In a game between two teams currently on losing skids, the New York Islanders and the Los Angeles Kings collide at the Staples Center in an East-West tilt. Fox Sports West will air the game, which gets going at 10:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, October 18.
New York Islanders vs. Los Angeles Kings Odds
New York (+155) is entering this one as the underdog to Los Angeles (-175), and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 6 goals (-120 to bet the under, +100 for the over).
Los Angeles is 2-4 straight up (SU) and has lost 2.5 units for moneyline bettors this year. That early-season winning percentage is a noticeable slide from what the team recorded during the 2017-18 season (45-37). Out of its six regular season contests, four of them have gone under the total, while one has gone over and one has pushed. The team’s 1-1 SU at home this year.
The Kings have successfully connected on 0.0 percent of their power play opportunities in 2018-19. That’s a big drop-off from last season, when they were ranked 18th in the league by scoring on 19.8 percent of their extra-man chances. Their penalty kill has fallen off significantly year-over-year as they’ve gone from successfully defending 85.3 percent of opponents’ power plays (ranked first overall last season) to 70.6 percent this year.
The Kings, as a collective unit, have been penalized 3.5 times per game this season, a number that’s pretty close to last year’s 3.8 penalties per game they gave up. After serving an average of 8.8 penalty minutes per game a year ago, the team’s had to stave off opponent power plays for 8.8 minutes per matchup this season.
With a .922 save percentage and 28.2 saves per game, Jack Campbell (2-3) has been the primary goalkeeper for Los Angeles this year. If Los Angeles decides to give him a breather, however, the team could turn to Peter Budaj (0-1-1 record, .909 save percentage, 2.00 goals against average).
Alex Iafallo and Tyler Toffoli will both be offensive focal points for the Kings. Iafallo (five points) has tallied two goals and three assists while Toffoli has one goal and three assists to his credit so far in the season’s early stages.
Over on the visiting bench, New York is 2-3 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 1.1 units this season. Through five regular season contests, two of its games has gone over the total, while an additional two have gone under the total and none have pushed. As a road team so far, the Islanders are 1-2 SU.
The Isles have scored on 18.8 percent of their power play chances this year after converting on 23.2 percent of their extra-man opportunities in 2017-18 (which ranked them seventh in the league in that category). The team’s gone from successfully defending 73.2 percent of opponents’ power plays (ranked 31st overall last season) to 76.9 percent in 2018-19.
New York’s skaters have been whistled for penalties 3.2 times per game this season, a number that is fairly close to the 3.4 penalties per game given up last year. After serving an average of 7.8 penalty minutes per game a year ago, the team has been forced to kill penalties for 7.0 minutes per matchup this season.
Thomas Greiss (28.3 saves per game) has been the main option in the net for New York. Greiss owns a 1-2 record, and has registered a .914 save percentage and 2.70 goals against average this year.
Mathew Barzal (one goal, four assists) has been one of the primary playmaking threats for the visiting Islanders.
New York Islanders vs. Los Angeles Kings Betting Predictions
Free Pick: SU Winner – Islanders, O/U – Over
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Notes
Betting Notes
The total has gone under in three of Los Angeles’ last five outings.
New York skaters ranked 21st last year with 6.6 takeaways per game, but the team appears to be applying heavier pressure on opposing offenses to begin this season. It’s currently ranked eighth through 5 games with 9.0 takeaways per contest.
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