A pair of teams that’ve positioned themselves firmly in the playoff picture, the Boston Bruins and the New York Islanders take the ice at Nassau Coliseum. The action will get underway at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 29, and you’ll be able to see this Eastern Conference matchup live on New England Sports Network.
Boston Bruins vs. New York Islanders Odds
This contest’s moneyline and Over/Under odds have not been posted by oddsmakers yet.
Boston is 40-25 straight up (SU) and has lost 3.0 units for moneyline bettors thus far. 34 of its contests have gone under the total, while 26 have gone over and just four have pushed. This 2019-20 Bruins team is 18-13 SU on the road.
Boston currently touts the second-strongest power-play unit in the NHL, as it’s converted on 25.4 percent of its extra-man advantages this year. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked fifth overall, and it has successfully killed off 83.5 percent of all penalties.
For the team as a whole, Boston has been penalized 3.8 times per game this season, 3.8 per game over its past five total, and 4.0 per game over its last five games as the visiting team. The team has been forced to kill penalties 10.0 minutes per game over their last five road outings.
Averaging 27.1 saves per game with a .926 save percentage, Tuukka Rask (23-14-6) has been the primary option in goal for Boston this season. If head coach Bruce Cassidy chooses to rest him, however, Boston could roll with Jaroslav Halak (17-13-6), who has a .917 save percentage and 2.44 goals against average this year.
The visiting Bruins have relied heavily on David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand this year. Pastrnak (90 points) has tallied 46 goals and 44 assists, and has recorded two or more points 28 times. Marchand has 26 goals and 55 assists to his credit (and has notched at least one point in 47 games).
On the other side of the ice, New York is 35-28 straight up (SU) and has earned 4.5 units for moneyline bettors this year. 34 of its outings have gone under the total, while 25 have gone over and just three have pushed. It’s 20-12 SU as the home team this year.
New York has converted on 18.2 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 15th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 80.7 percent of all opponent power plays.
New York players have been penalized only 3.3 times per game this season, and 2.6 per game over their last five home outings. The team has been forced to defend opponent power plays just 7.5 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Semyon Varlamov has denied 26.2 shots per game as the primary option in the crease for New York. Varlamov has 20 wins, 21 losses, and five OT losses to his name and has maintained a .918 save percentage and 2.51 goals against average this season.
The Isles will be led on offense by Mathew Barzal (18 goals, 38 assists).
Boston Bruins vs. New York Islanders Free Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Islanders, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- The Bruins are 14-8 SU in games where they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Islanders are 25-12 SU when they spend more time in the box than the opposition.
- Boston is 0-7 in games decided by a shootout this season while New York is 3-2 in shootouts.
- New York skaters have averaged 5.4 takeaways per game over its last five home games, a drop-off from its season average of 7.3 takeaways per game (ranked 17th in the NHL).
- Boston is ranked 16th this season with 7.6 takeaways per game. That figure has trended lower, however, as it’s averaged 6.7 takeaways over its last 10 games and 7.0 takeaways over its last five.
