Two squads that are firmly in the playoff picture, the Boston Bruins and the New York Islanders collide at the Barclays Center for an Eastern Conference tilt. This one will get started at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 2 and it’s being shown live on Sportsnet.
Boston Bruins vs. New York Islanders Odds
With a moneyline of -120, Boston comes into the matchup as the favorite. The line for New York sits at +100, and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 6 goals (-120 money on the under, +100 on the over).
Boston is 21-16 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 0.9 units this season. 20 of its outings have gone under the total, while 17 have gone over and none have pushed. The Bruins are 8-8 SU as a road team in 2017-18.
Boston has converted on 21.1 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that’s good enough for 10th-best in the league. On the other hand, it has the fourth-strongest penalty kill in the league, and it’s successfully killed off 84.1 percent of all penalties.
For the team as a whole, Boston has been sent to the penalty box 4.1 times per game overall this season, and 3.0 per game over its last five road outings. The team has been forced to kill penalties just 7.2 minutes per game over their last five road outings.
With a .923 save percentage and 25.0 saves per game, Tuukka Rask (13-12-3) has been the primary option in goal for Boston this season. If Boston decides to rest him, however, the team might turn to Anton Khudobin (8-6-3), who has a .923 save percentage and 2.48 goals against average this year.
David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand will both lead the way for the visiting Bruins. Pastrnak (34 points) is up to 15 goals and 19 assists, and has recorded two or more points in nine different games. Marchand has 15 goals and 17 assists to his name, and has notched a point in 20 games.
New York is 20-19 straight up (SU) and has lost 0.7 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 39 regular season contests, 26 of its games have gone over the total, while 11 have gone under and just two have pushed. The team is 12-6 SU at home this year.
New York has converted on 21.2 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that’s good enough for 10th-best in the league. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 31st overall, and it’s successfully killed off 73.9 percent of all opponent power plays.
New York skaters have been sent to the penalty box only 3.5 times per game in total this season, 3.8 per game over their past five outings total, and 3.0 per game over their last five at home. The team’s had to stave off opponent power plays just 6.3 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Jaroslav Halak has stopped 27.8 shots per game as the top selection in goal for New York. Halak has 11 wins, 13 losses, and two OT losses to his credit and has recorded a subpar .905 save percentage and 3.15 goals against average this season.
The home team will be led on offense by Josh Bailey (12 goals, 38 assists).
Boston Bruins at New York Islanders Betting Predictions
Predictions: SU Winner – Islanders, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Trends
The total has gone over in three of New York’s last five outings.
The Islanders are 7-5 SU in games where they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Bruins are 8-4 SU when they serve more minutes than the opposition.
Two of Boston’s last ten games have gone to a shootout. The team is 1-1 in those games and 2-2 overall in shootouts this season.
New York is ranked 26th in the NHL with 6.1 takeaways per game. That figure’s trended down lately, however, as the team has averaged 4.5 takeaways over its last 10 games and 4.2 takeaways over its last five.
Boston is ranked sixth this season with 9.8 takeaways per game. That figure has trended down, however, as it has managed 9.1 takeaways over its last 10 games and 9.0 takeaways over its last five.
