Welcome back to another NHL Predictions. Each day, our writers here at Last Word On Hockey look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breaks down the key matchups, storylines, and stats, then makes predictions based on how they might play out. For this installment, we will be making predictions on the New York Islanders versus the Detroit Red Wings .
NHL Predictions New York Islanders vs Detroit Red Wings
Time: 7:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)
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2025-26 Season Series: Islanders lead 1-0
For this NHL Prediction, we have two Eastern Conference teams, both of which have done well to start off this season. The Islanders sit fourth in the Metropolitan Division through 20 games. Their record is 11-7-2, which has them at 24 points and in the top Wild Card spot at the moment. On the other side, the Red Wings lead the Atlantic Division after 20 games. They have a record of 12-7-1 and 25 points in those games. These teams have met once already, and the Islanders won 7-2. That was just about a month ago on Long Island. This time, they will meet at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
The Islanders Story
For the Islanders, they got back into the win column after their four-game winning streak was broken. This came from a 3-2 over the red-hot Dallas Stars . The offence has remained consistent, scoring three or more goals in eight of their last 10 games. This has them ranked 12th in the league in goals for with 3.20 per game. Bo Horvat remains the team leader in points with 24 in 20 games. After scoring a goal in the last game, he is up to 13, which is one off the league lead. Just in the month of November, he has six goals and 12 points in nine games. His linemate, Kyle Palmieri , continues to provide solid point production as well. He has 16 in 20 games, including a shorthanded game-winning goal in the last contest. The 34-year-old winger hasn’t gone more than two straight games without a point all season.
Defensively, things have looked better. In their last six games, they have allowed two goals or fewer in four of them. They rank 19th in goals against per game with 3.10 per game. The penalty kill unit, after three successful kills in the last game, moved into the top ten. They rank ninth at an 82.4% kill rate. This strong play could be hard to continue with Alexander Romanov potentially missing time. He left the last game late with an upper-body injury, and there was no update afterwards. After backup David Rittich picked up the win last time, it will be Ilya Sorokin back in the net for this game. He has started to turn the corner after a rough start to the season. He has only allowed 12 goals over his last six appearances. On the season, he is 6-5-2 with an .898 save percentage.
The Red Wings Story
Detroit comes into this game on a two-game winning streak and winners in three of their last four games. Their offence has been hot recently. In their last four games, they have scored four or more goals in three of them. Their streaky nature has them ranked 18th with 3.00 goals per game. This is a team that loves to put the puck on the net. Currently, they’re fifth in the NHL in shots this season. However, their first line has to do much of the heavy lifting offensively. Dylan Larkin leads the way with his two linemates, Alex DeBrincat and Lucas Raymond . They have 24, 23 and 22 points respectively. The next leading forwards on the team have nine points.
Defensively, they are on par with the Islanders. The two teams are tied in 19th for goals against per game at 3.10 per game. They have been a little inconsistent on this end of the ice. In their last two wins, they have allowed two goals or fewer. However, right before that, there was a run of four games where they allowed four or more goals three times. This could be related to their hot and cold goaltending play. Cam Talbot has had the hot hand; he has won his last three appearances. However, it will be the struggling John Gibson in the net against the Islanders. He did not start in either of the last two wins, and in his last five appearances, he has gone 0-3-1 with an .875 save percentage.
Prediction
Coming into this game, both teams have been playing well and winning hockey games. But when stacking these two teams up, the Islanders have more advantages. Their offence ranks better, and the defence, as mentioned is, for all intents and purposes, tied between the two. However, with the goaltending edge to the Islanders, this tips the scales in their favour. One thing Detroit does have is the home ice advantage for this game, and the Wings are 7-3-1 at home. We don’t think that will be enough to overcome the other facets of the game where New York is better. We think the Islanders finish off their road trip strong at 6-1 in seven games with a win here in Detroit.
Prediction: Islanders win 4-2
Prop Bets
According to the popular sportsbooks, the Islanders are the underdogs for this game. We like their moneyline at +112. The over/under is set at 6.5. That number is a little high, and Ilya Sorokin has been in good form for the Islanders. We would go with the under at -130. As far as an anytime goal scorer, for the Islanders , take Mathew Barzal at +250. He has gone three games without a goal, so we think he is due to get one here. For the Red Wings, take Patrick Kane at +260. He has just one goal in his last six games since returning from injury. He has scored in three of his last four games against the Islanders, so we think this is a matchup to get him back on track.
Main Photo Credit: Rick Osentoski – USA TODAY Sports
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The post NHL Predictions: November 20th New York Islanders vs Detroit Red Wings appeared first on Last Word On Hockey .