After making a significant off-season move, sending Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar to the Calgary Flames for Matthew Tkachuk, with highly competitive NHL player stats, the Florida Panthers believe they are in better contention for the Stanley Cup than they were in 2021-22. For their part, the New York Islanders will need a better season from almost everyone on the roster to be more competitive in the Metropolitan Division, where the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers are expected to dominate, and teams like the New Jersey Devils are improving.
The Florida Panthers and New York Islanders open their 2022-23 NHL regular seasons on Thursday. In our Panthers vs Islanders betting predictions, we’ll give you the stats and info you need for your betting ticket.
Florida Panthers vs. New York Islanders
- Florida Panthers vs. New York Islanders
- UBS Arena, Elmont, New York
- Puck Drop: Thursday, October 13, 2022, at 7:30 P.M. ET
- Television Broadcast: ESPN+
Florida Panthers Performance Recap and Analysis
The Florida Panthers enter Thursday night’s season opener finishing the preseason with a 2-4-0 (W-T-OTL) preseason record. The Islanders played three teams throughout the preseason, two of which are potential Stanley Cup contenders – the Tampa Bay Lighting and the Carolina Hurricanes.
In their last preseason game on October 8th, the Florida Panthers lost 5-2 to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The lineup the Panthers sent to the ice against the Lightning does not represent the team that will take to the ice on Thursday night.
Key Injuries
The Florida Panthers have four players currently on the injury report. Of note is left-winger Anthony Duclair, who was put on the long-term injured reserve list. Duclair is joined on the injured reserve list by Matt Kiersted (D), Zac Dalpe (C), and Justin Sourdif (C).
Betting Trends to Know
While betting odds are available, we must assess betting trends carefully because this is both teams’ first game of the NHL regular season. We don’t have any actual betting trends to analyze. This means the preseason or last season’s Islanders team stats don’t really matter to our Panthers vs Islanders betting predictions.
However, we will look back at the Florida Panthers’ preseason to see if there is any insight we can gain from them. During the 2022-23 NHL preseason, the Florida Panthers have played in three games that have finished within the NHL standard 1.5 spread on the puck line. The Panthers’ preseason record gives them a 2-4 record on the moneyline.
New York Islanders Performance Recap and Analysis
The New York Islanders enter Thursday night’s matchup finishing the preseason with a 4-2-0 (W-T-OTL) record. After losing their first two preseason games, the Islanders won four straight games to close out their preseason. During the preseason, the New York Islanders kept their competition local and within their division, playing only the New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, and the New Jersey Devils.
In their last preseason outing, the New York Islanders defeated the New York Rangers 3-1 on October 8th. Ilya Sorokin made 28 saves, out-dueling Rangers’ starting goalie Igor Shesterkin to get the victory. Matthew Barzal and Keiffer Bellows scored in the first, Zach Parise scored a power play goal in the third, while Josh Bailey had two assists in the Islanders’ win.
Key Injuries
The New York Islanders have defensemen Scott Mayfield and right-winger Oliver Wahlstrom listed on the NHL injury report as day-to-day, while right-winger Cal Clutterbuck is on the injured reserve list.
Betting Trends to Know
Again, we must remind you that this is the first game of the regular season on either team’s 2022-23 NHL schedule.
In the 2022-23 NHL preseason, the New York Islanders played in two games that ended within the NHL-standard 1.5 goals on the puck line. The Islanders were 4-2 on the moneyline in the preseason.
Florida Panthers vs. New York Islanders Odds
Online sportsbooks have the Panthers betting odds listed almost the same as the New York Islanders on the moneyline. As of publication, the Florida Panthers are listed at an average of -108 odds on the moneyline. The New York Islanders are listed at an average of -107 odds.
As of publication for this Panthers vs Islanders betting prediction, the odds on the puck line aren’t as close as the money line, but it is set to the standard 1.5 goals for most NHL matchups. The Islanders (+1.5) are the betting favorite on the puck line spread, listed with odds averaging -250. The Florida Panthers (-1.5) should be the favorite on the moneyline but are the betting underdog on the puck line, listed at an average of +220 on the online sportsbooks we found this game.
The total goals for our Panthers vs Islanders betting predictions are set at six on most online sportsbooks. The over is listed at an average of -115 odds, while the under is listed at an average of -105 odds.
Florida Panthers vs. New York Islanders Betting Picks
In our Panthers vs Islanders betting predictions, the Florida Panthers are the betting favorite, regardless of the odds or the Islanders’ team stats. Simply put, the Florida Panthers are a serious Stanley Cup contender and should win this game. If we were making a bet on the moneyline, we’d be taking the Florida Panthers to win.
Online sportsbooks have the total goals set to 6. With Sergei Bobrovsky likely to start for the Panthers and Ilya Sorokin expected to start for the Islanders, we don’t really expect this game to hit the over. However, it is the first game of the regular season, so one of these goalies may have a shaky start that leads to a higher-scoring game than expected.
We definitely like the Panthers’ odds on the puck line spread. In fact, we’re not entirely sure why the Panthers are such a heavy betting underdog on the puck line spread. If we’re making one pick in this Panthers vs Islanders betting prediction, we’re taking the Florida Panthers to cover the spread.
Florida Panthers vs. New York Islanders Final Score Prediction
The Florida Panthers are the better team, with their sights set on the biggest prize in the sport. The Panthers open their NHL schedule with the Islanders as the target for their first win on their journey to potential and expected deep run in the Stanley Cup -playoffs. Final score: Florida Panthers win 4-1 over the New York Islanders
NHL Pick: The Florida Panthers to cover the spread (-1.5) at +220 odds.
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