New Jersey Devils at New York Islanders Betting Preview
Opening Moneyline in 60 mins : Devils -113 / Islanders +104 O/U 5 goals
Time: 7 PM EST Saturday January 23. 2010
On Saturday night in an Atlantic Division match up the New Jersey Islanders host the New Jersey Devils. Both teams are playing around .500 hockey in the past 5 games and the Devils are in first place in the division while the Islanders are in 4th place. The Islanders look to extend their home winning streak to 7 games with a win in this game.
This season the Islanders are 14-8-2 at home and the Devils are 16-7-1 on the road.
The main reason the Devils are in 1st place in the division and have the 2nd most points in the Eastern Conference is their defense. This season the Devils have the league's top ranked defense with the least goals against average per game.
The Devils have to win this game with their defense since their offense only ranks 18th in goals scored per game.
The Islanders are struggling on both sides of the ice this season, as they rank 24th on offense averaging 2.57 goals per game and their D has struggled as well giving up an average of 2.90 goals per game.
Islanders G Dwayne Roloson (19-8-6 2.71 GAA save percentage 91.2%) has been up and down this season, but in New York's last game he was solid stopping 33 of 34 shots and 2 in the shootout in Tuesday's win over the Florida Panthers.
Roloson and the Islanders' defense has to especially worry about LW Zach Parise, who leads the Devils in points, goals, and assists.
NHL's career wins leader Martin Brodeur has showed no signs of slowing down and he is one of the main reasons for the Devils solid season so far, as he ranks 4th in the league in GAA, 8th in save percentage, and 1st in wins.
The Islanders are treading on thin ice, pardon the pun, as they currently hold the 8th position in the Eastern Conference.
New York is 6-0 in their last 6 home games, 5-0 in their last 5 home games against teams with a road winning percentage of greater than .600, and the total has gone Under in 6 of their last 8 games at home.
New Jersey is 1-5 in their last 6 road games against teams with a winning home record and the total has gone Under in 4 of their last 5 games on the road.
Our Selection : The Islanders are 7-2-1 in their last 10 and are playing solid hockey every night and every shift. Their are getting good goaltending from Roloston and a heathly Dipietro. The Devils on the other hand are 1-5 in their last 6 road games against teams with a winning home record. They lost at home last night to Montreal 3-1.
Take the New York Islanders +105 in Regulation Time(60mins)
Future Betting Odds
NHL Handicapping
New York Rangers at Philadelphia Flyers 4-11
Well, today's game in the City of Brotherly love is for all the marbles, as the Philadelphia Flyers host the New York Rangers. Both of these teams are tied for the 8th and last playoff spot in the East, so the winner of this game will make the playoffs while the loser will be watching them from home.