The Nashville Predators continue to lord it over the Central Division after notching their third-straight win at the expense of the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday. Just like last season, the Preds are thriving on the strength of a shutdown defense that they hope will show up again when they travel to Brooklyn for a matchup against the New York Islanders. Will the Preds add New York to their list of victims? Or will the Islanders make a mockery of Nashville’s top-rated defense?
For more NHL, you can also read our preview of Blackhawks vs. Capitals here.
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Nashville Predators vs. New York Islanders Betting Preview
[sc:NHL240 ]Pekka Rinne eats pucks for breakfast. The hulking Predators netminder has been astounding to say the least early this season, as Rinne anchors a Nashville’s choking defense that has allowed just two goals in three games.
Rinne was at it again on Tuesday, when he stopped 22 shots to help Nashville achieve a 3-1 win over the Devils. That performance improved Rinne’s record to 3-0 to go along with a 0.67 GAA and .975 SV%, all top three numbers in the NHL.
If Rinne is looking for a challenge, he can get one against an Islanders team that features a bevy of dangerous forwards capable of embarrassing opposing goalies on any given night.
Good thing that Rinne is getting tremendous help from the Preds’ vaunted group of blue liners which helps limit the number of shots the netminder is facing. The impact of Seth Jones, Shea Weber, and Roman Josi, however, goes beyond the defense as these two-way defensemen can also do damage on the offensive end of the ice.
In the New Jersey game, Josi struck twice to tie center Craig Smith as the Preds’ top scorer on the season. Weber and Jones, meanwhile, had 15 goals apiece last season. New York’s defense remains a big question mark, which should make tonight’s game something to look forward to for Nashville’s goal-less first line of Mike Ribeiro, James Neal, and Filip Forsberg.
Don’t look now, but the Islanders are finally on the win column. Following back-to-back setbacks against Chicago to start the season, the Islanders got their first win, as they downed Winnipeg on Monday, 4-2.
Key to New York’s victory was its special team that mercifully found the net after going 0-for-4 on the man advantage in two games against the Blackhawks, as line mates Ryan Strome and John Tavares each scored a power play goal against the Jets.
The Islanders, however, still have to figure out Nashville’s defense on even strength, considering that the Preds’ are 8-for-9 on the penalty kill this season. If the Islanders’ recent form against Nashville was any indication, though, scoring goals shouldn’t be that much of a problem for New York later tonight.
The Islanders went 2-0 in two meetings with the Preds last season, outscoring Nashville, 8-6. Tavares scored two goals and made two assists in that series, in which the Isles also went 2-for-7 on the power play.
Where New York appears shaky, though, is on defense, as goalie Jaroslav Halak’s status remains up in the air because of an upper-body injury. If Halak sits, it’ll likely be Thomas Greiss, who gets between pipes again for New York. Greiss, who stopped 22 shots against the Jets, is 1-0 with a 2.46 GAA and .915 SV% in two starts this season. The Islanders are 3-0 in its last three home games against Nashville.
