New York Islanders vs. Anaheim Ducks Betting Guide: Goals Will be at a Premium on Sunday
New York Islanders vs. Anaheim Ducks Moneyline, Total and Odds
Moneyline: Islanders +100 | Ducks -120
Spread: Islanders +1.5 (-290) | Ducks -1.5 (+225)
Total: 5.5 Over +106 | Under -130
Odds courtesy of Fanduel Sportsbook.
New York Islanders vs. Anaheim Ducks News, Analysis, and Picks
The New York Islanders are 1-1-1 as they pass the halfway point of their five-game road trip. They’ll be competing on the second night of a back-to-back when they take on the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday. The Islanders played their analytics cards correctly, saving their primary goalie for tonight’s contest. We should expect a low-scoring game in Anaheim with neither team pushing the pace offensively.
Both teams rank in the league’s bottom half in scoring chances at five-on-five, with the Islanders attempting the sixth-fewest and the Ducks with the 14th-fewest. That ineffective pace is evident over both teams’ recent samples as New York has been limited to 21 or fewer in four of their past five and the Ducks failing to crack 21 scoring opportunities in any of their past five. Those poor performances have had an opposite effect on scoring, as both teams have scored three or more goals in three of their previous five outings. The Islanders and Ducks are overachieving offensively and should see decreased scoring over their coming games.
We’re anticipating that regression to start tonight, as both teams play with sturdy defensive structure. New York plays with rigidity in their defensive zone and has limited their opponents to nine or fewer high-danger chances in all but one of their past 16 games. Similarly, the Ducks have improved their defensive zone coverage and held five of their past seven opponents to nine or fewer high-danger opportunities, with no team attempting more than 24 scoring chances.
Both teams are trending positively with their defensive metrics, and neither team takes too many offensive risks. As such, goals should be hard to come by in this inter-conference battle. We’re taking a stake on the under.
The Picks: Under 5.5 -130
All NHL predictions and picks are courtesy of SportsGrid.
