The Boston Bruins take on the New York Islanders on Thursday night in the third matchup this season between these two teams. The Islanders have won both previous matchups, shutting out the Bruins in the first game and winning 4-2 a couple of weeks ago.
- Date/Time: February 25, 7 p.m. ET
- Arena: Nassau Coliseum
- TV Coverage: R360
- Sportsbook Odds: Bruins -123 | O/U 5 (Line History)
- Bruins vs Islanders Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
The game opened with the Bruins as favorites at -123 and the line has shifted even further in Boston’s favor into the -125 to -135 range. The total opened at 5 and is locked in at that number with the OVER the favorite in the -120 to -129 range depending on the sportsbook.
Boston News & Notes
While they sit first in their division with games in hand on the teams chasing them, the Boston Bruins have lost two of their last three and have already lost twice this season to the Islanders.
In the last meeting between these teams, the Bruins were outshot 34-22, out-chanced 36-23 and beaten 14-5 in high-danger chances. Tuukka Rask took the loss in that game and is likely to get the start again in this one. It hasn’t been the greatest start to the year for Rask, who has not had a save percentage below .912 in a full season in his 14-year career. This season Rask is 7-2-1 with just a .901 save percentage.
But it is really hard to be down at all on the Bruins when their top line is playing as well as it has been this year. Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron have 20 and 19 points respectively in 16 games while David Pastrnak has nine goals and 14 points in just nine games.
New York News & Notes
The Islanders have won four of their last six games and must be feeling confident heading into this matchup as the only team to beat the Bruins more than once in regulation this season.
Though they still have trouble scoring at times, the team has improved in that area and now ranks 19th in goals at even strength this season and 18th in goals for percentage. The team is also 11th in overall scoring chances and eighth in high-danger scoring chances.
Led by Mathew Barzal with 15 points in 18 games, the Isles now have five players with 10 points or more.
However, the backbone of the team is still the defensive play and goaltending as starter Semyon Varlamov ranks fifth in the league in save percentage (.927) among goalies who have played at least nine games. He also has an 8-4-2 record to go along with that sparkling save percentage.
Betting Pick: Bruins -130
The Islanders have won four of six, are getting the better goaltending and have had the Bruins’ number this season. The Bruins are also traveling cross-country from Lake Tahoe to play this game on the road. And the Islanders are still the underdogs? Maybe Vegas knows something we don’t. Maybe they just don’t think the Bruins will lose a third straight time to an inferior team. We lean that way.
Want more Expert Betting Picks?
Check out the best sports handicapping services on the market today!
Buy Sports Picks Now- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston’s last 6 games.
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New York’s last 5 games.
- Boston is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games.
