penalty kill percentage. The only area where the predators beat them is shots on goal allowed.

With all this said, here are our predictions for the Nashville Predators at New York Islanders matchup tonight:

Moneyline – we think that the Islanders are going to take this one. The Predators haven’t been playing particularly and it is very hard to take on New York at home and come away with a winner. It really seems like a no brainer for us.

Kim’s NHL Prediction Record so far: 25-28