New York Islanders vs Detroit Red Wings Prediction – 12/16/2025

The New York Islanders head to Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday night to face the Detroit Red Wings in an important Eastern Conference matchup. Both clubs enter this contest in contention in their respective divisions and looking like potential playoff teams. Before the action begins in this game from Detroit, continue reading to get my Islanders vs Red Wings prediction.

Our Islanders vs Red Wings Pick

Game Snapshot

• Matchup: New York Islanders vs Detroit Red Wings
• Date & Time: Tuesday, December 16, 2025, 7:05 PM ET
• Venue: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
• Broadcast: ESPN+

Key Storylines

Recent Form

The Islanders have been enjoying a strong December stretch with three wins in a row coming into this game. They enter off a shootout victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York sits in second place in the Metropolitan Division going into this contest. The Red Wings have also been trending positively with four wins in their last five games. Detroit shut out the Chicago Blackhawks in their last game and they will try to find more success on defense here.

Goaltending

Detroit goalie John Gibson has delivered strong recent performances, including a shutout in his last outing. But he still has room for improvement with a 3.13 GAA on the season and a save percentage of .890. The Islanders typically hand the netminding duties to Ilya Sorokin, who has posted a respectable save percentage of .912 and a 2.50 GAA. The Isles have a slight goaltending advantage going into this contest.

Key Skaters

• Alex DeBrincat (DET): Red Wings leader in points with 18 goals and 19 assists this season.
• Bo Horvat (NYI): Islanders’ top scorer, though he is listed as day-to-day going into this game.
• Emil Heineman & Max Shabanov (NYI): Emerging contributors for New York after breakout performances against Detroit earlier this season.

Best Player Props

Betting Trends & H2H

• The Islanders are 2-0 against the Red Wings this season, winning once at home and once on the road against Detroit.
• The Islanders outscored the Red Wings 12-2 in those two games.
• New York is 17-16 on the puckline to start the season.
• Detroit is 16-17 on the puckline in their games thus far.

Islanders vs Red Wings Model Projection

Final Thoughts

Jay Sanin

Jay Sanin is the GM and Head of Sports at ATS.io. He has been writing about sports gambling since 2013, handicapping tens of thousands of sporting events. He plays sides and totals aggressively across most sports and is more selective in player prop markets. He does his own modeling across most sports, and his family is jealous of how much time he spends on his precious spreadsheets.