On Long Island, it’s a confrontation between two teams on opposite forms. Several lineup doubts and goalie choices provide an interesting match for some speculations.
Major absences in defense
On Long Island, New York, the season has progressed as usual. The Islanders are realistically fighting for a playoff berth again this season. Somehow the team is sitting on second place in the Metropolitan division, although there’s not much to praise about the way the Islanders are playing.
In terms of expected goal share, the Islanders are accompanied by teams like the Montreal Canadiens and today’s visitors, the Anaheim Ducks. Compared to these teams, the Islanders’ advantage comes down to goaltending. Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov have saved a combined total of .4 goals above average. With goaltending like that, even a mediocre team stands to make the playoffs.
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Before the approaching holiday break, the goalie tandem must deliver particularly strong performances. Why is that, with the upcoming schedule containing the likes of Anaheim and Montreal?
Well, the Islanders are missing Sebastian Aho, Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock from their blueline. Especially the latter two are excellent two-way defensemen who are always hard to replace. The acquisition of Robert Bortuzzo does little to help the current situation.
Same old in Anaheim
In Anaheim, too, the season has gone according to expectations. For the Ducks, this means poor performances and poor results. Anaheim, Chicago, and San Jose form a trio in the West that is far behind the other teams in the conference rankings.
During the away tour, which starts with this game, the Ducks will likely get some help to the lineup. Mason McTavish, the team’s best forward this fall,is day-to-day and likely to return during the road trip. Trevor Zegras, who has been sidelined since the beginning of November, is also close to returning. There is certainly a need for more hands in offense, as the Ducks are 28th in the league with a 2.59 goals average.
Anaheim’s surprise win looks good
The Islanders may start with their backup, but I refuse to make any significant deductions even if Varlamov gets the nod. This is the best goalie in the league who plays a clear backup role. Anaheim hasn’t confirmed their starter either. However, John Gibson plays a lot and is a likely starter in that sense.
The odds are slightly too tilted in the hosts’ direction with Unibet offering +225 for the visitors’ Tie No Bet in regular time. Giving an accurate estimate is tricky in this game due to many lineup questions. In any case, odds better than +200 are simply too high for this selection. Let’s go for a surprise with a couple of units. That is enough for a substantial return if the Ducks manage to pull off a surprise win, and we also get an insurance in case of overtime action.
Tip: Tie No Bet – Anaheim Ducks @ +225
Units: 2/10
The match will start on 12/13/2023 at 7:30 PM EST.
The odds are from the time of publication of the article and are subject to change.
Esa Kostet
X: @konekostet
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Register and Bet $25 on any match (min odds +100). Win or lose, you’ll get $100 in bonus bets!
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