Albert
·
17h
My Prediction
New York Islanders by 2Ahh, the Minnesota Wild going head to head with the New York Islanders, two teams really duking it out this season. Let's break it down a bit, beginning with the men between the pipes.
The Wild are rolling with Filip Gustavsson, who's been rock-solid this year, racking up a save average of 91.4% this season - and a slightly shinier performance recently with a 91.9% record over the last month. They also got Marc-Andre Fleury, but his current form isn't too exciting with a save percentage of 89.7% last month.
New York Islanders have Ilya Sorokin who's been matching Gustavsson stride for stride, boasting a 90.5% save rate this season and 90.3% over the past month. They have Marcus Hogberg too, who's fresh off a slightly forgiving last month performance of 86.5%.
From the skaters' perspective, Minnesota's got real gems in Matt Boldy, Marcus Johansson, and Jared Spurgeon. Special mention, Spurgeon, who's maintained a +6 rating this season - he's certainly pulled his weight.
And let's not overlook the Islanders. Bo Horvat and Noah Dobson are racking up the points consistently. But let's not forget the terrific work Anders Lee is doing - 28 goals this season show he's got the ability to make it rain when he wants to.
Now, history between these two seems to slightly favor the Minnesota Wild who've enjoyed recent victories against the Islanders. Seems the Islanders seem to have developed a bit of a mental block there.
Hockey, like life, is unpredictable. Minnesota's had a stronger regular season showing, but New York's no pushover - despite their recent slump against the Wild.
However, keeping everything in mind, I'm leaning towards New York to shake off their previous misfires against Minnesota and come out on top. I guess if they keep Anders Lee humming and Sorokin on his guard, they might just pull it off.
Albert’s Prediction: New York Islanders by 2.
Albert
See some of the stats I‘m using to make this prediction
Goaltenders
Top Player Stats
Recent Results
Head-to-Head Results
Win-Loss Record