New York Islanders vs Tampa Bay Lightning - Odds and Predictions

Where: Amalie Arena – Tampa, FL.

When: Saturday, February 8, 7 PM EST

How (TV/Radio): SunS, MS+2 | WFAN

Head Coach: Barry Trotz{All-Time 840-610-60-147 NYI, WSH, NSH}

The New York Islanders are coming off of a 5-3 win over the Los Angeles Kings. With the win, the Islanders are now on a two-game winning streak and have moved into third place in the Metropolitan division.

Offense

Known as a mostly defensive team, the Islanders have managed to make the goals they do score count. With only 147 tallies this season, the Isles have the league’s tenth-fewest goals scored on the season.

Only the Detroit Red Wings have fewer shots on goal this season than the Islanders. The team has the 16th-ranked shooting percentage at 9.7 percent.

Their power play will be a concern as they only have a 19.17 percent with the man-advantage. That ranks them at only 19th in the NHL and they have only 23 power-play goals on the season.

Defense

Just like last season, under head coach Barry Trotz’s tutelage, the Islanders have had one of the best defensive seasons of any team. It starts with goals against, in which the Islanders have only allowed a total of 137 this season – the fourth-fewest in the NHL.

The team has also allowed the eighth-fewest shots on goal and average an allowance of 31.6 shots against per game. Their goaltending tandem has a combined save percentage of .915, which ranks as the fifth-best.

Their big weakness in this game will be their penalty killing. They average fewer penalties per game than the Lightning but their penalty-killing unit ranks at just 20th in the NHL at 79.30 percent. Ironically, the team has also scored a total of six shorthanded goals this season.

Goaltending

The expected starting goalie for the Islanders Saturday night is Semyon Varlamov. So far this season, Varlamov has put together a record of 16-8-4. He has a 2.60 goals-against average and a solid .915 save percentage. He has also registered two shutouts this season.

For more odds and predictions on the Islanders vs TB Lightning game check out our latest video on prop bets.

Tampa Bay Lightning (Home)

Head Coach: Jon Cooper{All-Time 338-174-49 TBL}

Like their opponents, the Tampa Bay Lightning are coming off of a win – a big one. The Bolts beat the always dangerous Pittsburgh Penguins in their last game by a final score of 4-2. Sitting second in the Atlantic division, Tampa has now won five games in a row.

Offense

What a turn around for the Lightning this season. They truly are back in the top form that saw them win the President’s trophy last season. Their offense has been lighting it up and the team has a combined 190 goals – just four goals back of the highest-scoring team in the league: the Toronto Maple Leafs.

At even strength, the Bolts have 147 goals. But it’s been their power play that has impressed, steadily ranking within the top-three in the league since the end of December. At the time of writing, the Lightning have the league’s third-best power play at 25.15 percent and have scored 41 goals with the man advantage.

Tampa Bay ranks at only 17th when it comes to shots on goal, but they are firing quality scoring chances on their opponents as the team ranks first overall in the NHL when it comes to shooting percentage. The team has a combined 11.4 percent.

Defense

Like the team’s power play, their penalty killing is equally impressive. They average roughly nine minutes of penalty time per game, which is pretty high. However, they have the league’s fourth-best penalty-killing unit that boasts an 83.93 percent this season.

This Tampa Bay Lightning squad is pretty stingy when it comes to giving up shots. They allow goals than the Islanders, but not by a wide margin. Averaging it by game, the Bolts allow just 2.77 goals against per game compared to New York’s 2.69.

Lastly, and we’ll get into it even more later, has been the goaltending. The team has a combined .911 save percentage which is good for the league’s seventh-best. And it continues to climb as Andrei Vasilevskiy has yet to reach double-digit regulation losses this season.

Goaltending

For such a marquee, Saturday night match, it is expected that the Bolts will have Vezina-winning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy in the net. Vasilevskiy has been on fire since the new year and has a season record of 27-9-3. His goals-against average sits just below Varlamov’s at 2.53 and he has a .917 save percentage. He, too, has recorded two shutouts this season.

Last Head-to-Head

It’s almost two months to the day when these two teams last did battle. On December 9, 2019, The Islanders pulled off the victory over a Tampa Bay Lightning team that was still finding its footing. The Isles dominated the game, winning by a final score of 5-1.

This is a big game for both teams involved. Within the Eastern Conference, the Tampa Bay Lightning are ranked fourth with 71 points.

The Islanders sit a few spots back in seventh with 66 points. The playoffs are in sight for both teams but we argue that this game is much more important for New York.

Not just because they are lower in the standings, but because they sit in, arguably, the best division in the NHL that includes the Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets, Philly Flyers, and the Carolina Canes. With the competition that stiff, the Islanders need every win they can get just to stay in a wildcard position.

Questions to Answer

How will the Islanders’ top-notch defense handle the overwhelming offense of the Tampa Bay Lightning? Likewise, how will the Bolts find a way to get the puck through New York’s highly disciplined defense corps?

This is not the same Tampa Bay team the Islanders played back in December. Are the Isles ready to face completely new challenges? Have they made the proper adjustments to their game to take on a team of this style?

Semyon Varlamov has good numbers this season but could also be considered a streaky goaltender. He had a late-game collapse earlier this week against another high-offense team: the Washington Capitals. Can he maintain his composure in net against the firepower of Tampa Bay?

New York Islanders Injury Report

F Cal Clutterbuck – DL (wrist)

D Adam Pelech – DL (achilles)

Tampa Bay Lightning Injury Report

D Jan Rutta – OUT (lower-body)

New York Islanders vs Tampa Bay Lightning Odds

The odds for NY Islanders vs TB Lightning are provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, and 888Sport NJ.