Back Red Wings To Stay Hot Against Islanders

Islanders vs. Red Wings, 7:00 ET

It has been almost a week, but the last NHL play I put out was a winner. I was able to take the victory in a game between the Blackhawks and Jets. That put me up to 5-2 over my last seven Outkick plays. While that may not sound great, I was happy to put a nice stretch together. Now I just have to hope that I can keep it rolling. Last season was outstanding and I probably started providing picks around this time (maybe a bit sooner) and absolutely crushed it. So, maybe I just need more time with the data. Tonight, I'm taking on a game between the Islanders and Red Wings to see if we can get a unit off this game as well. 

The Islanders come into this game with a 24-20-14 record and sitting seventh in the Metropolitan Division. While they aren't officially eliminated from playoff contention, I don't think they are going to get in there. They would need quite a stretch right now to get back into the fight. They had a good campaign last year, but this has been a let down season. They have really struggled since the calendar flipped to 2024. Since January 1st, this team is 7-15 in straight wins and losses. Four of those wins came in overtime as well. They essentially play nothing but close games. One-third of their victories overall have come in overtime. They are also just 2-5 over their past seven games. On the road, they are 11-12-5, and this is their fourth road game in the last five games. They've had plenty of rest as they haven't taken the ice since February 26th. The Islanders are decent enough defensively with 3.33 goals allowed per game, but offensively they aren't even averaging three goals per game on the season. They really struggle against the Power Play, letting opponents score almost 30% of the time. The Red Wings won the first game between the two squads with a 4-3 overtime victory. There was almost no offense to speak of on either side until the third period when the teams combined to score five goals. 

The Red Wings aren't the best team in hockey, but they are playing very well right now as they've won six straight games. That has pushed their record to 33-20-6. They've had a nice stretch here were they are in the middle of five home games, with one road game (to Chicago) breaking it up. Their offense has looked really strong during this stretch with them scoring at least three goals in five of the six wins, and four or more goals in four of the six victories. Their defense has looked good as well, they haven't allowed more than three goals in any of those games and they've allowed two or fewer in four of the games. They are scoring on 23.5% of Power Play opportunities which is great against the Islanders, if they can find ways to get them into penalty trouble. The Red Wings offense on the season is averaging 3.58 goals per game which is one of the better numbers in hockey. The roster has three players that have put up 50+ points on the campaign and another six that have 30+ points. Patrick Kane only has 28 games this season and has 30 points. The balance and attacking of the team is very difficult to stop. 

Tonight the goalies for the game look like we will have Ilya Sorokin for the Islanders, and Alex Lyon for the Red Wings. Sorokin is saving .910% of shots against him and 18-13-11 overall. Lyon, on the other hand is saving about the same at .914% but allowing just 2.69 goals against per game, running his record to 18-8-2 when he is on the ice. I'd be a bit surprised to see the Islanders put up three goals in this game. I like the Red Wings to win this game through at -115. I think the way they are playing, and with their goalie, and home ice, make for the right side in this one. 

For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024