The Tampa Bay Lightning (-105) travel to take on the New York Islanders (-115) at UBS Arena on Thursday. The total is 5.5 (O: -120, U: +100)Tampa Bay (45-27-6) is playing on back-to-back days after suffering a high-scoring 6-3 loss against the Rangers yesterday, ending a three-game unbeaten streak.
The Lightning committed 11 penalties in the game, conceding two power play goals. Alex Killorn, Brandon Hagel, and Darren Raddysh scored one apiece for the Lightning. Hagel and Killorn both added an assist to lead the team in scoring.
Andrei Vasilevskiy only had 31 saves on 37 shots against (.837%) in the loss.New York (39-30-9) fell 2-1 to the Hurricanes on Sunday. Jean-Gabriel Pageau was the only player to score for the Islanders. Ilya Sorokin had a great performance with 33 saves (.942%) in the loss.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Lightning have won both games between the teams this season, including a 5-0 victory in their most recent meeting on April 1, their sixth straight win against New York. Brayden Point led Tampa Bay with three points (1G 2A). Vasilevskiy saved 38 shots to earn the shutout win.
FACING OFF
Tampa Bay is averaging 3.42 goals per game for the season, eighth in the NHL, and they are taking on an Islanders team that is allowing only 2.68 goals a game (5th). Meanwhile, New York has found the net 2.90 times a game on average, 25th in the league, and the Lightning are allowing opponents to score 3.01 goals per game (13th).
Look for multiple power play opportunities for the Islanders, as the Lightning are averaging 4.47 penalties per game, fourth-most in the NHL. The visitors’ 12.06 penalty minutes a game ranks first-highest. The home team has been penalized 3.45 times a game (25th) for an average of 8.17 minutes (23rd).
The Lightning’s 25.38% power play percentage is the second-best in the league, while the Islanders rank 30th with a conversion rate of just 15.57%. When it comes to penalty killing, New York has the league’s ninth-ranked PK% at 81.94%, while Tampa Bay is 15th at 79.76%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 107 points this season, third-most in the NHL, Nikita Kucherov is the top skater for the Lightning. He is among the league leaders with 78 assists (2nd) and has added 29 goals of his own. In the net, Vasilevskiy (34-21-4) is Tampa Bay’s top goaltender. He has a 2.63 GAA and a .916% save percentage.
Brock Nelson leads the Islanders in scoring with 69 points. He has 32 goals and 37 assists. Sorokin (28-21-7) is the top goalie for New York with a goals against average of 2.40, fifth-best in the league. He has a save percentage of .923%, third-best.
HOME AND AWAY
Tampa Bay is 18-20-1 away from home this season. New York is 22-13-3 at UBS Arena this season. Meanwhile, the Lightning are 3-11 without a day off and 3-8 playing with a rest disadvantage. The Islanders are 4-6 with a rest advantage.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
NY Islanders (-155)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
