Welcome back to another NHL Predictions. Each day, our writers here at Last Word on Hockey look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breaks down the key matchups, storylines, and statistics, then makes predictions based on how they might unfold. For this edition, we will look at the New York Islanders taking on the Nashville Predators. Don’t forget to check out more NHL Predictions, as our writers continue this series throughout the 2025-26 season.
NHL Predictions
New York Islanders vs Nashville Predators
Time: 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)
How to Watch TV: ESPN+, HULU
2024-25 Season Series: Split 1-1
This round of NHL Predictions features two out-of-conference opponents who are sitting in opposite positions in the standings. The Islanders are second in the Eastern Conference’s Metropolitan Division with a record of 24-15-4. Through the 43 games played, they are at 52 points, three back of the top of the division. Meanwhile, the Predators are fifth in the Western Conference’s Central Division. After 42 games, their record stands at 19-19-4, earning them 42 points. This is the first of just two matchups between these teams. Tonight, they will face off at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
The Islanders Story
The Islanders come into this game flying high after a 9-0 thrashing of the New Jersey Devils at home. The last two games have seen the offence come back to life; this was their second straight game with four goals or more. After the latest scoring outburst, they still rank 22nd in the league with 2.91 goals for per game. Mathew Barzal has been asked to do more without Bo Horvat. He has delivered posting back-to-back multi-point efforts and has six points over his last four games. These games have seen him take over the team lead for points. With Horvat down, the team needs their depth to step up. Anthony Duclair stepped up to the plate. After he was a healthy scratch in three of the last five games, he responded with a hat trick and a career-high five points in the last game. While this game is most likely an outlier, it was nice to see for someone who has struggled to get his footing with the team.
Defensively, the team pitched a shutout in the last game. That strong effort moved them into the top 5 for goals against. They now rank fifth with 2.70. Between now and last year, there has been a night and day difference with the penalty kill, which is helping the defence immensely. That unit ranks seventh in the league with an 81.8% kill rate. The star of the show, however, is their franchise goaltender, Ilya Sorokin, who made some Islander history. In his first game back off the IR, he posted an impressive 44-save shutout. This effort pushed him into first place for shutouts in the Islanders’ franchise history, passing Glenn Resch.
The Predators Story
Nashville comes into this game treading water with a .500 record on the season so far. Their offence ranks in the bottom half of the league, ranking 24th with 2.81 per game. They have been hot and cold, but have scored three or more in four of the last seven. Led by Ryan O’Reilly and his 36 points in 42 games. He centres a top line with plenty of talent to put goals up. Between himself, Filip Forsberg, who has 31 points in 42 games and Steven Stamkos with 28 in 42. Despite the down numbers by their standards, those are two guys who have had 90-point seasons in the past. Throw in Luke Evangelista on the second line, on track for a career year with 31 points in 41 games, and you can see how this team has stretches of decent goal production.
Defensively, things are worse off for this team. They rank 29th in goals against per game, with 3.38 per game. In two of the last three games, they have given up four or more goals. One thing working in their favour, however, is a top 10 penalty kill; they rank 10th with an 81.4% kill rate. The leaky defence has led to mixed results for starting goalie Juuse Saros, who is one of the league’s best normally. Over the last six games, he has alternated wins and losses. For the season, he is 16-14-3 .894 save percentage. He is the expected starter for tonight.
Prediction
Coming into this game, these teams are trending in different directions. The Islanders are coming off their strongest performance of the season. Nashville has been hovering around .500. New York holds a lot of the edges in this game. Offensively, defensively and goaltending-wise wise the Islanders hold the advantages over Nashville. The one thing playing in their favour is home ice advantage. The Islanders have lost six straight games in Nashville, their last win there in 2017. We think they will reverse the trend in this game.
Prediction: Islanders win 4-2
Prop Bets
According to the popular sportsbooks, the Islanders are the underdogs in this matchup. We feel that makes them a nice value pick at +104 on the moneyline. The over/under is set at 5.5. With the scoring the Islanders have been doing, we would take the over at -128. As far as any-time goal scorers, for the Islanders, take Mathew Barzal. He has had a hot stick recently, so we think he keeps it going in this one. For the Predators, take Steven Stamkos. He is the team’s leading scorer, and if somebody is going to score for Nashville, he will likely be in the middle of it.
Main photo by: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
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