The Minnesota Wild visit the New York Islanders on Friday night at UBS Arena. Puck drop is set for 7:30 PM ET. Minnesota is in a tight race for a wild card spot, sitting at 41-35-4-3. New York has fallen out of the playoff picture with a 32-42-8-2 record and has lost six in a row.
This is the second meeting this season between the teams. The Wild beat the Islanders 6-3 on February 8. Minnesota has also won five of the last seven head-to-head matchups dating back to 2023. In their last five games, the Wild have allowed 22 goals and scored just 12, while the Islanders have given up 26 goals during their losing streak.
Wild Preview – Fighting for a Wild Card Spot
Minnesota has dropped three straight and five of its last six games, but the team still holds a playoff spot. The Wild picked up a point in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Rangers on Wednesday. Marco Rossi scored his 20th goal of the season and has 40 total points. Gustav Nyquist leads the team with 66 points, including 41 assists.
Brock Faber and Gustav Nyquist both had multi-point games in the loss. Marcus Johansson added a goal and two assists. Filip Gustavsson made 34 saves but has given up at least four goals in three of his last four starts. He’s now 29-17-6 on the season with a .916 save percentage. Marc-Andre Fleury has served as the backup, going 12-9-1 with a .903 save percentage in his starts.
The Wild are missing top scorer Kirill Kaprizov and center Joel Eriksson Ek, both out with lower-body injuries. In their absence, Matt Boldy, Mats Zuccarello, and Frederick Gaudreau are expected to carry the scoring load. Johansson, Hartman, and Foligno round out a physical forward group. Minnesota ranks 20th in goals per game and sits 12th in goals allowed. Their penalty kill is operating at 73%, and their power play has converted on 20.5% of chances.
Islanders Preview – Season Spiraling Late
New York has lost six in a row and is all but eliminated from playoff contention. The team fell to Tampa Bay 4-1 on Tuesday and now has just 74 points. Head coach Patrick Roy criticized Anthony Duclair after that loss, and Duclair has since stepped away from the team. The Islanders must win out and get help from other teams to have any shot at a playoff spot.
Bo Horvat leads the Islanders with 34 goals and 62 points. Noah Dobson has had a strong season from the blue line, recording 63 points. Kyle Palmieri and Anders Lee have provided scoring support, but the team ranks in the bottom third of the league in goals per game. Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Casey Cizikas continue to center the lower lines, giving the team some depth and faceoff strength.
Ilya Sorokin is expected to start in goal and has faced a high volume of shots this year. He has a .908 save percentage with 24 wins. Backup Semyon Varlamov is out for the season. The Islanders allow nearly 29 shots per game and have struggled to stay out of the penalty box. Their penalty kill has allowed 44 goals on 163 chances, ranking in the bottom third of the league. Their home record stands at 17-15-5, while they’ve dropped four straight at UBS Arena.
Betting Prediction
The Wild are small road favorites in this one, and for good reason. They’re 22-11-5 away from home and have owned the Islanders recently. Despite missing some key players, Minnesota has more to play for and has been picking up points even in losses. They’ve won seven of the last ten meetings with New York.
New York is reeling and the locker room issues after Roy’s criticism of Duclair add another layer of concern. The Islanders have been outscored 26-10 during their six-game losing streak. Minnesota should take advantage and snap their own slide with a win. Final score prediction: Wild 4, Islanders 2.
Pick: Minnesota Wild -120
