The Islanders are rolling. The Lightning are rolling. And that is the third recreation between these two groups in two weeks. This one ought to have a playoff-like really feel to it.
The Lightning are slight favorites on the street towards the Isles, who will probably be inducting Pat LaFonantaine into the group’s Corridor of Fame earlier than puck drop on Saturday.
Islanders vs. Lightning odds, prediction
The largest information for this one is that Bo Horvat is nearly sure to overlook the sport. The main goalscorer on Lengthy Island fell awkwardly in Thursday’s win over the Geese, however it does look like the worst-case situation has been averted. Horvat was labeled “day-to-day” by head coach Patrick Roy.
The excellent news for the Islanders is that they’re much higher outfitted to deal with this type of loss than they have been in seasons previous. When Mat Barzal and Anthony Duclair have been out long-term final yr, the Isles needed to patch collectively a lineup with a handful of AHLers. This roster is far deeper, with Jonathan Drouin and/or Max Tsyplakov more likely to slot in on Saturday.
It’s nonetheless a nasty factor for the Islanders — Horvat has been lights out all season and is among the many NHL’s leaders in objectives — however it’s not a loss of life knell. It does make Saturday’s tilt far more difficult, although.
After a quick stumble with a depleted lineup, the Lightning have course-corrected by scoring 14 objectives of their final two video games. We knew that this offense was going to be a beast with Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Level, Brandon Hagel and Jake Guentzel, however it’s the protection that makes the Bolts a Stanley Cup contender as soon as once more.
Betting on the NHL?
Tampa is the fourth-best group within the NHL at stopping high-danger scoring possibilities this season, and so they rank eighth in anticipated objectives allowed at 5-on-5. With Andrei Vasilevskiy in type, it’s no surprise Tampa sits fourth within the circuit in objectives towards per recreation.
The Islanders have been a bit messy in their very own zone for many of this season, however issues are getting higher in that division on the Island, and Ilya Sorokin has carried out like among the finest goaltenders within the NHL for the reason that begin of November.
The road has adjusted a bit an excessive amount of in favor of the Lightning due to Horvat’s absence, however a play on the Underneath 5.5 at plus-money looks as if a savvy guess on Saturday.
The Play: Underneath 5.5 (+105, FanDuel)
Why Belief New York Submit Betting
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, however a long-profiting sports activities bettor with 10 years of expertise within the playing business. He loves utilizing recreation principle to assist punters win bracket swimming pools, discover lengthy photographs, and discover ways to beat the market in mainstream and area of interest sports activities.
