Welcome back to another NHL Predictions. Each day our writers here at Last Word on Hockey look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breaks down the key matchups, storylines, and stats, then makes predictions based on how they might play out. For this edition, we will look at the New York Islanders taking on the Los Angeles Kings. Don’t forget to check out more NHL Predictions, as our writers continue this series throughout the 2024-25 season.
NHL Predictions
New York Islanders vs Los Angeles Kings
Time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)
Tv: FDSNW, MSGSN, ESPN+
This matchup features two out-of-conference opponents riding winning streaks. The Islanders jumped from last to fifth in the Eastern Conference’s Metropolitan Divison. Through 29 games their record is 11-11-7 good for 29 points. The Kings stand in second place near the top of the Western Conference’s Pacific Division. Their record through 27 games is 16-8-3 good for 35 points. This will be the first of two matchups between these teams this season. Tonight’s game is taking place on Long Island inside UBS Arena. Last season they split the season series 1-1.
The Islanders Story
The Islanders come into this on a modest two-game winning streak. More impressively these two games were back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday. In their latest win, the struggling powerplay made the difference going 2-2. Despite this effort, they still rank second to last on the man advantage at just 13.8%. However, two four-goal performances in a row have bumped them up to 26th in the league in goals with 2.59 per game. Team point leader Anders Lee has led the way with points in five of his last six games. Bo Horvat has also stepped up with goals in back-to-back games. He has points in five of his last seven. With the injuries, they will need them to keep it up until Mathew Barzal and Anthony Duclair can return.
The Islander defence comes into this one ranked 13th in goals against with 2.97 per game. However, they can thank their goaltender for the winning streak. They gave up 31 shots on goal in consecutive games. Ilya Sorkin had to start both games on this back-to-back as Semyon Varlamov is still unavailable. They leaned on their workhorse and he was great in both. In particular, he stole Sunday’s game against the Ottawa Senators where the Islanders were outshot 31-13. This brings his record to 7-7-4 with a .909 save percentage and 2.64 goals against. The penalty kill does deserve some credit as well. A unit ranked dead last at 65.1% came up with two big kills against Ottawa. Special teams have sunk this team all season but both made an impact in that win.
The Kings Story
The Kings have run their win streak up to five in a row. Their offence has been a big reason why. They rank 14th in goals with 3.07 per game. Led by Anze Kopitar and his 31 points in 27 games. He has 10 points over his last seven games. Playing next to Adrian Kempe who has six multi-point efforts in his last 12 games. It’s not just the top-line guys either. Third-liners Alex Laferriere and Kevin Fiala have both enjoyed good seasons. Laferriere with 21 points in 27 games. Fiala is not too far behind with 17 in 26 games. Their powerplay only ranks 27th at 16.9% but they have plenty of talent to hurt you 5v5. On their win streak, they have only scored less than three goals once.
The Kings’ defence however is the main reason for their success. As a team, they rank fourth in goals against with 2.59. You could make the argument they could be better than that though. Their expected goals per 60 is tops in the league at just 1.94. They have allowed the least amount of shots on goal with 504. Of those shots, only 32 have been high-danger chances which is the least amount. Their “weakness” is that the goalie play has been just ok. Starter David Rittich is 10-6 with a .891 save percentage and 2.45. Darcy Kuemper just returned from injury and got a win, allowing just one goal in his first game back. On the season he is 5-2-3 with a .904 save percentage and 2.50 goals against.
Prediction
It’s NHL Predictions time! With both teams riding a winning streak coming into this game we can expect a highly competitive game. The two points would mean more n for the Islanders as they battle for a wild card spot. While the Kings already have a playoff spot secured at the moment. However, these will be hard points to obtain for the Islanders as the Kings are one of the league’s best. New York doesn’t tend to score a lot of goals and it will be even harder given Los Angeles suffocating defence. That factored in with the Kings being the more rested team having not played since Saturday. These factors add up to the Kings expanding their win streak to six in a row.
Prediction: Kings win 3-1
Prop Bets
Fanduel has the Kings as the favourites at -128 on the money line, take them in this game. The over/under is set at 5.5. Given the nature of the Kings’ defence, we believe this will be a low-scoring game. Take the under at -114. As far as any-time goal scorers. For the Islanders take Brock Nelson at +240. He has no goals in six straight games so he is due to score one. For the Kings take Adrain Kempe at +200. He leads his team in goals and is a threat to score every time he is on the ice.
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Main Photo: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
The post NHL Predictions: December 10 New York Islanders V Los Angeles Kings appeared first on Last Word On Hockey.