Philadelphia Flyers vs New York Islanders: the Hosts to Win

The day before, the Islanders beat Philadelphia 4:1. Will Mike Yeo’s team take revenge on the Islanders in the upcoming game? Check the teams’ conditions and expert betting tips. Several betting options are available!

Philadelphia is getting used to being an NHL underdog. Last time they were a formidable force in the first half of the previous regular season when there was no doubt that they would make the playoffs, but in the end, they managed to fail, flying past the cup battles. Now the Orange is having a fragile season. They already had a 10-match losing streak in December. Now they’re close to repeating that lousy stretch, having lost in their last eight games. Unless something unbelievable happens, the Flyers will again be without a playoff spot. Currently, they occupy 12th place in the Eastern Conference standings.

The Islanders were considered the top contenders for the Stanley Cup before the start of the current regular season, but things turned out quite differently. The Islanders could be prepared for a 13-game road trip, but the coronavirus outbreak was too unpleasant. As a result, the New York team suffered 11 losses in a row back in the fall, but gradually, things began to get better. Barry Trotz’s charges have won four of their last five games to move into 13th place in the Eastern Conference standings, and they still have several games left to play. 

Philadelphia and the Islanders are currently on opposite lines in the Eastern Conference standings, but that doesn’t mean they are in the same shape. While the Flyers are currently in another crisis, the Islanders are gradually recovering, winning four of their last five games. Moreover, the Pennsylvanians have been unable to beat the New York club in six head-to-head encounters, including a 1:4 loss the day before. As a result, a bet on the Islanders victory in the match is inevitable.

Brock Nelson has been one of the most stable players of the Islanders for the last decade. Even in the current troubled season, the American consistently records productive performances. He currently has only 15 points (11 goals + 4 assists), but he also played in only 22 games. Gradually he is getting used to the level he used to, and the day before, he scored once against Philadelphia and assisted once against Anthony Beauvillier. Based on this, the optimal variant for the forecast looks like a total over 0.5 points by Brock Nelson.

Islanders is one of the most defensive teams in the NHL. In the conditions in which they find themselves now, it is naive to assume that they will fly to the attack with all their might. The Islanders have scored only 156 goals (5.03 goals per game average) in 31 regular-season games, which is very modest for the tournament’s standards. In their head-to-head encounters with Philadelphia, the New York team has always played cautiously, as evidenced by the 15 goals scored in their previous five ties (3.00 average per game). In this situation, it is worth looking at a bet on a total under 5.5.