New York Islanders vs. Minnesota Wild - 12/29/19 NHL Picks, Odds, and Prediction

Game: New York Islanders vs Minnesota Wild

Date: Sunday, December 29, 2019

Location: Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, MN

TV: FSN/MSG+

Odds/Point Spread: Islanders (-105) Wild (-115)

Total/Over-Under: 5

Xcel Energy Center is the site where Devan Dubnyk and the Minnesota Wild (19-15-5, 5th in the Central Division) will play the New York Islanders (23-10-3, 2nd in the Metropolitan Division) on Sunday. The Wild open this game at -115 while the Islanders are priced at -105. The over/under is set at 5. The Islanders cover 60.6% of the time, having gone 20-13 SU. Minnesota is covering 47.4% of the time, going 18-20 straight up.

The New York Islanders head into this game holding a record of 23 wins and 10 defeats, putting them at 2nd in the Metropolitan Division. During the season thus far, they have racked up a total of 104 goals which is good for 13th in the East and 24th in the league. Their goal differential is +9, putting them at 11th in the league. The Islanders have a total of 49 pts, which is good for 4th in the league and 3rd in the conference. When talking about shots at the opposing goalie, they have a total of 1,035 which is good for 16th in the Eastern Conference and 31st in the league. As a group, New York has a total of 1,051 hits which means they have an average of 29.2 per contest. They have a total of 510 blocks for the season. The man in the crease for New York is Semyon Varlamov from Kuybyshev, USSR. He is 31 years old and has been on the ice a total of 1,190 mins protecting the net for the season. Varlamov is surrendering an average of 2.47 goals per game which puts him at 7th in the East and 13th among goaltenders in the NHL. Over the course of this season, he has allowed 49 goals. He holds a save percentage of .918 which puts him at 6th in the East.

Related: NHL Totals Betting: Expert Tips and Advice

The New York Islanders will be looking to get a win in their next outing after their 5 - 2 defeat to the Chicago Blackhawks in their last contest. The Islanders offense left a lot to be desired in this defeat. In this matchup, they scored on 2 out of the 40 shots they put on goal. Furthermore, they had 2 power play attempts but didn't get a goal. New York had 18 penalty mins for this outing. The Corsi for the Islanders was 47 and the Corsi against was 50 telling us they have a Corsi percentage of 48.5%. Their Fenwick was 35 while the Fenwick against sat at 34, which tells us they had a Fenwick percentage of 50.7%. They earned 23 face-off wins at even strength and were beaten on 26 attempts to control the puck. Their offensive zone starts were rated at 46.7% and they had a PDO of 84.7 in this game. When it comes to their opponent, the Chicago Blackhawks racked up a total of 30 shots. Their total at the end of the game was 14 minutes in the box and they notched 4 power play attempts.

The Wild will be looking to add points to their total and for the campaign they have 19 victories and 15 losses. In connection with goal differential, they are currently ranked 9th in the Western Conference and 20th in the league with -6. They currently have a total of 123 goals for the season which puts them at 3rd in the conference. Minnesota has a save percentage as a team of .896 which currently has them ranked 26th in the league, which tells us there could be plenty of chances to score if they are aggressive. They have a shooting percentage of 10.9% which puts them at 2nd in the West. In net for Minnesota is Devan Dubnyk who is having a rough season by giving up 3.24 GAA and that has him 29th among West goalies and 56th among goaltenders in the NHL. In the 943 minutes he's played, he's given up 51 goals. His save percentage is .898, which puts him at 25th among West goalies and 50th among goaltenders in the NHL.

Related: How to Turn Hockey Bets into Big Profits

The Minnesota Wild played the Colorado Avalanche in an outing where the Wild notched a victory by a score of 6 - 4. In this game, Minnesota earned a 46.9% Corsi rating. That percentage was had by having a Corsi of 46 and the team opposite of them having a Corsi of 52. Their Fenwick percentage came in at 45.6% by earning a Fenwick of 36 and the Avalanche earning a 43 Fenwick. This Corsi percentage speaks to the kind of game that Minnesota played and we'd say they played well overall. Their PDO at even strength was 104.5 and they had an oZS percentage of 50.0%. The Wild scored 6 goals out of the 33 shots on goal they tried. They had 2 power play attempts in this outing and netted 1 out of those chances. Concerning their opponent, the Avalanche had 3 power play attempts but weren't able to take advantage of it. Minnesota gave up 44 shots on goal and the Avalanche ended up with a total of 16 penalty minutes.

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

Tony's Pick: Take New York (-105)

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