Welcome back to another edition of NHL Predictions. Each day our writers here at Last Word on Hockey look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breakdown the key matchups, storylines, and stats, then make predictions based on how they might play out. For this edition, we will look at the New York Islanders taking on the Ottawa Senators. Don’t forget to check out all the action, as our writers continue this series throughout the 2024-25 season.
NHL Predictions
New York Islanders vs Ottawa Senators
Time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)
The Islanders Story
For the Islanders, they come into this one riding their first three-game winning streak of the season. Their last one was a thrilling 2-1 win over Utah Hockey Club. The two goals came both in the third, capped off by a game winner by Mathew Barzal with 1:25 left in regulation. He has looked like his old self since returning from injury, extending his point streak to five.
The same cannot be said for Anthony Duclair who has struggled since returning. This has head coach Patrick Roy making another line change, bumping him from second to the third line. Duclair’s spot was taken by Maxim Tsyplakov. While they have been winning, the power play desperately needs to get anything going. That unit is still last in the league at 10.6% as they have gone 0-for-their-last-23. This is a big reason why they still rank 26th in goals with 2.67 per game.
Defensively for the Islanders they have had put together some strong efforts recently. After shutting out the Vegas Golden Knights on the road. They followed that up with allowing just one goal against Utah, while only allowing 22 shots on goal in that game. These two efforts have them 16th in the league with 3.05 goals against per game. More impressing in Utah, they did it with a backup goalie as Ilya Sorokin had to miss the game with an illness. Marcus Hogberg, in just his fourth appearance of the year, played great stopping 21 of 22 shots. This performance earned him his first NHL win since April 28th, 2021. Sorokin was back at practice Monday and is expected to start tonight. He will be looking to build on the shutout he had in Vegas. His season record is 13-13-4 with a .902 save percentage and a 2.83 goals-against average.
The Senators Story
The Senators come into this game riding a win streak of two. They won both games on their back-to-back over the weekend. One against the Pitsburgh Penguins and the other against the Dallas Stars. Offensively, the Senators rank 21st in goals with 2.90 per game. However, they can get contributions from three lines. Leading the way is Tim Stutzle with 43 points in 42 games. He scored in both games of the back-to-back after going five games without one. Drake Batherson is at 38 points right behind him. Batherson scored a point in each game after going four without one. Shane Pinto on the third line too, he led all forwards in ice time on Sunday with 21:50 and has three points in those previous two games.
Defensively the Senators are a very good team. They rank 12th in goals against with just 2.83 per game. Their expected goals against per 60 is even better at 2.26, that ranks eighth in the league. While allowing the fourth least shots on goal at 873. Of those shots 82 have been high danger, that is 14th. With starter Linus Ullmark down with an injury, they have had to turn to their backups. Anton Forsberg has had a rough go with a 4-8-1 record a .883 save percentage and a 3.10 goals-against average. His struggles have led to Leevi Merilainen getting more run, he started both legs of the back-to-back winning both of them. In six games he is 4-2 with a .913 save percentage and a 2.34 goals- against average.
NHL Predictions Isles and Sens
With both teams riding win streaks and both teams fighting for playoff position this should be a high energy game. The Senators have slight advantages on offence, defence, and special teams. However, the Islanders hold the edge in goaltending and have the home ice advantage. These factors should lead to the Islanders extending their winning streak and sweeping the season series.
Prediction: Islanders win 3-2
Prop Bets
According to top betting sites, this game is basically a pick em’ with both teams money lines at -110. Take the Islanders at home at -110. The over/under is at 5.5. With both teams playing well defensively and having struggling offences, we like the under at -102. As far as any time goal scorers, for the Islanders take Brock Nelson at +260. After 17 games without a goal, he has scored in the last two, and we like him to continue that streak. For the Senators take Tim Stutzle at +240. He has scored in back-to-back games and we like him to also continue his streak of goal scoring.
Main Photo Credit: Christopher Crevelin – Imagn Images
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The post NHL Predictions January 14th New York Islanders vs Ottawa Senators appeared first on Last Word On Hockey.