New York Islanders at Dallas Stars NHL Picks & Predictions 12/23/2018

Sunday, December 23, 2018

American Airlines Center

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The New York Islanders travel to American Airlines Center to play the Dallas Stars on Sunday, December 23, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Islanders at +123 and the Stars at -136.

New York has a record of 17-13-4 this season. They are 4th in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 98 goals and given up 97 goals for a point differential of +1. For the season they have an ATS record of 17-17-0 and an over/under record of 12-19-0. Dallas is 17-15-3 this season. They are 4th in the Central Division. They have scored 96 goals and surrendered 98 for a goal differential of -2. Their record against the spread is 17-18-0 while their over/under record is 13-18-0.

Valuable New York Islanders Betting Trends

The New York Islanders are 17-17-0 straight up this year

The New York Islanders are 12-19-0 against the over/under this season

Important Dallas Stars Betting Trends

The Dallas Stars are 17-18-0 straight up this year

The Dallas Stars are 13-18-0 against the over/under this season

Key New York Islanders Injuries

12/21/18 D Johnny Boychuk Concussion left last game, is questionable Sunday vs Dallas
12/19/18 D Thomas Hickey Upper Body IR (12/19)
10/04/18 C John Stevens Undisclosed is out indefinitely
10/04/18 RW Matt Lorito Undisclosed is out indefinitely
10/01/18 LW Andrew Ladd Undisclosed is out indefinitely

Key Dallas Stars Injuries

12/21/18 C Jason Spezza Illness is upgraded to probable Saturday vs Minnesota
12/21/18 C Martin Hanzal Back is out Saturday vs Minnesota
11/19/18 D Marc Methot Lower Body IR (11/19)
11/09/18 D John Klingberg Upper Body IR (11/09)
11/02/18 D Connor Carrick Foot IR (11/02)
10/03/18 D Stephen Johns Head IR (10/03)

Player Spotlight

Josh Bailey has accumulated 28 total points this season for the Islanders. He has 7 goals this year with 59 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 12%. He has a total of 21 assists on the season and averages 17.5 minutes played per game. Anders Lee averages 17.5 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 13% by scoring 12 goals on 93 shots. He has 13 assists, giving him a total of 25 points on the season. Thomas Greiss has 12 wins and 7 losses this season in net for the Islanders. He has 624 shots against him and he's given up 50 goals. He's made 574 saves for a save percentage of 92%.

Player Spotlight

Jamie Benn has scored 29 total points this year for the Stars. He has 14 goals this season with 87 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 16%. He has a total of 15 assists on the season and averages 18.7 minutes played per game. Tyler Seguin averages 20.9 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 8% by scoring 11 goals on 138 shots. He has 21 assists, giving him a total of 32 points on the season. Ben Bishop has 11 wins and 9 losses this year in goal for the Stars. He has 633 shots against him and he's surrendered 50 goals. He's made 583 saves for a save percentage of 92%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Islanders have 38 total points this season, which ranks them 17th in the NHL. They are 23rd in the league in goals scored with 98 while they've given up 97 goals, ranking them 26th overall. They have had 105 power play opportunities and have scored 16 goals on those chances for a percentage of 15%. That is 24th in the NHL. The Islanders have allowed 104 power play opportunities and have given up 23 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 78%, putting them 21st in the league when short-handed. They average 28 shots per game and as a team shoot 10.34% for the season. They allow 32 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 91%. That puts them 8th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Stars are 19th in the NHL with a total of 37 points this year. They have 19 power play goals on 91 opportunities for a percentage of 21%. That ranks them 15th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 107 power play opportunities and have given up 19 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 82%. That is 10th in the NHL. As a team, the Stars are 26th in the league with 96 goals scored while they've given up 98 goals, which is 24th overall. They average 30 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 9.24%. As a team they give up 31 shots per game and have a save percentage of 91%. That is 9th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

New York is 26th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 46.6%, as they've attempted 1,750 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,006 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 46.7% as they have 1,295 attempts while they have given up 1,479 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 27th in the league. The Islanders start possessions in the offensive zone 47.8% of the time, which is 27th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 52.2% for the season. That is 5th overall in the NHL. They have 911 face-off wins compared to 1,008 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 47.5%. That ranks them 28th in the league. On defense New York has 877 hits and they have blocked 527 shots from the opposition, putting them 6th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Stars are 31st in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 46.3% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 53.7% for the season, which is 1st in the NHL. They have 1,086 face-off wins compared to 1,015 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 51.7%. That is 8th in the league. On defense Dallas has 787 hits and they have blocked 534 shots from the opposition, which is 5th in the league. Dallas is 25th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 47% as they've attempted 1,828 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,062 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 47.5% ranks 25th as they have 1,384 attempts while they have given up 1,528 shots on the defensive end.

Who will win tonight's Islanders/Stars NHL game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take Dallas -136

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Guy Bruhn