Florida Panthers vs New York Islanders Betting Pick & Prediction 3/16/25
Betting on today’s Panthers and Islanders game? Catch the action at UBS Arena in Elmont, NY, as the Islanders hosts this showdown at 7:30 ET on ESPN+. The Panthers are favored by -1.5 in a Eastern conference showdown. The game’s over/under is currently at 5.5 goals.
FLORIDA PANTHERS VS NEW YORK ISLANDERS BETTING PICK
The Pick: New York Islanders +1.5
This game will be played at UBS Arena at 7:30 ET on Sunday, March 16th.
WHY BET THE NEW YORK ISLANDERS:
- Even though they are considered 1.5-goal underdogs, our projection points to a 4-2 win for the Islanders.
- We like the Islanders on the moneyline (+122)
- The Islanders are also our pick on the spread at +1.5
Can the Panthers Live Up to the Hype on the Road?
With a 4-2 win over the Stars, the Panthers improved to 41-23-3. Florida covered the puck line as -1.5 goal favorites, and the total of 6 goals fell short of the 6.5 goal line.
Four different players scored for the Panthers, who took the lead with a goal at 5:15 in the first period. Florida allowed two goals in the second period, but responded with two of their own to secure the win.
Florida’s offense was led by Sam Reinhart, who netted his 10th goal of the season on an empty net. A.J. Greer scored his first goal of the year, while Matthew Tkachuk added his third, and Evan Rodrigues his third as well. The Panthers fired 25 shots on goal and picked up 16 giveaways.
After a first-period goal from Rodrigues, Tkachuk found the net in the second period on a power play. Greer scored at 17:28 in the third period, followed by Reinhart’s empty-netter with a minute left in the game.
On the defensive side, the Panthers will look to carry over their 3rd period performance from their previous game, where they didn’t allow a goal. Spencer Knight made 23 saves with a 92% save percentage, and the Panthers’ defense added 8 takeaways, 22 hits, and 16 blocks. Florida will aim to improve their discipline, as they had 15 penalty minutes, one of which led to a power play goal for the Stars.
Do the Islanders Stand a Chance at Home?
The Islanders fell to 29-29-8 after a 5-2 loss to the Rangers. Entering the game as underdogs on the puck line, the total was set at 6 goals, but the combined 7 goals pushed it over.
After trailing 2-0, Casey Cizikas put the Islanders on the board at 15:22 in the second period. The Rangers responded with another goal, but Brock Nelson scored with just 8 seconds left in the second to make it 3-2. However, the Rangers pulled away with two more goals in the third.
In their 5-2 loss to the Rangers, the Islanders fired 37 shots on goal but only managed to score twice. Casey Cizikas netted his first goal of the season, while Brock Nelson added his fifth, with Nelson’s goal coming just eight seconds before the end of the second period.
New York recorded 23 giveaways and was shut out in the first and third periods. Pierre Engvall picked up his first assist of the season on Cizikas’ goal, and Simon Holmstrom now has four assists this year. Kyle Palmieri and Anders Lee were credited with assists on Nelson’s goal.
Defensively, the Islanders allowed the first goal just 3:44 into the first period and two more in the third, including an empty-netter. Ilya Sorokin made 35 saves with an 89.7% save percentage, while the defense added 12 takeaways and 17 hits.