Welcome back to another NHL Predictions. Each day our writers here at Last Word on Hockey look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breaks down the key matchups, storylines, and stats, then makes predictions based on how they might play out. For this edition, we will look at the New York Islanders taking on the San Jose Sharks. Finally, be sure to check out more predictions for all the NHL’s games throughout the 2024-25 season.
New York Islanders Trade Veteran Mainstay
Time: 10:00 p.m. EST (Eastern Standard Time)
TV: NBCSCA, MSGSN, ESPN+
This prediction features two features two out-of-conference opponents who have both struggled this season. They were both sellers at the trade deadline this year. The Islanders sit sixth in the Eastern Conference’s Metropolitan Division with a record of 28-26-7. Through 61 games that has them at 63 points. Meanwhile, the Sharks are in the basement of the Western Conference’s Pacific Division through 64 games. Their record stands at 17-38-9 good for 43 points. This will be the second and final matchup between these teams. The Islanders took the first game 4-1 at home. Tonight, they will travel to the SAP Center in California for this game.
Despite winning three of their last four games, the Islanders sold at this year’s deadline. A smart move considering all the teams they would have to jump to reach the playoffs. However, it is an emotional decision for the team and fans as they parted ways with one of its lifelong players. Brock Nelson who played all 901 of his career games with the team was shipped out to the Colorado Avalanche. Nelson who was in a three-way tie for the team point lead will leave a big hole in their lineup. The team was already struggling to produce offence as is, ranking 27th in the league at 2.72 goals per game. Now they will need to lean on their veterans for point production. Kyle Palmieri who was bumped to the first line has been hot recently with goals in six of his last eight games. His presence will look to provide a spark for Bo Horvat. He has four points in his last 10 and no multi point efforts since Jan 20.
Defensively nothing changed, it is all the same players on the blueline. This unit has been middle of the pack so far this season. They rank 17th in goals against with 2.97 per game. 17th is also where they rank in high danger shots against with 1681. The most important player for their defence is Ilya Sorokin, they go as he goes. He is 3-1 with a .918 save percentage and 2.53 goals against in his last four starts. Sorokin has been getting as many starts as he can handle due to injuries in their net. However, backup Marcus Hogberg was able to return to practice yesterday. His presence would mean some games off for Sorokin which would be beneficial to keep him healthy.
The Sharks also sold off some pieces at the deadline. They shipped top six forward Fabian Zetterlund to the Ottawa Senators. He was producing mildly for the Sharks with 36 points in 64 games. Their offence ranked 30th in the league still goes through their youngsters. 22-year-old William Eklund has 48 points in 59 games and has been on the scoresheet in nine of his last 10 games. While Calder Trophy candidate Macklin Celebrini has 46 points in 52 games. He just joined the 20-goal club in his last game and is tied for second in rookie points. Veteran Tyler Toffoli has enjoyed a nice season so far as well with 43 points in 61 games. He rides a four-game point streak into this one.
Defensively San Jose leaves a lot to be desired. They rank last in goals against at 3.70 per game. One factor that goes into that is a 27th ranked penalty kill at just 74.5%. The other reason being they just allow too many golden chances. They have allowed the most amount of high danger shots against at 171. A revolving door in their net doesn’t help matters either. They traded Mackenzie Blackwood to the Avalanche earlier in the season. Followed up by trading Vitek Vanecek to the Florida Panthers at the deadline as well. This leaves Alexandar Georgiev as the starter, and he has a rough go this season. With a 4-13-1 record he has a .877 save percentage and 3.87 goals against. He will likely see the bulk of the starts as Georgi Romanov is his backup who has two career appearances.
Neither one of these teams is all that impressive. The Islanders do hold the advantages on offence, defence and in net. Both of these teams will probably be out of the playoffs. However, the Islanders are closer to a wild card spot sitting only four points out. Meanwhile the Sharks are 25 points out. This belief will lead to New York playing harder and ultimately walking away with the win in this game.
Prediction: Islanders win 4-2
We wrap up NHL predictions with some prop bets for this game. Popular sports books have the Islanders as favourites in this matchup at -184. We feel this is a good bet to take in this contest. The over/under is set at 6.5 which is far too high. Both of these teams struggle to score goals, and both have traded away a top 6 forward recently so we like the under at -140. As far as anytime goal scorers, for the Islanders take Bo Horvat at +150. He has 2 goals in his last 10 contests and without Brock Nelson now the pressure is amplified on him to produce. For the Sharks take Tyler Toffoli at +195. He is the team’s leading goal scorer and on a modest point streak, so we like him to stay hot and bury one here.
Main Photo Credit: Thomas Salus-Imagn Images
Welcome to the latest edition of NHL Predictions. In this series, our team here at Last Word on Hockey breaks down head-to-head matchups and other
Welcome back to NHL Predictions. Each day, Last Word on Hockey takes a look at the games that are scheduled then offers insight and analysis to help
Welcome back to NHL Predictions! Every day, Last Word on Hockey provides insights and analysis to predict the outcome of the games on the NHL schedule.
Welcome to NHL Predictions! The NHL Trade Deadline is behind us. After a week of non-stop trade rumours and news, we are back to solely
