It has been a slippery slope into the Recent Yr for the Golden Knights, who’ve dropped seven of their last nine games.
You could possibly blame the poor results on a severe case of the injury bug, however the defending champions have struggled mightily when given ripe opportunities. The Knights are 7-for-35 on the ability play on this losing span, including going 0-for-6 with an prolonged two-man advantage in Thursday’s 4-1 loss to the Panthers.
On the reverse, Florida buried three power-play goals and the Knights’ special teams have sunk to No. 16 overall on each the ability play and penalty kill.
Logan Thompson’s play has dipped within the absence of Adin Hill as he has allowed several soft goals in recent starts; he has did not hold a .900 save percentage in seven of his last 10. Thompson finds himself in a critical spot to reply after coach Bruce Cassidy implied to the media his game must be higher.
The Islanders come into Las Vegas on Friday after an emphatic rebound against Arizona following a frustrating time beyond regulation loss to Colorado.
Bo Horvat tallied 4 points within the 5-1 victory, lifting himself to second on the club in points with 38. It’s guys equivalent to Horvat, Anders Lee and Mathew Barzal who’ve compensated with production despite some erratic results.
There was defensive lapses, and though Ilya Sorokin has had some hiccups, he’s managed to fortify the Isles enough with 7.6 goals saved above expected. Recent York allows the second-most shots against within the league at 32.3.
Sorokin plays his best hockey when opposing shooters make him work. He’s 7-2-6 when he’s faced 35-or-more shots.
The Knights are a top-10 team in getting pucks on net, but their shots convert on the Nineteenth-best rate.
Within the meantime, they’ve been stale at five-on-five play through their dry run, which should cause some congestion against an Islanders team that’s been underwhelming with puck possession all 12 months.
Betting on the NHL?
Each teams remain within the thick of their respective divisions with insecure claims to second place heading into Saturday’s puck drop.
With Vegas in desperate need of 60 stiff minutes of hockey and the Islanders chasing momentum of their season, there ought to be no jackpots in Sin City.
The play: Islanders-Golden Knights Under 6.5 (-140 FanDuel)
