Once Upon A Time in America Betting Show
New York Islanders (21-14-2) vs. Seattle Kraken (18-12-4)
The 2022-23 NHL season continues Sunday, January 1, with the New York Islanders facing off against the Seattle Kraken in the cross-conference showdown at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington, and the puck drop is set for 8:00 PM ET.
New York and Seattle lock horns for the first time this season. The hosts open as slight favorites, so let’s take a closer look.
The New York Islanders extended their winning streak to three-game this past Thursday. They closed down a three-game homestand with a narrow 2-1 victory over the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets. After a couple of 5-1 victories against the Florida Panthers and Pittsburgh Penguins, the Islanders outshot the Blue Jackets 36-21 but managed to score just a couple of goals. Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Mathew Barzal found the back of the net, while Ilya Sorokin posted 20 saves.
“That’s the way we want to play, be hard to play against,” Pageau said. “When you play well defensively, I always thought that creates offense. … Every team has good players, it’s the NHL, the best l eague in the world. You can’t take any team lightly. They are a hard-working team, well-coached. I thought we did what we had to do to win that game.”
A PPG from Barzal! pic.twitter.com/kJs2uiFTeM
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) December 30, 2022
Ilya Sorokin has guarded the cage in New York’s last five games. The 27-year-old netminder is now 13-11-1 with a strong 2.27 GAA, .926 save percentage, and three shutouts in 2022-23. Semyon Varlamov is injured, so Sorokin should get another starting call Sunday in Seattle.
The Islanders allow 2.65 goals per game (6th in the NHL) and score 3.22 in return (tied-14th). They are only 21-for-112 with the man advantage (27th), but the Islanders boast the sixth-best penalty-killing percentage in the league (82.1%). Brock Nelson leads the way for the Islanders with 15 goals and 22 assists, while Mathew Barzal has eight goals and 28 dishes on his season tally.