The New York Islanders will be rolling into Detroit to play the Red Wings in what's going to be much more than a casual game of ice stick disc. And if the past matchups between these friendly teams are anything to go by, we have a scramble afoot.
In the cage for New York, we have Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov, both of whom had decent performances last month, keeping the rubber biscuit from reaching the Islanders' net at least 9 out of 10 times. On the other hand, Detroit's sentinels, Cam Talbot and Alex Lyon, have also been doing well. Cam, in particular, seems to have a knack for stopping pucks, flaunting a 92% save rate over the past month.
On the offensive front, the Islanders are banking on the likes of Kyle Palmieri, Bo Horvat, and Anders Lee. Palmieri and Lee both managed to hit the net 5 times last month, which is not bad, though we've seen better. On the Detroit side, Alex DeBrincat popped the net 6 times last month, but his -7 plus-minus isn't doing him any favors. Moreover, Dylan Larkin seems to have found his shot, given his 8 goals last month, even though his -8 plus-minus might leave a few frowning in the stands.
Looking back, the Islanders seem to have a turbulent riding history with the Red Wings, as they won 2 games and lost 3 in the previous meetings.
Glancing at recent results, both teams don't exactly seem to be writing fairy tales. The New York Islanders have been struggling, with four losses in their last five games. Conversely, Detroit seems to have a more balanced record, with two wins and three losses.
But hey, remember this isn't a beauty contest, and the pretty boys don't always get the girl, do they? The team that shows up on game day with the lesser amount of holiday turkey in their belly will get the job done! So put on your hockey hair, coz it's not about how, it's about how many.
Albert's Prediction: New York Islanders by 2
