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The Nashville Predators (44-28-4) take on the New York Islanders (34-27-15) Saturday at UBS Arena. Puck drop is set for 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Predators vs. Islanders odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Preds snapped a 3-game winning streak with a 6-3 victory over the St. Louis Blues Thursday night. STL fired a season-high 47 shots, and G Juuse Saros was amazing, stopping 44 of them. C Filip Forsberg continued his career year with his 42nd and 43rd goals of the season. The Preds sit 1 point ahead of the Los Angeles Kings in the top Wild Card spot.
The Isles won their 3rd straight with a 4-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets Thursday. C Bo Horvat netted his 32nd goal of the season in the W. The Isles sit in 3rd in the division with the Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins all on their heels within 2 points.
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Predators at Islanders odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:10 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Predators -110 (bet $110 to win $100) | Islanders -110 (bet $110 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Predators -1.5 (+200) | Islanders +1.5 (-275)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6 (O: +100 | U: -120)
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Predators at Islanders projected goalies
Juuse Saros (33-23-4, 2.82 GAA, .908 SV%, 3 SO) vs. Semyon Varlamov (10-8-4, 2.84 GAA, .911%, 2 SO)
As mentioned, Saros was great Thursday with 44 saves on 47 shots. He stopped 29 of 31 in a 3-0 loss to the Boston Bruins Tuesday night and has been great of late. He stopped 24 of 25 shots fired his way in a Jan. 13 victory over the Isles.
Varlamov is the epitome of the bend-but-don’t-break goalie. He has allowed 3+ goals in 4 of 5 starts, but 3 of those were victories. He allowed 3 goals on 34 shots in a 4-3 OT win against the Flyers Monday.
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Predators at Islanders picks and predictions
Prediction
Predators 5, Islanders 3
Moneyline
I’m a little surprised to see a pick ’em here, considering Nashville has won 10 straight meetings and 5 in this building. NYI is also running with their backup goalie.
Take the PREDATORS -110.
Puck line/Against the spread
Half of those 10 wins were by just 1 goal. So while the +200 is enticing, it’s a little too risky to go with.
D Roman Josi has been pinching up on offense a lot lately. His SOG totals from the last 7: 5, 3, 4, 1, 7, 5. Take ROMAN JOSI OVER 3.5 SHOTS (-120).
Over/Under
Both of these teams need this game, and I look for a fast-paced game. The Over is 6-4 in the last 10 meetings. Nashville is 6-4 O/U, and the Isles are 4-5-1 O/U over the last 10.
I’d prefer to wait to see if this dropped to 5.5, but I’ll LEAN OVER 6 (+100).
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