The Nashville Predators visit the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on Saturday afternoon, with both teams desperately seeking points to keep their playoff hopes alive in their respective conferences.
The Predators enter the matchup fresh off a confidence-boosting 2-1 victory over the league-leading Winnipeg Jets, while the Islanders similarly snapped a four-game losing streak with their own 2-1 win against the Boston Bruins.
Historical trends heavily favor Nashville, who have dominated this matchup by winning 10 of their last 11 meetings with the Islanders, including six of seven games on New York ice.
Both teams face significant challenges, with the Predators struggling offensively (2.6 goals per game) and the Islanders dealing with special teams issues, ranking last in both power play and penalty kill efficiency.
The goaltending battle between Nashville's Juuse Saros (2.88 GAA, .901 save percentage) and New York's Ilya Sorokin (2.76 GAA, .905 save percentage) could prove decisive in what promises to be a tight contest.
With both teams missing key players - including Mathew Barzal for the Islanders and Jeremy Lauzon for the Predators - this Eastern-Western Conference clash presents an intriguing matchup between two teams fighting to keep their postseason dreams within reach.
New York Islanders vs. Nashville Predators prediction: who will win?
For today's New York Islanders vs Nashville Predators matchup, our predictive model gives the Predators a 70% chance of defeating the Islanders.
Nashville Predators: 70% win probability
- Better recent form (WLLWW vs Islanders' WLLLL)
- Superior goal differential (-41 vs Islanders' -14 over last 5 games)
- Higher scoring efficiency (149 goals in 58 games vs Islanders' 158 in 58 games)
New York Islanders: 30% win probability
- Poor recent form (Lost last 4 consecutive games)
- Defensive struggles (172 goals against in 58 games)
- Lower points accumulation (59 points in 58 games vs league average of 65)
At Sporting Post, our unique prediction model combines insights from top NHL experts. Instead of sifting through hundreds of expert analyses across the web, you can rely on our predictions to understand the market's overall sentiment. We scan trusted sources, analyzing predictions, data, and opinions, and our AI assigns a confidence level to each prediction. We then average these levels to produce an 'expert opinion' win probability—reflecting the collective intelligence of the industry's leading NHL experts.
New York Islanders vs. Nashville Predators odds
Here are the latest odds for this NHL matchup as the New York Islanders host the Nashville Predators at home on Saturday, March 01.
| New York Islanders | Nashville Predators | |
|---|---|---|
| HOME_AWAY | -134 (via FanDuel Sportsbook) | +115 (via BetMGM Sportsbook) |
New York Islanders vs. Nashville Predators preview
The Nashville Predators and New York Islanders are set to face off at UBS Arena in a crucial matchup between two teams fighting to stay alive in their respective Wild Card races.
Both teams enter Saturday's contest coming off 2-1 victories, with the Predators notably defeating the league-leading Winnipeg Jets while the Islanders topped the Boston Bruins.
The Predators have historically dominated this matchup, winning an impressive 10 of their last 11 meetings with the Islanders, including six of seven on New York's home ice.
Nashville's offense has been led by Filip Forsberg, who tops the team with 22 goals and 32 assists for 54 points, while goaltender Juuse Saros (13-24-6) has posted a respectable 2.88 GAA despite his challenging record.
For the Islanders, Anders Lee has been the offensive catalyst with a team-leading 23 goals and 41 points, sharing the points lead with Bo Horvat, who leads the team with 22 assists.
Both teams have struggled with consistency this season, with Nashville averaging 2.6 goals per game (31st in NHL) and the Islanders particularly weak on special teams, ranking last in both power play (11.3%) and penalty kill (70.2%).
The Predators will be missing several players including Zachary L'Heureux and Jeremy Lauzon, while the Islanders will be without key contributor Mathew Barzal among others.
With both teams coming off tight victories and their recent head-to-head history trending toward lower-scoring affairs, fans can expect a closely contested battle as these teams look to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Given Nashville's recent success against New York and the Islanders' special teams struggles, the Predators appear poised to continue their dominance in this matchup despite their underdog status.
Key stats
- 1Islanders (14th in East) and Predators (14th in West) are both struggling near bottom of their conferences
- 2Both teams have identical 26 wins, but Predators have played 58 games vs Islanders' 59
- 3Islanders' recent form WLLLL vs Predators' WLLWW shows Predators have better momentum
- 4Islanders have better defensive record (172 GA) compared to Predators (190 GA) in similar games played
New York Islanders vs. Nashville Predators form
New York Islanders vs. Nashville Predators head to head
New York Islanders
17%
Nashville Predators
83%
Apr 6, 2024
New York Islanders
2 : 0
Nashville Predators
Jan 14, 2024
Nashville Predators
3 : 1
New York Islanders
Dec 3, 2022
New York Islanders
1 : 4
Nashville Predators
Nov 18, 2022
Nashville Predators
5 : 4
New York Islanders
Dec 10, 2021
New York Islanders
3 : 4
Nashville Predators
Oct 30, 2021
Nashville Predators
3 : 2
New York Islanders
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