The New York Islanders will take on the Columbus Blue Jackets in NHL action on Friday.
New York has had a decent season but there are many areas it will look to improve in the coming days. Placed second in the Eastern Conference Metropolitan Division with 26 points, they will look to sustain it and take the momentum forward into the playoffs.
Columbus's inconsistency has made it suffer this season. Placed last in the Eastern Conference Metropolitan with 15 points, will have to play every game in a do-or-die situation to sustain their hopes of making it into the playoffs this season.
Islanders vs. Blue Jackets Odds
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Islanders vs. Blue Jackets Match Details
Fixture: Islanders vs. Blue Jackets
Date & Time: Friday, November 25; 8 p.m. EDT
Venue: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH
Islanders vs. Blue Jackets Key Stats
New York's offense has performed decently this season, scoring over three goals per game on average. Both Brock Nelson and Mathew Barzal are the mainstays of this offense and have done amazingly well this season. They have over 40 goal involvements in between and will be crucial in the upcoming game.
Their defense has done well in the second part of the season and has brought the average goal conceded per game to 2.62 with the help of the goaltenders. They have been brilliant with a combined save percentage of 0.927.
Columbus's offense revolves around Johnny Gaudreau, who has 18 goal contributions in 19 games. Apart from him, no one has made any positive impact and which has made the offense one of the weakest in the league. They have to strengthen it if want to progress into the playoffs.
While defending, the team had no joy either with over 80 goals conceded at a rate of 4.26 goals per game. The defense needs attention and a lot of effort coming into the game and the season ahead for a positive impact on the results.
Islanders vs. Blue Jackets Betting Prediction
New York has won five its last six Friday games and has four wins in four games against Columbus. Its better offense gives the advantage to exploit the weak defense of Columbus to score more in this game.
Meanwhile, Columbus has failed to do well against a high-scoring team and is 12-26 in their last 38 games overall. The home team has won four out of five home games but has a very inconsistent defense, which is concerning coming into the game.
All factors point towards New York's win due to better offense and defense.
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