Moneyline Pick - New York Islanders (100): B
With the Islanders at (100) and the Predators at (-118), the moneyline sets up as a classic clash between current form and building history: New York has won two straight, scoring 13 goals in their last two outings behind a locked-in Ilya Sorokin, while Nashville has dropped two of three in the new year despite a 13-7-0 surge since late November. The Predators’ long-term dominance over the Isles in this building and an all-time series edge are real concerns, but they’re also missing Roman Josi on the back end and could again be without Jonathan Marchessault, which puts extra strain on Juuse Saros against an Islanders top six driven by Barzal and Bo Horvat and supported by the emerging Matthew Schaefer from the blue line. New York is also navigating major injuries of its own with Alexander Romanov and Kyle Palmieri out long term, yet the current ESPN-listed roster still looks deeper and more balanced than Nashville’s forward-heavy group, and Sorokin has already shown he can steal games against the Preds even in wild, high-event meetings. In a midseason spot where both clubs sit at or just past 41 games and every point has playoff implications, backing the hotter side at (100) with the goaltending edge and more complete lineup gets a B grade for being a solid but not slam-dunk value play given Nashville’s home-ice narrative. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 08/01/2026 09:50
Over/Under Pick - Over 5.5, (-125): B-
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The total of 5.5 with the Over at (-125) and the Under at (-105) looks aggressive at first glance with Sorokin in form, but recent context and matchup trends push this toward the Over: the Islanders have pumped in 13 goals across their last two games, the Predators just played a 6-2 track meet in Edmonton, and the last two meetings between these teams finished 7-4 and 7-6, showing how quickly things can spiral once special teams and score effects kick in. Nashville’s attack, led by Ryan O’Reilly, Filip Forsberg, Steven Stamkos and Luke Evangelista, has heated up since late November, and even without Josi driving the offense from the blue line, this forward core is capable of trading chances with an Islanders group where Barzal, Horvat, Schaefer and a resurgent Anthony Duclair are all in dangerous form. At the same time, both teams are patching key injuries on the back end — Romanov’s absence for New York and Josi’s for Nashville — which can stress defensive coverage and penalty-kill structure, especially in a game that matters in the wild-card race for each conference and could encourage late pushes with the goalie pulled. Sorokin and Saros are good enough to spoil a ticket, which dings the confidence slightly, but given recent scoring, historical fireworks between these clubs and the defensive attrition on both sides, Over 5.5 at (-125) earns a B- grade as a moderately confident play with fair, if not spectacular, return. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 08/01/2026 09:50
Puckline Pick - New York Islanders, -1.5 (230): C+
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On the puckline, with the Islanders priced around (230) to cover -1.5 and the Predators roughly (-286) to keep it within a goal, the value leans to the plus-money side even if the safer outcome is a tight game in a building where Nashville has historically handled New York. The Islanders have shown real blowout and multi-goal-upside lately — from the 9-0 destruction of the Devils to last season’s 7-4 win over these same Predators, when Sorokin even tacked on a goalie goal — and the combination of New York’s improved five-on-five scoring, Sorokin’s ability to lock things down late, and an injury-thinned Nashville blue line without Josi creates a realistic path to a 4-2 or 5-3 type of result. On the other hand, the Predators’ top-six punch with O’Reilly, Forsberg and Stamkos, plus their strong historical record at Bridgestone against the Isles and their desperation for points around the halfway mark of the season, makes a one-goal decision or an overtime outcome quite live, which drags down the confidence. With that mix of high-risk/high-reward profile, Islanders -1.5 (230) is graded at C+: an upside swing that pairs well with an Islanders moneyline and Over position but should be kept smaller given how often Nashville has kept this matchup within a single shot in recent years. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 08/01/2026 09:50
