The New York Islanders will be hosting the Florida Panthers to begin their 2022-23 NHL season, which is already quite a different start than just a year ago. The Islanders were still completing their new arena at the beginning of last season and were forced to start much of the first half of the season on the road. Their other big off-season news revolved around the re-signing of Mathew Barzal to a new eight-year contract.
The Florida Panthers also made moves over the summer, and our experts have broken down both teams to come up with a pick against the spread.
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The Islanders are coming off quite a disappointing season, as they finished 16 points behind the Capitals, and just one spot ahead of Washington in the Metro Division. They have a strong goaltender in Ilya Sorokin, but the rest of the team mainly remains the same. With how dynamic the Panthers were on offense last season, it’s difficult to imagine anything but a Florida win.
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The Panthers won the President’s Trophy for the best record in the NHL last season, finishing with 122 points. That was more than the eventual Stanley Cup-winning Colorado Avalanche, and they arguably got better over the offseason. Florida made several moves over the summer and focused on becoming a more balanced team.
The Islanders may be more competitive this season, but the Panthers proved to be too strong throughout all of last season to doubt them this early.
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Our experts anticipate the Panthers covering the -1.5 puck line on Thursday with their high-flying offense and improved defense. Florida was easily the highest-scoring team last season, as they were the only team to average over four goals per game.
The Panthers also proved that against the Islanders last season and took them down by final scores of 5-1 and 6-1 in their first two meetings. While New York re-signed Barzal, Florida was busy adding pieces from the outside to improve. The most significant move player-wise was the acquisition of Matthew Tkachuk from the Calgary Flames.
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They traded for Tkachuk as he provides much better defense than former-Panther Jonathan Huberdeau while also being just as dynamic on the offensive end of the ice. Tkachuk recorded 104 points last season, which was the sixth-most in the NHL. Florida also made a significant move in terms of their head coach.
The Panthers brought in former-Hurricanes coach Paul Maurice, who should help them become more stout on defense. That’s something the Islanders try to rely on, but they don’t have the offensive firepower to support it. They averaged the ninth-fewest goals per game last season and made no significant goal-scorer addition.
Whether you want to fade or follow our Panthers puck line prediction, Caesars Sportsbook is the place to do so. Navigate to their NHL page, and the Panthers vs. Islanders game will be among the first games listed on Thursday because it begins at 7:30 p.m. EST.
New users can also take advantage of Caesars’ newest sign-up bonus. You can place your first wager of at least $10 and up to $1,250 without worrying if it wins or loses. If it wins, you’ll be paid out normally, and if it loses, Caesars will credit you the amount you wagered as a free bet.
They will also credit your account with 1,000 Rewards CreditsⓇ and 1,000 Tier Credits regardless of the outcome of your first wager, so be sure to sign up with Caesars Sportsbook today.
If you already have an account at Caesars Sportsbook, you can also sign up for a FanDuel Sportsbook account here and take advantage of their No Sweat First Bet up to $1,000 promo code.
New customers can place a bet of any amount up to $1,000 and if it loses, FanDuel will reward you with the amount you wagered in free bets. The Panthers -1.5 is also listed at +192 odds on FanDuel, which means a $100 wager will profit $192 if the Panthers win by two or more goals.
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