The Florida Panthers and New York Islanders open their regular seasons Thursday at UBS Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Panthers vs. Islanders odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Panthers had a major personnel shakeup this past offseason, dealing LW Jonathan Huberdeau and D MacKenzie Weegar to the Calgary Flames for LW Matthew Tkachuk.
The Islanders will be fighting to stay out of the basement in the Metropolitan Division in Lane Lambert’s first season as bench boss. Lambert knows the organization, spending 11 seasons as the assistant to former coach Barry Trotz, so the transition should be rather seamless.
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Panthers at Islanders odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 9 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Panthers -125 (bet $125 to win $100) | Islanders +102 (bet $100 to win $102)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Panthers -1.5 (+170) | Islanders +1.5 (-230)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: +105 | U: -130)
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Panthers at Islanders projected goalies
Sergei Bobrovsky (39-7-3, 2.67 GAA, .913 SV%, 3 SO) vs. Ilya Sorokin (26-18-8, 2.40 GAA, .925 SV%, 7 SO in 2021-22)
Bobrovsky was on fire last season, leading the Panthers to a President’s Trophy. He picked up 13 victories on the road in 21 starts, posting a 2.81 GAA and .903 SV%. Bob was a perfect 3-0-0 with a 1.33 GAA and .952 SV% in 3 starts against the Isles in 2021-22.
Sorokin showed out on home ice last season, going 13-5-0 with a sparkling 2.15 GAA and .929 SV% with 2 SO in 22 starts. He was 0-2-1 with a 5.14 GAA and .864 SV% in 3 tries against Florida, however.
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Panthers at Islanders picks and predictions
Prediction
Panthers 4, Islanders 1
Moneyline
The PANTHERS (-125) are a solid value on the road. There is a lot of hype around this team as it looks to take a big step forward with Tkachuk after an early exit in the playoffs last year.
The Islanders are a talented group, and Sorokin is a solid goalie, but he struggled against Florida last season.
Puck line/Against the spread
PANTHERS -1.5 (+170) is a decent play for a half-unit. Opening on the road is difficult, but Florida should be able to handle itself well. Bob owned the Islanders last season, and the Florida offense will once again be powerful. The regular season went just fine for the Panthers, it was the playoffs when the problems started. Expect another quick start here.
Over/Under
The UNDER 6.5 (-130) is the play here, although you’ll certainly have to pay for it.
Florida cashed the Under at a 7-3-1 clip in its final 11 games last season between the regular season and playoffs.
The Under is also 9-3-3 in the past 15 meetings between these organizations and is 10-1 the last 11 times they met on the Island.
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