Red Wings-Islanders prediction, odds, picks: NHL best bets

The Detroit Red Wings were one of the best stories of the NHL one week ago.

Sitting near the top of the standings with a 5-1-0 record and scoring goals for fun, the Wings had the look of a potential gatecrasher in the Atlantic Division. 

A trio of losses later and it seems like the hockey world has moved on from the feel-good Red Wings in favor of other surprising upstarts like the Montreal Canadiens or Vancouver Canucks. 

Narratives and form can change in the blink of an eye in the NHL, and if the Wings fall to the New York Islanders on Monday night we could see even more folks abandon what was a quickly-filling bandwagon just a few days ago.

Detroit Red Wings vs. New York Islanders prediction 

The Islanders should be pretty pleased with how the 2023-24 season has started. The Isles have yet to find their best level — at least defensively — but sit with a 4-2-1 record through a pretty tough schedule.

The Isles have generally won the games they were supposed to win (Buffalo, Arizona and Ottawa at home, plus Columbus on the road), while they fell short in the contests where they were underdogs (New Jersey and Colorado at home, plus Buffalo on the road on the second night of a back-to-back).

The Isles have had some vintage defensive performances — they gave up very little in wins over the Sabres and Coyotes and they were sturdy enough in a victory in Columbus — but they were wobbly in other contests. They look like a solid team that’s trying to find some consistency in the early stages of the campaign.

One thing that has been consistent, however, has been the goaltending. Ilya Sorokin has been fabulous in his five starts, while Semyon Varlamov has been just as impressive in his two outings. The Isles’ defense may not be at its best right now (and the injury to Scott Mayfield is probably playing a role in that), but the goaltending is holding the fort. 

Betting on the NHL?

It was hard not to be impressed by Detroit’s hot start, but a lot of its success stemmed from an unsustainably high shooting percentage. The addition of Alex DeBrincat will undoubtedly raise this team’s offensive ceiling — something it desperately needed — but the Wings were not going to score on 15.5 percent of their shots all season long. 

Detroit’s offensive output will likely continue to trend down with the team struggling to create scoring chances, but the Wings have done a decent job of limiting quality looks going the other way. They rank seventh in the NHL at limiting high-danger opportunities at 5-on-5 this season.

Add that to the Islanders’ superb goaltending and you have the recipe for a play on the under.

The Bet: Under 6 (-120, DraftKings)