The New York Islanders and the Tampa Bay Lightning meet in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET at Rogers Place in Edmonton. Below, we analyze the Islanders-Lightning NHL betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.
Islanders vs. Lightning: Projected starting goalies
Semyon Varlamov vs. Andrei Vasilevskiy
Varlamov did a decent enough job in Game 4, allowing three goals on 35 shots, but it wasn’t good enough. To beat the red-hot Lightning, and keep hope alive for moving on to face the Dallas Stars in the Stanley Cup Final, he needs to be almost perfect. So far he is just 1-3 with a 3.45 goals-against average and .890 save percentage in this series, and that’s just not going to do. It wouldn’t be surprising to see head coach Barry Trotz go to backup Thomas Greiss early if things go off the rails.
Vasilevskiy allowed just one goal on 27 shots in Game 4, pushing the Isles to the brink. The Vezina Trophy finalist is 3-1 with a 2.01 GAA and .930 SV% in this series, and he still hasn’t really played his absolute best. That’s a scary thought, as he needs just five more victories to etch his name on Lord Stanley’s grail.
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Islanders vs. Lightning: Odds, picks and betting tips
Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 8:50 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Lightning 3, Islanders 1
Money line (ML)
The LIGHTNING (-176) are heavy favorites to push aside the Islanders (+150) and snag the second and last golden ticket to the Stanley Cup Final, where they’ll face the Stars. Tampa Bay has outscored New York 17-9, and there is very little reason to believe the onslaught will not continue.
New to sports betting? A winning $10 bet on the Lightning returns a profit of $5.68, while a winning $10 play on the Islanders fetches a return of $15.
Puck line/Against the spread (ATS)
The LIGHTNING (-1.5, +165) are obviously not going to have it easy in an elimination game, as the Islanders (+1.5, -200) are going to give it their best shot. Tampa Bay has just been the better team in this series, and it’s not even close.
It might be a one-goal game into the final moments, with a mad flurry at the end, but an empty-net goal will make bettors who take the puck line smile from ear to ear.
Over/Under (O/U)
UNDER 5.5 (-143) is a solid play, as Vasilevskiy has been great outside of Game 3. The Isles were tattooed in Game 1, but they have allowed just 3.0 goals per game in the previous three. Look for a lower scoring game as the intensity is ratcheted up.
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