The Islanders Have All the Pieces to Beat the Odds

The NHL Playoff race is going to be stacked this season, and the New York Islanders are going to be hard-pressed to keep up.

Current NHL betting odds are showing as many as 26 teams with a legitimate shot of making the NHL playoffs, leaving the Montreal Canadiens, Anaheim Ducks, Philadelphia Flyers, Arizona Coyotes and Columbus Blue Jackets on the outside looking in.

But what’s even more interesting has to be the conference breakdowns and how the competition will vary in the East and West this season.

Let’s take a look:

 Eastern Conference Outlook

As of this junction, the Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maples Leafs and New Jersey Devils are projected to reign over the Eastern Conference next season.

All three clubs either maintained their cores or improved upon them with some wheeling and dealing.

The Devils are perhaps the more intriguing of the trio, having burst onto the scene last year as a powerhouse club, they’re now expected to take an even bigger step this season as their top youngsters improve.

They’re followed by the New York Rangers, Florida Panthers, Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators, and Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins; which is where things will get incredibly interesting.

There would only be five spots available for the nine teams listed above; and it’s expected to hit another level from last season.

The Florida Panthers squeaked into the NHL Playoffs last season with a meager 92 points, and, from looking at the way the Eastern Conference has improved in general, you can expect teams would need close to 96 points to make the spring dance this year.

So where does that leave the New York Islanders in the East?

Surprise in the East

The Islanders will have star forward, Mat Barzal fully healthy to start the season; which is always going to be a plus for any team. A full season with Barzal and Bo Horvat on the top line is sure to reinvigorate the Islanders’ offense.

Meanwhile, on the backend, Alexander Romanov and Noah Dobson are expected to improve on last season’s performance, rising to the occasion to complete a very competitive top-4 defensive brigade with Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock.

And, when you have a star goaltender like Ilya Sorokin in net for your team, you have the opportunity to win every game.

It is always possible to beat the odds, as we saw last season, with the Devils, Kraken, and Wild jumping up well beyond where they were expected to land.

It will be an absolute fight from Game 1, but the Islanders could very well be a surprise in the Eastern Conference.

*For more NHL betting lines and futures, head over to FanDuel.