New York Islanders vs Minnesota Wild Prediction 2/8/25 NHL Picks

The New York Islanders and the Minnesota Wild meet Saturday in NHL action from the Xcel Energy Center. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a New York Islanders vs. Minnesota Wild prediction.

New York Islanders Recap

The New York Islanders come into this game looking to bounce back from a 4-3 loss at the hands of the Winnipeg Jets last time out to sit at 25-22-7 on the year. After this game, the Islanders will have their two-week break for the Four Nations Cup.

Islanders Looking For Consistency Going Into Break

Anders Lee leads the Islanders in scoring with 40 points including 22 goals and 18 assists while Kyle Palmieri has 35 points split between 15 goals and 20 assists. Bo Horvat has 40 points with 19 goals and 21 assists while Brock Nelson has 33 points with 16 goals and 17 assists. Simon Holmstrom has 30 points with 14 goals and 16 assists and Maxim Tsyplakov has 23 points with 7 goals and 16 assists. Ilya Sorokin has gone 20-15-4 with a 2.63 GAA and a .904 save percentage in goal for the Islanders while Semyon Varlamov is 3-4-3 with a 2.89 GAA and an .889 save percentage this season. Marcus Hogberg has also gone 2-2 with a 1.45 GAA and a .947 save percentage as well on the year.

Why the New York Islanders will win

• The Islanders have won each of their last nine Saturday games.
• The Wild have lost each of their last two games as home favorites against opponents who are on the second leg of a back-to-back.
• The Islanders have covered the puck line in each of their last 11 Saturday games.
• The Wild have failed to cover the puck line in seven of their last eight games as home favorites following a win.

Minnesota Wild Recap

The Minnesota Wild come into this one looking to build on their 2-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes last time out to improve to 32-19-4 on the year. After this game, Minnesota will also have their two-week layoff for the Four Nations Cup.

Wild Looking To Enter Break On High Note

Kirill Kaprizov leads the Wild with 52 points including a team-high 23 goals and 29 assists while Matt Boldy has 45 points including 18 goals and 27 assists. Marco Rossi has 44 points with 17 goals and 27 assists while Mats Zuccarello has 35 points with 12 goals and 23 assists. Brock Faber also has 21 points with 15 assists of his own this season. Filip Gustavsson has gone 20-11-3 with a 2.66 GAA and a .913 save percentage in goal for Minnesota while Marc-Andre Fleury is 11-5-1 with a 2.60 GAA and a .908 save percentage on the year. Jesper Wallstedt is 0-2 with a 4.09 GAA and an .843 save percentage this season.

Why the Minnesota Wild will win

• The Wild have won each of their last six games against the Islanders.
• The Islanders have lost 11 of their last 12 road games on the second leg of a back-to-back.
• The Wild have covered the puck line in 11 of their last 12 night games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
• The Islanders have failed to cover the puck line in six of their last seven road games on the second leg of a back-to-back.

Total Goals Facts

• Each of the Wild’s last five home games against Metropolitan Division opponents have gone UNDER the total goals line.
• Four of the Islanders’ last five games against Central Division opponents have gone OVER the total goal line.

New York Islanders vs. Minnesota Wild Prediction

I’m leaning towards the under here. I don’t necessarily trust the Wild at home, but this has been a tough matchup to back the Islanders in historically, as New York has lost the last 6 meetings between these two teams and 5 of the last 7 meetings in Minnesota. However, the meetings, regardless of who wins, have usually been low-scoring and Minnesota’s had offensive issues for the better part of the last week while the Islanders are no strangers to low-scoring battles as well. Give me the under here.