The Boston Bruins (40-13-12) tangle with the New York Islanders (35-20-8) Saturday at Nassau Veterans Memorial Colisum in Uniondale, N.Y. at 1 p.m. ET. We analyze the Bruins-Islanders sports betting odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips and picks around this matchup.
Bruins at Islanders: Projected starting goalies
Tuukka Rask vs. Semyon Varlamov
Rask steps into the crease looking to redeem himself after a loss last time out against the Flames, his first on home ice. The last time he faced the Islanders on the road, he picked up a 3-2 overtime win, making 35 saves. He also lost in a shootout at home on Dec. 19 to the Isles.
Varlamov puts his 19-12-5 record, 2.51 goals against average and .918 save percentage on the line against the B’s. He has actually been better on the road than at home. He beat the B’s in Boston on Dec. 19, making 27 saves in that shootout win, but dropped an OT game Jan. 11 despite 30 saves on 33 shots.
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Bruins at Islanders: Odds, picks and betting tips
Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 5:45 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Bruins 3, Islanders 2
Moneyline (ML)
The BRUINS (-143) are a good play on the road against the Islanders (+120), who are short dogs at home in matinee action. The road team is 19-7 in the past 26 in this series, with the B’s owning the Islanders in their barn, going 17-4 in the past 21 trips to the Island. They’re also 30-11 in the past 41 meetings overall.
New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Bruins ML returns a profit of $7 if they win, while a $10 wager on the Islanders ML results in a profit of $12.
Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
The Bruins (-1.5, +190) are awfully tempting at this price, although they’ve been a little shaky lately. Yes, they have dominated the Islanders (+1.5, -239) over a lengthy period, but either team winning by two or more goals seems remote. AVOID.
Over/Under (O/U)
The UNDER 5.5 (-129) is the play here, going 4-0-1 in the previous five meetings in this series. The under is also 3-1-2 in the past six battles on the Island. The goaltending is very good on both sides, so goals should be at a premium.
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