New Jersey Devils vs New York Islanders Prediction, 5/8/2021 NHL Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: New Jersey Devils vs New York Islanders

Date: Saturday, May 8, 2021

Location: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY

TV: MSG+

Odds/Point Spread: Devils (+255) Islanders (-310)

Semyon Varlamov and the New York Islanders (31-17-6) play the New Jersey Devils (19-28-7) at Barclays Center on Saturday. The Islanders open this game at -310 while the Devils are priced at +255. The O/U opens at 5.5.

The Devils had a good night with a 2-1 win against the Islanders their last time out. The Corsi for the Devils sat at 46 and the Corsi against when the final whistle blew was 56 which means they had a Corsi percentage of 45.1%. Their offensive zone starts were rated at 49.0% and they had a PDO of 105.0 in this one. New Jersey recorded 2 minutes in the box in this game. The Devils didn't have a great showing offensively in this victory. Their Fenwick came in at 27 and the Fenwick Against sat at 34, meaning they had a Fenwick rate of 44.3%. They recorded 17 face-off wins when at even strength and were beaten on 28 attempts to win the puck. Additionally, they had 1 power play try but weren't able to net one. For the game, they netted 2 out of the 25 shots they looked to score on.

The Devils have had 1,679 shots taken against them and hold a save percentage of .893. At even strength, the Devils have conceded 139 goals while getting 120 on the offensive side of the ice. New Jersey Devils opponents have earned 141 power play tries (26th in hockey) and have tallied 41 goals in those attempts. For the season, they sit with 45 points and their points percentage comes in at .417. New Jersey has taken 1,563 shots and has a shooting percentage of 9.1%. When discussing their scoring capabilities, the New Jersey Devils have accumulated 142 goals (22nd in pro hockey) so far this year and have allowed 180. New Jersey has accumulated 151 power play opportunities and they have added 22 goals out of those advantages, giving them a percentage of 14.57%.

The man in goal for this game is Mackenzie Blackwood. Blackwood has played in 104 matchups throughout his NHL career. He has amassed a mark of 46-40-12 and he has gotten the start in 98 games. The opposition has been able to score 280 goals against Blackwood in his career and his average for goals against per game is 2.81. Blackwood has had 3,175 shots taken against him and has amassed 2,895 total saves. His save percentage currently sits at .912 in his 5,979 minutes guarding the cage. Over the course of his pro career, Blackwood has compiled 54 quality starts and his quality starts percentage is .551.

In their loss to New Jersey, New York had a 54.9% Corsi rate. This Corsi rating tells us the kind of game New York played and you could say that they have had better days on the ice. Their Fenwick rate came in at 55.7% with a Fenwick of 34 and the Devils ending the game with a 27 Fenwick. Their PDO at even strength was 95 and they'll go home having earned an oZS percentage of 51.0%. The Islanders scored 1 goal out of the 33 shots on goal they tried. They had 2 opportunities on the power play in this matchup but didn't put one in the back of the net.

So far this season, the New York Islanders have earned 145 goals, 68 points, as well as a points percentage of .630. They have granted a total of 121 goals to be scored by of a combination of 100 goals at even strength and 21 goals while they had less men on the ice. The Islanders have 120 goals at even strength and 25 goals (25th in hockey) while having more men on the ice. They have recorded 140 power play opportunities and they have a power play percentage of 17.86%. New York has put up 1,578 shots (17th in pro hockey) and has accumulated a shooting percentage of 9.19%, while allowing the other team 1,528 shots. They have accumulated a penalty kill rate of 83.72% on their opponents 129 power play opportunities, and their save percentage is 92.1%.

Across the ice you will find Semyon Varlamov between the pipes. He has compiled 14,507 stops out of 15,832 shots taken against him, giving him a save % of .916. Varlamov has amassed a career record of 251-194-60 and has played in 528 contests. He has been a starter 504 games and has been on the ice for 30,265 minutes. Varlamov's rate of quality starts is 56.5% and he has made 285 quality starts in his professional career. Teams are averaging 2.63 goals per game and he has relinquished 1,325 goals altogether.

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

Josh's Pick: Take New Jersey (+255)

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