New York Islanders at Boston Bruins odds, picks and predictions
The New York Islanders (5-3-3) and Boston Bruins (10-1-1) meet in a Thursday contest on Bruin home ice. The opening puck drop at TD Garden will be at 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's lines around the Islanders vs. Bruins odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
New York is coming off a 4-2 Tuesday home loss against the Minnesota Wild. It was the team's 3rd in a row (0-2-1) at home, but the Islanders' last 2 road games resulted in shutout wins.
The Bruins last played on Monday, defeating the Dallas Stars 3-2 on the road. The win was a bounce-back after Boston had dropped its 1st regulation game Saturday, a 5-4 setback at the Detroit Red Wings.
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Islanders at Bruins odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access Paste BN Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:33 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Islanders +120 (bet $100 to win $120) | Bruins -145 (bet $145 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Islanders +1.5 (-210) | Bruins -1.5 (+170)
- Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: +100 | U: -120)
Islanders at Bruins projected goalies
Ilya Sorokin (3-1-3, 3.12 GAA, .911 SV%) vs. Linus Ullmark (4-1-1, 2.30 GAA, .926 SV%)
Sorokin is off to a bit of a slow start for him. The Vezina Trophy finalist the last 2 seasons has allowed 4 goals or more in 4 of his last 5 starts.
Ullmark last played Saturday, coughing up 5 goals to the the Detroit Red Wings. He's allowed 4-plus in 2 of his last 3 starts.
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Islanders at Bruins picks and predictions
Prediction
Bruins 3, Islanders 2
Moneyline
No profit margin here: PASS.
Puck line/Against the spread
The Isles are a slight lean here, but a) we should want a price of -190 or better to get enough leverage, and b) New York's game-to-game numbers don't inspire enough confidence. PASS.
Over/Under
The total has gone Under in 5 of New York's last 6 games on the road. The total has also gone Under in 4 of Boston's last 5 games and in 5 of the Bruins' last 6 games on home ice.
The Islanders own a scuffling powerplay (15.2%, 24th NHL) and are up against the league-leading team in killing off penalties (Boston 94% PK). The Bruins are a talented team, but they don't pile up shots and have yet to score more than 4 goals in a single game.
The goaltenders both have some regression-to-better-numbers days ahead, Sorokin has been hurt by 7 powerplay goals; his .926 SV% in even-strength situations has him in line with the fine numbers he has posted the last 2 years.
In a match-up that features the 30th-ranked road-team scoring (Islanders 2.00 GPG) against the No. 5 defense-at-home squad (Boston 2.00 GAA) and the No. 1 road-team defense (Islanders 1.00 GAA), BACK THE UNDER 5.5 (-120).
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