One of ten NHL games scheduled for Friday, December 9, is this divisional rivalry game in Newark, so feel free to take a look at the bets Islanders vs. Devils betting pick and odds.
New Jersey is searching for the third win in a row when they welcome New York at Prudential Center. The Devils are -185 moneyline favorites on BetMGM NY, while the total is set at 6 goals. These Metropolitan Division foes have met once this season, and the Devils won 4-1 on the road.
Islanders couldn’t handle the Blues in a loss
The New York Islanders (16-11-0-0, 16-11 ATS) were on a four-game winning streak, but they lost three of the following four games, two of which came at home. New York displayed the worst defensive performance of the season in a 7-4 home loss to the St. Louis Blues, allowing a season-high seven goals in the process. Four of those seven goals the Islanders conceded in the final period.
Ilya Sorokin had one of his weakest performances of the camping as he allowed a season-high five goals from just 26 shots. On offense, Noah Dobson and Zach Parise chipped in with two points apiece, but the Isles lost despite having 40 shots opposite St. Louis’ 28. For the year, Mathew Barzal leads the Islanders with 28 points (G 3, A 25), while Brock Nelson with 26 (G 12, A 14) and Anders Lee with 20 (G 8, A 12) are also main contributors.
Ilya Sorokin is slated to start at the goal against the Devils on Friday. The 27-year-old is allowing 2.33 goals per game this season with a .927 SV% and two shutouts.
RW Kyle Palmieri (upper body) is out indefinitely and is not going to play against New Jersey on Friday. RW Cal Clutterbuck (upper body) and D Adam Pelech (upper body) are questionable.
Devils are back to winning again
The New Jersey Devils (21-4-1-0, 17-9 ATS) suffered an overtime loss to the Nashville Predators at home, snapping their three-game winning run, but they bounced back with a pair of wins over the Flyers and Blackhawks. The game against the Chicago Blackhawks at home was one of the best defensive displays from the Devils this year, who won 3-0 as goalie Vitek Vanecek saved all 24 shots from the visitors.
Dougie Hamilton was the first star of that win as he registered a goal and two assists, which means he was involved in every New Jersey goal. Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt also scored in the second period, while the third one was scoreless. The Devils have three players in the top 40 this season. Jack Hughes leads the team with 31 points (G 13, A 18), Jesper Bratt is following him with 28 (G 10, A 18), and Nico Hischier has 27 (G 11, A 16).
Vitek Vanecek is a probable goaltender for the Devils against the Islanders on Friday. The 26-year-old is surrendering 2.10 goals per contest this year with a .922 SV% and two shutouts.
G Jonathan Bernier (hip), G MacKenzie Blackwood (MCL), RW Nathan Bastian (upper body), and LW Ondrej Palat (groin) are out indefinitely and will not meet the Isles on Friday.
Trends:
New York:
16-35 in the last 51 vs. a team with a winning record
New Jersey:
21-5 in the last 26 overall
8-2 in the last ten home games
10-1 in the last 11 vs. Eastern Conference rivals
4-0 in the last four vs. Metropolitan Division opponents
New York Islanders vs. New Jersey Devils Pick
The Devils continue to impress and it’s needless to say they are the most pleasant surprise of the season. They have the fourth-best offense in the NHL that is scoring 3.69 goals per contest opposite the Islanders’ 3.19 gpg. Also, New Jersey has the second-best defense in the league that is allowing only 2.19 goals per game.
The Islanders, thanks to fantastic Sorokin, have the fifth-best D that is surrendering 2.70 gpg, so in this case, I am going with a better offense. New Jersey scored at least three goals in each of its last six games, and I think Sorokin will have a lot of work to do to limit the hosts in this one.
Pick: Take the Devils at -1.5 Puck Line (+137)
The Total
The Devils already beat the Isles this season and that game produced five goals. I expect a similar scenario on Friday; after all, we’re dealing with the two top 5 defenses here. Sorokin did disappoint in his previous start, but I don’t think he will concede five goals against New Jersey, while Vitek Vanecek allowed more than three goals on just two occasions this year. Under is 31-15-8 in the last 54 H2H meetings, while Under is 5-1 in the previous six H2H duels in New Jersey.
Pick: Go Under 6 goals (-110)
