Two squads that have put themselves firmly in playoff contention, the New York Islanders and the Boston Bruins collide at TD Garden. New England Sports Network will showcase this Eastern Conference matchup, which gets going at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 19.
New York Islanders vs. Boston Bruins Odds
Boston (-170) is currently favored over New York (+150), and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The line for betting that total stands at -120 under, +100 over.
New York is 22-10 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 11.1 units this year. Through 32 regular season contests, 18 of its games have gone under the total, while 12 have gone over and just two have pushed. This 2019-20 Islanders team is 9-6 SU on the road.
New York has converted on 20.8 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that places them in the top-10 among NHL teams. Its penalty kill is ranked 20th in the league, and it has successfully killed off 79.5 percent of all penalties.
For the team as a whole, New York has been sent to the penalty box 3.4 times per game this season, and 4.6 per game over its last five contests. The team has had to defend opponent power plays an unhealthy 15.4 minutes per game over their last five outings.
With a .923 save percentage and 25.3 saves per game, Semyon Varlamov (12-7-2) has been the best option in goal for New York this year. If it chooses to rest him, however, New York could turn to Thomas Greiss (11-6), who has a .924 save percentage and 2.39 goals against average this year.
Mathew Barzal and Brock Nelson will both lead the offensive attack for the visiting Islanders. Barzal (27 points) is up to 13 goals and 14 assists, and has recorded two or more points seven times. Nelson has 12 goals and 14 assists to his credit (and has notched at least one point in 15 games).
On the other bench, Boston is 21-14 straight up (SU) and has lost 0.9 units for moneyline bettors this year. 16 of its contests have gone over the total, while another 16 have gone under and just three have pushed. This year, the team is 12-7 SU as the home team.
Boston enters the matchup with the third-strongest power-play unit in the NHL, as it has converted on 26.4 percent of its extra-man opportunities this year. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 13th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 82.7 percent of all opponent power plays.
Boston skaters have been penalized 3.7 times per game this season, and 2.0 per game over their last five home outings. The team’s had to defend opponent power plays just 7.8 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Tuukka Rask has stopped 27.9 shots per game as the top selection in the crease for Boston. Rask has 13 wins, eight losses, and four OT losses to his credit and has maintained a .923 save percentage and 2.32 goals against average this season.
The Bruins offense will be led by Brad Marchand (18 goals, 33 assists).
New York Islanders vs. Boston Bruins Betting Predictions
Pick: SU Winner – Bruins, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- The under has hit in three of New York’s last five games.
- New York has managed 27.4 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Boston is averaging 33.6 shots per game over its last five home outings.
- The Islanders are 16-6 SU when they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Bruins are 8-4 SU in games where they spend more time in the box than their opponent.
- Boston is 0-4 in games decided by a shootout this season while New York is 2-0 in shootouts.
- Boston has averaged 10.0 takeaways per game over its last five home games, an improvement over its season average of 8.2 takeaways per game (ranked 11th overall).
- New York is ranked 21st this season with 7.1 takeaways per game. That figure has trended lower recently, however, as it’s forced 5.7 takeaways over its last 10 games and 6.2 takeaways over its last five.
- New York could hold an advantage if it’s a tight one late. The team’s an impressive 11-3 in games decided by one goal, while Boston is 7-10 in such games.
