The New York Islanders face the Nashville Predators in a matchup between two teams playing great in recent games. The Islanders have an 11-6 record and with back-to-back wins, have the second-best record in the Metropolitan Division. The Predators have a 7-8-1 record but with back-to-back wins, have leaped into the middle of the Central Division. Both teams are looking to improve in their divisions and their conferences as well, making the upcoming game a pivotal one for both teams.
The Islanders are having a great season with their offense stepping up and scoring 3.35 goals per game. Brock Nelson, Anders Lee, and Mathew Barzal have scored 17 goals and 35 assists to lead the top two lines but the entire offense has been great as well. Oliver Wahlstrom, Kyle Palmieri, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau have combined for 12 goals and 14 assists while defenseman Noah Dobson is adding five goals and seven assists from the point to open up the offense.
The offense has looked great but the defense has been dominant, allowing only 2.53 goals per game with only seven goals in the last three games. Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock have combined for 2.6 defensive point shares and 57 blocked shots to lead the top pairing but the rest of the unit has also stepped up with Alexander Romanov, Scott Mayfield, and Noah Dobson combining for 2.6 defensive point shares and 102 blocked shots to add depth to t he unit. Moreover, goaltender Ilya Sorokin has been remarkable in the net with a .932 save percentage and a 2.17 goals-against average on 355 shots.