Anaheim Ducks vs. New York Islanders - 12/21/19 NHL Picks, Odds, and Prediction

Game: Anaheim Ducks vs New York Islanders

Date: Saturday, December 21, 2019

Location: Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, NY

TV: PRIT/MSG+

Odds/Point Spread: Ducks (+166) Islanders (-185)

Total/Over-Under: 5

Semyon Varlamov and the New York Islanders (23-8-2, 2nd in the Metropolitan Division) host the Anaheim Ducks (14-17-4, 8th in the Pacific Division) at Nassau Coliseum on Saturday, December 21, 2019. The Islanders open this matchup at -185 while the Ducks are coming in at +166. The over/under opens at 5. The Ducks cover 36.4% of the time, having gone 12-21 SU. New York is covering 66.7% of the time, going 20-10 straight up.

The Anaheim Ducks head into this game holding a record of 14 victories and 17 defeats, which puts them at 8th in the Pacific Division. So far this season, they have racked up a total of 87 goals which has them ranked at 15th in the Western Conference and 29th in the league. Their goal differential is -16, which puts them at 25th in the league. The Ducks have earned a total of 32 pts, which has them ranked at 29th in the league and 15th in the Western Conference. With regard to shots at the opposition, they have earned a total of 1,048 which has them ranked at 13th in the conference and 25th in the league. As a group, Anaheim has obtained a total of 690 hits which means they have an average of 19.7 per game. They have earned a total of 386 blocks for the season. The man looking after the net for Anaheim is John Gibson from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is 26 years old and has played 1,541 mins protecting the goal this season. Gibson is allowing an average of 2.80 goals against average which has him ranked 15th among Western Conference goaltenders and 29th in the NHL among goaltenders. Over the course of this season, he has given up 72 goals. He has a save percentage of .910 which has him ranked 17th among Western Conference goaltenders.

Related: NHL Totals Betting: Expert Tips and Advice

The Anaheim Ducks will look for better times on the ice after their 3 - 1 loss to the New Jersey Devils in their last game. The Ducks didn't have their best offensive outing in the loss. In this game, they netted 1 of the 27 shots they tried. They also had 2 power play attempts but weren't able to notch a goal in these power play chances. Anaheim ended up with a total of 13 penalty minutes in this game. The Corsi for the Ducks sat at 47 and the Corsi against was 35 which means they earned a Corsi percentage of 57.3%. Their Fenwick was 34 while the Fenwick against was 26, which means they had a Fenwick percentage of 56.7%. They earned 25 face-off wins and were beaten on 12 attempts to control the puck. The offensive zone starts for them came in at 52.2% and they had a PDO at even strength of 92.4 for this game. In discussing stats from the opponent, the New Jersey Devils earned 20 shots. They had 9 minutes in the box and they earned 4 power play attempts.

The Islanders are the team looking to add points to their total and for the year they sit with 23 wins and 8 defeats. When discussing goal differential, they are currently sitting 5th in the East and 7th in the NHL with +13. They have earned a total of 95 goals for this year which has them sitting at 13th in the conference. New York has a save % as a team of .921 which has them 3rd in the NHL, meaning chances to score may be scarce. They have a team shooting percentage of 10.3% which puts them at 5th in the Eastern Conference. In goal for New York is Semyon Varlamov who is having an ok season by allowing 2.34 goals per contest and that has him 7th in the Eastern Conference and 12th in the NHL among goalies. In the 1,077 mins he has played this season, he has given up 42 goals. He's earned a save % of .923, which places him at 6th in the Eastern Conference and 13th in the NHL among goalies.

Related: How to Turn Hockey Bets into Big Profits

The New York Islanders opposed the Boston Bruins in a matchup where the Islanders took home the victory by a final score of 3 - 2. For this game, New York had a 46.3% Corsi rating. They wound up with that percentage by having a Corsi of 38 and the team opposite of them having a Corsi of 44. Their Fenwick percentage was 50.0% by way of having a Fenwick of 32 and the Bruins ending the game with a 32 Fenwick. These Corsi stats tell us the story of the kind of game New York played and you can say they had a mediocre outing. They had a PDO at even strength of 106.6 and they had an oZS percentage of 34.3%. The Islanders notched 3 goals out of the 21 shots on goal they pursued. They had 2 power play attempts in this one but didn't score a goal. Regarding their opponent, the Bruins had 5 power play chances and went on to score 1 goal. New York allowed 29 shots on goal and the Bruins ended up with 4 minutes in the box.

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

Guy's Pick: Take New York (-185)

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