Can The Islanders Make It Two In A Row Under New Coach?
The Golden Knights vs Islanders NHL Odds Favor the Host Isles to Win
Islanders Turn to Hall of Fame Goalie Roy To Turn Things Around
The New York Islanders defeated one Western Conference power with a win over Dallas in Patrick Roy’s first game as head coach. Can the Islanders do it again versus the defending Stanley Cup champions? The Islanders are favored to make it back-to-back wins according to the Golden Knights vs Islanders NHL odds.
Vegas won the first game between the NHL teams this season and looks to beat the Islanders in consecutive games for the first time since 2018.
The NHL betting lines have the Islanders priced at -145 to win with the Golden Knights listed with +125 odds.
Forwards Jack Eichel and William Karlsson, defenseman Ben Hutton, and goalie Adin Hill are among the Vegas players who continue to be sidelined. Eichel and Karlsson are two of the most productive forwards for the Golden Knights.
For the Islanders, forward Pierre Engvall is questionable while center Casey Cizikas and defenseman Ryan Pulock are out.
Vegas is eight points behind Vancouver in the Pacific Division standings while the Islanders are two points out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Vegas began the season tied for fifth in the odds of winning the Stanley Cup. Those odds have moved from +1100 to +1400 with the championship odds for the Islanders going from +5000 to +6500.
Golden Knights vs Islanders 
Day/Time:
Records: Golden Knights 27-14-6/Islanders 20-15-11
Location: UBS Arena, Elmont, NY
Streaming: Watch Live Sports
Tough Times For the Defending Champions
There have been just two repeat Stanley Cup winners since 1999 and the Vegas Golden Knights are the latest NHL champion to discover how challenging it can be the year after winning it all.
Vegas had won three games in a row before falling in overtime to New Jersey the last time out. The Golden Knights are 3-0-1 in their last four games when playing on the second night of a back-to-back.
Since Dec. 19, Vegas is just 6-8-1 with a -8 goal differential as the Golden Knights have lost 11 points in the NHL standings to Vancouver and 13 to the red-hot Edmonton Oilers. Keep that in mind when looking at the Golden Knights vs Islanders NHL odds.
A lack of offensive punch has been the issue with just 2.67 goals per game being scored and a power play converting on 11.6% of its chances.
The total went over in eight of the last 11 games played by the Golden Knights.
Will A Coaching Change Turn Things Around?
Seeing what happened in Edmonton when the Oilers won 23 of 29 games including the last 13 in a row after making a head-coaching change, the New York Islanders turned to Hall of Fame goalie Patrick Roy after a sluggish start to the NHL season.
The first act was a good one with the Islanders getting an overtime goal by Bo Horvat to top Dallas 3-2 on Sunday to snap a four-game losing streak. That could be factoring into the Golden Knights vs Islanders NHL odds.
While the result was a much-needed one, the Islanders were outshot 43-28 in the NHL game and won just 40% of the faceoffs and that is not a recipe for success.
The total went over in four of the Islanders’ last five road games.
Last Meeting
Jack Eichel and Nicolas Roy each scored twice as the Golden Knights topped the visiting Islanders 5-2 in a game featuring just three penalties.
Vegas had lost its previous two home games to the Islanders. It marked the third time in the last four meetings that the game landed over the total.
Golden Knights vs Islanders Betting Preview
Vegas looks to snap a seven-game losing streak on the road. The Golden Knights have a -16 goal differential on the road since a 6-1 win over Dallas on Dec. 9.
When looking at the NHL stats, Vegas has the highest goals-against average of 4.57 in road games since Dec. 10.
Vegas has won four of its last five games against Eastern Conference teams.
The Islanders are 11-9-4 as the favorite this season while the Golden Knights are 8-7-2 when listed as the underdog by the NHL odds.
The Islanders have covered against the NHL odds in just nine of the 23 home games. Thirteen of those contests landed over the total while 12 of the road games for the Golden Knights did the same.
The total went under in 11 of the last 14 games for the Golden Knights in January while five of the last seven games with Vegas as the underdog also went under the total. The total is set at six goals for this matchup.
The total went over in seven of the last nine games for the Islanders against Pacific Division teams.
Taking the game to go over might be the best way to proceed. However, Vegas at +1.5 could be a solid choice for those who bet online as well.
For NHL betting news, NHL score, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
