A game that features two squads that have put themselves firmly in playoff contention, the New York Islanders and the Tampa Bay Lightning take the ice at Amalie Arena for an Eastern Conference tilt. The match gets started at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, December 5, and you can see the game live on TVA Sports.
New York Islanders at Tampa Bay Lightning Odds
New York (+160) is playing the role of underdog to Tampa Bay (-180) and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at an even 6 goals (-120 for the over, +100 for the under).
Tampa Bay is 18-8 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 7.2 units this season. That winning percentage, ranked first in the league in this young season, is an improvement over the 42-40 record from last years regular season campaign. Among its 26 games this season, 15 have gone over the total, while 11 have gone under and none have pushed. The team is 10-3 SU at home this season.
The Lightning currently tout the best power-play unit in the NHL, as the team has found the net on 27.8 percent of their extra-man advantages this season. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked ninth overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 82.6 percent of all penalties.
The Lightning, as a collective unit, have been penalized 4.0 times per game overall this season, and 3.0 per game over their last five at home. The team has had to kill penalties for just 6.9 minutes per game over their last 10 matchups, in total.
Boasting a .932 save percentage and 30.6 saves per game, Andrei Vasilevskiy (17 wins, five losses, and one OT loss) has been the best option in goal for the Bolts this season. If the Bolts, however, choose to give him the night off, head coach Jon Cooper may roll with Peter Budaj (1-3-3 record, .867 save percentage, 3.75 goals against average).
The Bolts will continue to rely on leadership via Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos. Kucherov (38 points) has tallied 19 goals and 19 assists and has recorded two or more points on 12 separate occasions this year. Stamkos has 11 goals and 26 assists to his name and has recorded at least one point in 19 games.
New York is 16-10 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 5.3 units this year. A total of 16 of its games have gone over the total, while eight have gone under and just one has pushed. The Islanders are 8-7 SU as a road team this season.
The Islanders have converted on 21.1 percent of their power play chances this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 28th overall and it’s successfully killed off 76.2 percent of all penalties.
New York’s players have been penalized 3.7 times per game in total this season, 3.6 per game over their last five contests total, and 3.8 per game over their last five on the road. The teams had to stave off opponent power plays just 7.6 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Thomas Greiss (.896 save percentage and 3.61 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for New York. Greiss is averaging 29.1 saves per game and has eight wins, five losses, and two OT losses to his credit.
For the visiting Islanders, the offense will be facilitated through Josh Bailey (five goals, 26 assists) and John Tavares (17 goals, 13 assists).
New York Islanders at Tampa Bay Lightning Free Picks
Predictions: SU Winner – Lightning, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- Tampa Bay is 1-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while New York is 2-1 in shootouts.
- The total has gone under in three of Tampa Bay’s last five outings.
- New York has managed 30.8 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Tampa Bay is averaging 36.8 shots per game over its last five at home.
- Five of New York’s last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 4-1 in those games.
