The New York Islanders (33-28-9) fight to stay alive in the playoff hunt against the red-hot St. Louis Blues (41-20-10) Saturday at Enterprise Center. Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we look at the Islanders vs. Blues odds and lines, and make our expert NHL picks, predictions and bets.
The Islanders are coming off a big 2-1 road win over the Carolina Hurricanes Friday. The Isles are 7-3 over their last 10 outings and are 11 points out of a playoff spot with 12 games to go.
The Blues hit the ice fresh off a come-from-behind 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild in overtime Friday. The win tied the Blues with the Wild for second place in the Central Division as the two are slated to match up in the first round right now.
Islanders at Blues odds, spread and lines
- Money line: Islanders +120 (bet $100 to win $120) | Blues -145 (bet $145 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Islanders +1.5 (-240) | Blues -1.5 (+175)
- Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: -112 | U: -108)
Islanders at Blues projected goalies
Semyon Varlamov (9-14-2, 2.70 GAA, .919 SV%, 2 SO) vs. Jordan Binnington (13-13-4, 3.25 GAA, .899 SV%, 2 SO)
Varlamov was great in G Ilya Sorokin‘s absence and has won three of his last four starts. He was 5-3-1 with a 3.00 GAA in March, but there were a couple of stinkers in there skewing the numbers upward.
It’s possible we could see G Ville Husso here given how shaky Binnington has been most of the year. Binnington was pulled after allowing 4 goals on 13 shots to the Edmonton Oilers last time out April 1, and the Blues came back and got a point in overtime. Binner was in net for the 2-1 loss at New York just over a month ago when he stopped 18 of 20 shots.
Money line
The Blues were on fire Friday when they fell behind 3-1 less than a minute into the third frame and battled back to tie and eventually win it in overtime. 22-year-old C Robert Thomas has really come of age with 5 goals and 9 assists in the last eight games.
The Islanders have beaten some really good teams, including the Blues, over the last few weeks. They’re going to have trouble maintaining their rhythm at Enterprise. Take the BLUES (-145), but wait and see if it drops when Binnington is announced.
Against the spread
The Blues are a great puck line team at 41-30. Five of their last seven wins in this 10-game stretch have been by 2 or more goals. On the other hand, the Isles play teams close. It’ll take an empty-netter to seal the deal, but let’s put a half-unit on BLUES -1.5 (+175) after Binnington is confirmed.
Over/Under
The Blues have scored 4.1 goals per game over the last 10, which is easily among the best in the league. They also make their share of mistakes that lead to prime slot chances. This 5.5 really sticks out. You should go pound the OVER 5.5 (-112) before Binnington is confirmed, and this potentially goes to 6.5.