Islanders vs. Blues Odds
| Islanders Odds | -105 |
| Blues Odds | -115 |
| Over/Under | 6 (+100/-120) |
| Time | 8 p.m. ET |
| TV | BSMW |
The New York Islanders and St. Louis Blues are heading in different directions. The Islanders come into this game as winners of four straight while the Blues are on a five-game losing streak.
Ilya Sorokin has been absolutely outstanding for the Islanders and both goaltenders for the Blues — Jordan Binnington and Thomas Greiss — have been struggling.
New York is hoping to keep the winning streak alive and St. Louis is desperate to get back in the win column.
Which streak will continue?
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders are starting to figure out their identity under new head coach Lane Lambert. They didn't get off to the hottest start, but they have looked like a completely different team in the past four games. The Islanders weren't scoring many goals when Barry Trotz was head coach, but are now sixth in the league and rocking a 3.60 goals per game average.
The Islanders have been absolutely buzzing offensively during this streak and have a combined 17 goals over four games. Brock Nelson, Anders Lee and Mathew Barzal are leading the way. Nelson has four goals and seven assists, Lee has tallied five goals with five assists and Barzal has yet to score a goal, but has added 10 assists. New York is sporting a 52.13% expected goals as well as a +8.09 goals differential above expected.
As impressive as the Islanders have been offensively, they have been even better on the defensive end. New York's penalty kill has been lights out with a 94.1% success rate and Sorokin is making an early case to be in the Vezina discussion.
Sorokin's record isn't incredible at 4-3-0, but he is rocking a .935 SV% and a 2.04 GAA. He has only given up three goals in his past three starts and should continue the strong play in this game.
St. Louis Blues
I have no idea what is happening to the St. Louis Blues. They started the season off strong and have had a complete meltdown over the past five games. The defensemen and goaltending just haven't been clicking during this losing streak as they have allowed 25 goals across five games.
Binnington got yanked in the last game, so there is a chance we see Greiss get the start against his former team. Greiss hasn't found a win yet, but has only started two games thus far. He has a .915 SV% and a 3.28 GAA, but is also sporting a +1.0 GSAx. If Binnington gets the nod, he is going to have to be much better than he has been lately. In his past two starts, Binnington has allowed a total of 11 goals … yikes.
The Blues offense hasn't necessarily been bailing out the goaltending. They have only scored eight goals in their past five games and only five of those goals have come at 5-on-5 play. They have not been very strong at 5-on-5 play and are struggling to generate scoring chances — they have a -5.55 goals for above expected. The Blues just simply can't finish their opportunities for whatever reason.
Islanders vs. Blues Pick
The Islanders have been playing very strong hockey as of late and I find it very surprising to see them as the underdog in this contest. New York is a top-10 team in the league on both sides of the puck right now and the Blues have become the worst offensive team in the NHL.
There is no denying the fact that the Blues are a good enough team to get themselves out of a jam, but that is going to be very difficult to do against a team as solid as the Islanders. Sorokin gives the Islanders an advantage over almost every team and with the struggles St. Louis is having scoring, he should be able to shut them down relatively easy. I think the Islanders will keep it rolling and steal two points on the road.
Pick: New York Islanders Moneyline (+105)
