Islanders vs Red Wings

Riding a 4-1 run and fresh off a dominant 4-0 win in Chicago to cap a 4-1-1 road trip, Detroit returns home with its top forwards humming, while the Islanders come in on a three-game heater of their own but without leading goal-scorer Bo Horvat and already missing Alexander Romanov and Kyle Palmieri from the regular rotation. With current active rosters confirmed via ESPN, the Red Wings’ forward depth of Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Larkin and Patrick Kane stacks up favorably against an Islanders lineup that now leans heavily on Mathew Barzal and emerging pieces like Emil Heineman, and Detroit’s recent surge (four or more goals in six of the last seven games) contrasts with an Islanders attack that has needed elite goaltending from Ilya Sorokin to survive stretches of being badly outshot. The earlier 7-2 drubbing the Isles handed Detroit in October gives the visitors confidence, but it also heightens the revenge factor for a Red Wings group that has tightened its defensive game in front of a locked-in John Gibson and is back in its own building after banking nine of twelve possible points on the road. With both teams still short of the 41-game mark, this is more about early-season seeding momentum than do-or-die playoff stakes, and the combination of Detroit’s form, home ice and New York’s key injuries makes laying the modest -130 price on the Red Wings a reasonable risk-reward angle worthy of a solid B grade. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 16/12/2025 09:34am

Detroit has quietly turned into one of the more explosive offenses in the league, scoring at least four goals in six of its last seven outings and riding multi-point nights from DeBrincat and Kane on a regular basis, while the Islanders have recently piled up five goals on Anaheim and three on Tampa Bay despite being down multiple regulars, leaning on depth scorers like Anders Lee, Simon Holmstrom and rookies Matthew Schaefer and Cal Ritchie. The earlier meeting between these two finished 7-2 in New York, and although Horvat’s absence trims some finishing talent from the Islanders’ top six, it also forces Patrick Roy to spread minutes and potentially open things up more at five-on-five, especially against a Detroit blue line that may still be without important puck-mover Simon Edvinsson. Sorokin and Gibson are strong enough to scare off an inflated total, but with both teams in form, Detroit’s power play humming, and the Wings driving play at home after lighting up their recent road slate, the path to at least six combined goals (with a push safety net at exactly six) is attractive enough to lean Over 6 at -110 with a B- grade attached. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 16/12/2025 09:34am

The last time these teams met, the Islanders ran Detroit out of UBS Arena 7-2 with big nights from Heineman, Barzal and Tony DeAngelo, but the dynamics have shifted for the rematch: New York is now missing Horvat, Romanov and Palmieri, cutting into both its top scoring line and defensive backbone, while Detroit’s offense has found another gear behind DeBrincat’s scoring streak, Kane closing in on 500 goals and a confident Gibson anchoring the back end. The Red Wings have shown they can extend leads, posting multiple multi-goal victories on their road trip and tightening up late after nearly squandering a 4-0 advantage in Calgary, and they now get last change at home to work matchups against a thinner Islanders forward group that has been forced to punch above its weight. Sorokin remains the main obstacle to a puckline cover and keeps this from grading higher, but given Detroit’s current scoring run, New York’s injury attrition and the emotional payback angle from that October blowout, taking the plus-money swing on Red Wings -1.5 at +192 earns a speculative C+ grade for bettors willing to trade probability for upside. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 16/12/2025 09:34am