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The New York Islanders aren’t dead yet, but they’re close.
The Isles enter Sunday’s game with the Florida Panthers six points out of a playoff spot, but they do have games in hand on the teams ahead of them in the wild-card race.
The Isles also have games left against the Blue Jackets, Rangers, and Canadiens, all of whom stand in between the Islanders and the last wild-card spot.
For those games to mean anything, the Isles will need to start picking up wins.
The Islanders are a +118 home underdog against the Florida Panthers on Sunday.
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Islanders vs. Panthers prediction
There’s no hiding what’s ailing the Islanders lately. It’s a familiar problem for this team, one that stretches back a handful of seasons. The Isles just can’t score enough.
The Islanders have scored just three goals in their last three contests, and they’ve tallied one or fewer in four of their last six contests.
This isn’t a new problem for the Isles. They rank 28th in the NHL in goals per game this season and are dead last on the power play.
Goaltender Ilya Sorokin has been in good form of late, but he’s being asked to do too much for the Isles right now. If Sorokin lets up more than one goal, the Islanders lose.
Islanders vs. Panthers pick
Things won’t get any easier for the Islanders on Sunday night.
The Panthers are in a tough schedule spot traveling on a back-to-back and playing their third game in four nights, but they are the defending champs and the favorites to win the Stanley Cup at most sportsbooks.
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Knowing they can’t go chance-for-chance with the Cats, expect the Islanders to do everything they can to slow this game down. A low-event contest at least gives the Isles a chance to spring an upset.
It’s hard to trust the Islanders in this spot and the number on the Panthers is a bit expensive given their schedule spot. Instead, we’ll back this one to stay under the total.
The Pick: Under 6
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Why Trust New York Post Betting
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.