Islanders vs. Coyotes prediction: NHL odds, pick, best bets

The New York Islanders put together a vintage performance in their season-opening win against the Buffalo Sabres.

The Isles were sound defensively, got terrific goaltending from Ilya Sorokin and found a scrappy goal in the third period to earn a 3-2 victory.

The Isles will look to make it 2-for-2 when the Arizona Coyotes skate into town Tuesday night. 

Arizona Coyotes vs. New York Islanders pick

The Coyotes are kicking off the season on a tricky four-game road trip, but going 1-1 so far against the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers is not a bad start at all for this upstart team.

Arizona was far and away the better team in their shootout win in Newark and a 2-1 loss at Madison Square Garden could have gone either way.

A late power play goal by the Blueshirts sunk the Coyotes, who were strong defensively in both contests. 

The Isles were also sound defensively in their win over Buffalo.

The Sabres only generated six high-danger scoring chances and 1.8 expected goals at 5-on-5 against the Islanders, who were able to keep Tage Thompson’s line in check all night. 

Stingy performances are nothing new to the Islanders, but it was certainly an encouraging sign to see the defense in sync right out of the gate. 

The Isles also offered a decent amount going forward too, as the ice was tilted when the Bo Horvat, Mat Barzal and Simon Holmstrom line was on and Brock Nelson’s line contributed two goals. 

All in all, it was a strong performance for the Islanders against a solid opponent. 

The Coyotes are typically a team I like to target as a big underdog, but this price seems fair considering the spot for Arizona and the presence of Ilya Sorokin in the Islanders’ net.

Betting on the NHL?

That said, there is a bet out there that does hold value and it’s not one that very many people play. 

We know the Islanders prefer to grind down their opponents and are comfortable in tight contests, but the Coyotes look like an improved defensive club in their first two performances.

This figures to be a low-event contest and there are two strong goaltenders set square off, so it’s unlikely either team will just run away with this one.

Betting the game to go to overtime at +350 seems like a high-upside bet Tuesday night.