Islanders vs. Ducks prediction: Odds, picks, and best bet for Thursday’s NHL showdown at UBS Arena

· New York Post

The Islanders are quietly making noise.

Sitting six games above NHL .500, the Isles are in the thick of the Metropolitan Division race and have the look of a playoff team as we head towards the holidays. Perhaps most encouraging is the fact that the Islanders are sitting in a good spot despite playing the toughest schedule in the NHL this season.

After a stretch of five games in a row against the last six Stanley Cup winners, the Isles face the division-leading Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night.

Islanders vs. Ducks odds, prediction

A long rebuild is finally paying off in Anaheim. The Ducks are on the upswing, and it’s a crop of young playmakers who are leading the charge.

Leo Carlsson, 20, leads the team with 38 points in 30 games, but he’s got two other youngsters, Cutter Gauthier, 21, and rookie Beckett Sennecke, 19, putting up eye-popping numbers, too.

While the young guns are leading the way, the Ducks have done a terrific job of mixing in veterans to help shoulder the load at both ends of the ice. Chris Kreider is scoring a goal every other game, Jacob Trouba looks like a new player alongside Jackson LaCombe, and a bottom six featuring old hands like Alex Killorn, Ryan Strome, Mikael Granlund, and Ryan Poehling will push play in the right direction against other checking lines.

Betting on the NHL?

There is so much to like about how Anaheim has started the season, but there is one glaring red flag in the numbers. The Ducks are leaking oil defensively. Anaheim has been able to outscore its defensive warts thus far, but no team is going to be able to excel while allowing the most high-danger scoring chances at 5-on-5 in the NHL.

The Islanders know this better than most teams, as they rank 30th in high-danger scoring chances allowed on the season. That said, the Isles have improved that part of their game over the last 10 contests, while the Ducks have not.

Leo Carlsson leads the Ducks with 38 points. Getty Images

Eventually, Anaheim’s defensive issues will catch up with them, and it could come sooner rather than later because the Ducks’ goaltending situation is messy. Lukas Dostal and Petr Mrazek are hurt, leaving No. 3 netminder Ville Husso in charge of the blue paint for now.

The Islanders are still a work in progress, but they’ve got a lot going for them right now. The goaltending has been rock solid, the defense is getting better, and their top guns up front are contributing every night.

The Isles are worth a bet at home on Thursday night, and you can also find value backing Simon Holmstrom to find the back of the net for the second game in a row.

Holmstrom was snakebit for the last month, but the Swede potted a huge goal against the Golden Knights on Tuesday and has proven to be a streaky scorer in the past. With Maxim Shabanov hitting a bit of a cold streak, don’t be surprised if Holmstrom gets bumped up the lineup at some point on Thursday, either.

The Play: Islanders moneyline (-130, BetMGM) | Simon Holmstrom to score a goal (+375, bet365)

Why Trust New York Post Betting

Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.