Islanders to best Red Wings in quest for wild-card spot
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Wednesday wasn't kind to our unders. Charlie Lindgren allowed seven goals on 29 shots, while the Kings scored six times on 27 shots against the Wild, sinking both bets with shockingly bad goaltending.
We'll look to get back on track with a pair of plays for Thursday night.
Islanders (-110) @ Red Wings (-110)
There's limping to the finish line, and then there's whatever the Red Wings are doing. Once firmly holding onto a playoff spot, the Red Wings now seem as likely to miss the dance as make it.
They've won only two of the past 10 games. Those wins came against the Sabres and the Blue Jackets, with the Wings needing to tie the game in the dying seconds to avoid disaster against the latter.
They're not getting results, and their underlying process suggests that's no coincidence. Detroit sits 29th in expected goal suppression over the last 10 games and dead last in limiting shots.
A lot is being put on the plates of Alex Lyon and James Reimer, and that's clearly not a recipe for success.
The Islanders have cooled off of late, dropping five consecutive games. But they're still 5-5 over the last 10, and the numbers under the hood aren't half bad.
They've controlled better than 53% of the expected goals in that span, good for 10th in the NHL.
New York has done a good job limiting chances in that span, conceding the fourth-fewest. The goaltending hasn't been as good as it needs to be, which generally isn't a concern with Ilya Sorokin.
I think the Islanders will get the better chances in this game. With Dylan Larkin still sidelined for the Red Wings, the Isles are probably better equipped to capitalize, with 29-goal-scorers Bo Horvat and Brock Nelson leading the charge.
Look for the Islanders to grind out a road win against direct competition for a playoff spot.
Bet: Islanders (-110)
Flyers (+200) @ Hurricanes (-240)
The Hurricanes are starting to look like a powerhouse. They've played air-tight defensive hockey this month as they continue to gear up for what should be a lengthy playoff run.
They've won seven of their past eight games, conceding two goals or fewer in all but one of them. Taking things a step further, the Hurricanes gave up only one goal in the game they lost.
All told, they've allowed only 13 goals over the past eight. That's 1.62 per game, and four came on one night against the Maple Leafs.
I expect another stingy defensive effort from them on Thursday night. The Flyers are struggling to generate quality chances, sitting 25th in high-danger opportunities over the last 10.
They don't have a lot of dynamic offensive talent on their roster and are generally a team that needs plenty of volume to score consistently. That's problematic when going up against the Hurricanes.
The Hurricanes are so good at sticking to their structure and making teams work themselves into the ground in order to generate anything of value. And, again, the Flyers don't have the talent to be as opportunistic as they'll probably need to be.
I don't see the Flyers scoring more than a couple in this game, meaning the Hurricanes would have to put up a big number to send it over the number.
Bet: Under 6.5 (-130)
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X at @ToddCordell.