Bruins Look to Build at Home Against Isles
The New York Islanders head to TD Garden to take on the Boston Bruins this evening. The Islanders have been smoking hot of late, going 6-0-2 in their last eight games. That run has put them on top of the Metropolitan Division. They hold a four-point lead over the Pittsburgh Penguins. They’ll be up against a Bruins club that has struggled to a 4-3-3 record over their last 10 games played.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG-Plus2 (New York), NESN (Boston); LINE: -160; O/U: 5.5 Under -122.
Boston’s recent struggles have been in large part due to inconsistent offensive play. That may sound crazy when the likes of David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron suit up for the Bruins every night. After the first line, things take a drastic turn. Outside of Boston’s lethal trio, the next top point producer is David Krejci, with 41 points in 52 games. They’ll need to round out their offensive attack as they approach playoff time.
The Islanders have witnessed a renaissance under head coach Barry Trotz. In his first year with the club, Trotz has New York in a comfortable playoff position. They are also sitting first in the NHL in goals against, at 2.35 goals against per game, 51 games into the regular season.
New York rallied for three goals in the final 6:14 to notch a 4-2 victory over Los Angeles on Saturday. It extended their point streak to eight games (6-0-2), which is the team’s longest since a 10-game run in 2014-15. Boston ended its nearly five-year hex against Washington in memorable fashion. They come away with a 1-0 victory behind Tuukka Rask. He became the winningest goaltender in franchise history with No. 253.
This, That, and a Dart Throw
The Islanders are 30-15-6 on the season. Robin Lehner was named the NHL’s Second Star of the Month for January. He posted a 6-1-1 record with a 1.73 goals-against average. He also continued his stellar play by turning aside 34 of 36 shots against the Kings to improve to 12-1-1 in his last 14 decisions. Defenseman Ryan Pulock had a hand in the final three goals in Saturday’s victory. He becomes the first Islanders’ blue-liner to collect three assists in a period since 2007. New York is 16-3-2 since Dec. 15, the best record in the league in that span.
The Bruins are 28-17-7 on the season. Center Patrice Bergeron will reach a major milestone Tuesday by becoming the fifth player in franchise history to appear in 1,000 games with Boston. He is a four-time Selke Trophy winner, as the league’s top defensive forward. Bergeron reached 30 goals for the fourth time in his career last season.
PREDICTION: Islanders 3, Bruins 2
NHL Betting Odds Trends
| New York Islanders |
|---|
| NY Islanders is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games |
| NY Islanders is 13-4 SU in its last 17 games |
| The total has gone UNDER in 8 of NY Islanders’s last 9 games |
| NY Islanders is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games on the road |
| NY Islanders is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games on the road |
| The total has gone UNDER in 8 of NY Islanders’s last 11 games on the road |
| NY Islanders is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Boston |
| The total has gone UNDER in 4 of NY Islanders’s last 6 games when playing Boston |
| NY Islanders is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Boston |
| The total has gone UNDER in 6 of NY Islanders’s last 7 games when playing on the road against Boston |
| Boston Bruins |
|---|
| The Bruins are 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games |
| Boston is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games |
| The Bruins are 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games at home |
| Boston is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games at home |
| The Bruins are 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing NY Islanders |
| The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston’s last 6 games when playing NY Islanders |
| The Bruins are 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against NY Islanders |
| The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Boston’s last 7 games when playing at home against NY Islanders |
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