Welcome back to another NHL Predictions. Each day, our writers here at Last Word on Hockey look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breaks down the key matchups, storylines, and statistics, then makes predictions based on how they might unfold. For this edition, we will look at the New York Islanders taking on the Seattle Kraken. Don’t forget to check out more NHL Predictions, as our writers continue this series throughout the 2025-26 season.
NHL Predictions New York Islanders vs Seattle Kraken
Time: 9:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)
How to Watch TV: HBO Max, TruTV, TNT
2025-26 Season Series: Islanders lead 1-0
This round of NHL Predictions features two out-of-conference opponents who are both in playoff contention so far this season. The Islanders are holding onto second place in the Eastern Conference’s Metropolitan Division with a record of 27-17-5. After 49 games, that is good enough for 59 points. The Kraken, meanwhile, are in sixth place in the Western Conference’s Central Division. Through 48 games played, their record is 21-18-9, good enough for 51 points. These two teams met once already on Long Island, where the Islanders won 1-0 in a shootout. They now play for the second and final time, this time at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington.
The Islanders Story
The Western road trip continues as the Islanders have alternated wins and losses for the last six games on this trip. The offence has remained inconsistent in these games. In three of the games, they scored two goals or fewer, and in the other three, they scored four or more. This play has them sitting at 22nd in the league in goals for per game at 2.88. The impact of Bo Horvat being out of the lineup is being felt in that department. He still leads the team with 21 goals on the season. Mathew Barzal has done the best he can filling that role. He leads the team with 40 points in 48 games, including five assists in the last six games. Anthony Duclair has stepped up big time in an elevated role and is the team’s hottest skater at the moment. He scored two goals last game, bringing his point total to nine in the seven games. He has given the team a much-needed shot in the arm offensively, and we will see if this continues when Horvat eventually returns to the lineup.
Defensive and goaltending play remain this team’s strong suit. They are a top-five team based on goals against per game, ranking third with 2.69. Their penalty kill ranks eighth in the league with a 82.4% kill rate. Led by 18-year-old Matthew Schaefer, who continues to impress in his rookie season. He has four assists in the last two games and has cracked the scoresheet in six of the nine games since the beginning of the month. The anchor of the team is Ilya Sorokin. He has won four of his last five starts while posting at least a .905 save percentage in each of the wins. That has his record at 16-11-2 with a .915 save percentage. He and David Rittich remain one of the best tandems in the league. Rittich is 11-6-3 with a .906 save percentage. Neither goalie is confirmed for this game yet.
The Kraken Story
Seattle has hit the skids coming into this game. Their losing streak sits at four games in a row. They have scored two goals or fewer in two of those games. Offensivley they rank 25th in the league in goals for with 2.75. They can hurt you on the powerplay with the 10th-ranked unit in the league with a 23.4% conversion rate. The offensive production they do get comes from their top line. Linemates Matty Beniers and Jordan Eberle are tied for the team lead in points with 31. Beniers has been hot recnelty racking up six goals and seven assists in the last 15 games. Eberle, on the other hand, has three points in the last five and is the team’s leading goal scorer with 17.
Defensivley they rank better than they do offensively. Ranking 13th in goals against per game with 2.98. However, in their last three games, they have allowed four or more goals. They have been hurt by one of the worst penalty kills in the league. Their unit ranks 31st in the league with a 71.9% kill rate. Another thing that has hurt them has been goaltending. Starter Joey Daccord has lost three straight starts and has given up at least three goals in all five appearances this month. Backup Philipp Grubauer has been the better of the two recently. He was roughed up in his last game, but before that one, he was on a stretch of four wins with just one goal allowed in each game. It is unclear which goalie will be in the net for this contest.
Prediction
Coming into this game, neither team has been lighting the world on fire. The islanders have been on and off, winning and losing games. The Kraken are on a four-game slide. When looking at this matchup, however, the Islanders are the better team and hold most of the advantages. Offensively, defensively and goaltending-wise, New York ranks better than Seattle. Although the Kraken do have the home ice advantage, this is the last game on a long road trip for the Islanders. In the end, though, we don’t think that will be enough to tip the scales, and the Islanders end their West Coast trip with a win.
Prediction: Islanders win 4-2
Prop Bets
According to the popular sportsbooks, the Islanders are the road favourites. We like their moneyline at -118 in this game. The over/under is set at 5.5. With the Islanders’ offence coming off a four-goal game and the Kraken letting in a lot of goals recently, we would take the over at -122. As far as anytime goal scorers, for the Islanders, take Anthony Duclair at +260. As mentioned before, he is the team’s hottest forward, so ride the hot hand here. For the Kraken, take Jordan Eberle at +230. He is his team’s leading goal scorer and playing a revenge game against his former team, so look for him to make them pay tonight.
Main Photo: Steven Bisig – Imagn Images
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