In their first of three head-to-head meetings this season, the New York Islanders and the Boston Bruins clash at TD Garden in an Eastern Conference showdown. The puck drops at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 9, and fans at home can witness it live on New England Sports Network.
New York Islanders vs. Boston Bruins Odds
Boston (-140) is currently favored over New York (+120), and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at an even 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -105 for the over and -115 for the under.
New York is 16-12 straight up (SU) and has earned 4.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. 19 of its games have gone over the total, while eight have gone under and just one has pushed. As a road team this season, the Isles are 8-9 SU.
New York has converted on 20.8 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that’s right around league average. Its penalty kill is ranked 31st out of 31 teams, and it’s successfully killed off only 73.3 percent of all penalties.
For the team as a whole, the Isles have been penalized just 3.6 times per game this season, 3.2 per game over its past five total, and 3.8 per game over its last five on the road. The team has been forced to kill penalties just 7.2 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Boasting a .903 save percentage and 26.2 saves per game, Jaroslav Halak (8-8-1) has been the top option in goal for New York this year. If New York decides to rest him, however, head coach Doug Weight may turn to Thomas Greiss (8-6-2), who has a .890 save percentage and 3.79 goals against average this year.
The visiting Islanders will be led by Josh Bailey and John Tavares. Bailey (31 points) has tallied five goals and 26 assists, and has recorded two or more points in 10 different games. Tavares has 17 goals and 14 assists to his credit (and has logged a point in 16 games).
Boston is 13-13 straight up (SU) and has lost 3.0 units for moneyline bettors this year. 13 of its games have gone over the total, while another 13 have gone under and none have pushed. This season, the team is 8-6 SU at home.
The Bruins have converted on just 19.0 percent of their power play chances this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked third overall, and it’s successfully killed off 85.0 percent of all opponent power plays.
Bruins players have been sent to the penalty box 4.0 times per game in total this season, and 2.6 per game over their last five home outings. The team has had to defend opponent power plays just 6.9 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Tuukka Rask has stopped 23.8 shots per game as the primary netminder in goal for the Bruins. Rask has six wins, 11 losses, and two OT losses and has maintained a fairly-weak .908 save percentage and 2.52 goals against average this season.
David Pastrnak (14 goals, 11 assists) will pace the attack for the Bruins.
New York Islanders at Boston Bruins Free Picks
Predictions: SU Winner – Islanders, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes
The Bruins are 5-7 when the team serves fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 6-8 in games where they’re in the box for fewer than 10 penalty minutes, total.
New York is 2-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Boston is 1-1 in shootouts.
Boston may hold the upper hand if this one comes down to the wire. The team’s 7-5 in games decided by one goal, while New York is 5-7 in such games.
The over has hit in three of Boston’s last five games.
Boston skaters have averaged 7.6 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 8.9 giveaways per game (the 11th-fewest in the NHL).
New York skaters have averaged 10.9 giveaways per game (ranked 23rd in the league).
The Bruins this season have recorded the fourth-most hits in the NHL (24.4 per game).
