The Tampa Bay Lightning (45-27-6) meet the New York Islanders (39-30-9) on Thursday. Puck drop from UBS Arena is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Lightning vs. Islanders odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Lightning suffered a 6-3 road loss at the New York Rangers Wednesday, snapping a 3-game win streak. The Over result also ended a 4-0 run to the Under.
The Islanders were on the short end of a 2-1 loss on the road against the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday, following up a 5-0 setback against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena Saturday. The Under is on a 4-0-1 run for the Isles, who have been shut out twice along that span.
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Lightning at Islanders odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:33 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Lightning -105 (bet $105 to win $100) | Islanders -115 (bet $115 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Lightning +1.5 (-275) | Islanders -1.5 (+220)
- Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: -120 | U: +100)
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Lightning at Islanders projected goalies
Brian Elliott (11-6-2, 3.30 GAA, .891 SV%, 1 SO) vs. Ilya Sorokin (28-21-7, 2.40 GAA, .923 SV%, 5 SO)
Elliott was knocked around for 6 goals on 34 shots in a 7-2 loss at Ottawa last time out on March 23, snapping a modest personal 2-game win streak. He was 2-2-0 with a 3.80 GAA and .866 SV% in 4 outings in March.
Sorokin was on the short end of the 2-1 setback at Carolina Sunday in his most recent outing, and he is 0-2-0 with a 3.96 GAA and .893 SV% in 2 April starts so far.
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Lightning at Islanders picks and predictions
Prediction
Lightning 4, Islanders 3
Moneyline
The LIGHTNING (-105) are a good play as short ‘dogs on the road.
The Islanders have dropped 2 in a row, and New York is 2-3-1 in the past 6 games overall, collecting just 5 out of a possible 12 points.
Puck line/Against the spread
The Lightning +1.5 (-275) are way too expensive if you require insurance in this road matchup. You can’t risk nearly 3 times your potential return, even as part of a parlay play, as that’s not nearly enough value.
AVOID.
Over/Under
OVER 5.5 (-120) is the best play on the board.
While the Under has been a frequent occurrence for both teams lately, the Over is 7-3-1 in Tampa’s last 11 games against Metropolitan Division teams, and it is especially a solid play with Elliott in the crease on the second end of a back-to-back.
The Islanders need this one and should be able to generate some solid offense against the backup, although they’ll come up short in the end.
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