Lightning -1.5(+140)
Islanders vs. Lightning NHL Playoffs Game 2 Preview (Archive)
For a second straight season, the Islanders and Lightning collide in the NHL playoffs semis. Last season, the Lightning edged the Islanders 4-2 on the way to the finals and ultimately hoisting the Stanley Cup. This time around the Islanders draw first blood on the road, beating their highly fancied hosts 2-1 in Sunday’s opener.
With Game 2 fast approaching, NHL betting markets are understandably heating up across sports betting sites. The hosts remain the incredible faves in the betting while the Islanders are considerable underdogs. So, NHL bettors must decide whether the Islanders are the best bet to make it two wins in a row or whether the Lightning are in fact the better bet to rebound and level the series before it moves to the Big Apple?
NY Islanders vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Tuesday, June 15, 2021 – 8:00 PM EDT at Amalie Arena
Islanders Draw Blood First
The NY Islanders descend on the Tampa Bay Lightning for Game 2 of their series on Tuesday with the visiting Islanders enjoying the upper hand over the defending champions after winning the first game on the road. The Isles clinched Sunday’s opener at Amalie Arena, outplaying the Bolts in a 2-1 win that wasn’t quite as close as the score suggested. A late goal by Tampa’s Brayden Point denied the Islanders what would have been by all accounts a deserved shutout.
The Islanders played with purpose and intent throughout the three periods that belied the NHL odds. Multiple sportsbooks had the Islanders as the significant underdogs in Game 1 but the Islanders put paid on those. After all, for the Isles this is grudge series, a chance to get their own back for losing to the Bolts last season, and, more importantly, it’s also their second crack in as many seasons to reach the Stanley Cup finals.
Matthew Barzal and Ryan Pulock scored the Islanders while Semyon Varlamov stopped 30 of 31 shots for a .968 save percentage. In the postgame pressers, Pulock summed it succinctly when he said “I think we played the right way.”
Lightning Avoid Shut Out
Had it not been for Brayden Point’s late game heroics, the Lightning would have suffered their first series opening shutout since 2018. Thanks to Point that didn’t happen, a small consolation though it is as the Lightning failed to deliver on their favorable status with online sportsbooks.
Overall, it was one of their worst efforts in the postseason to date. They were lethargic and slow out of the gates and they struggled to match the intensity of the Islanders, who executed their game plan to perfection and neutralised Lightning’s sharpshooters effectively.
Other observations include the fact that they failed to create nearly enough scoring opportunities and demonstrated both poor puck management and bad decision-making throughout the game. Even Vezina Trophy finalist Andrei Vasilevskiy was slightly off form as he allowed a goal on a 48-foot, uncontested shot without traffic in front of him. It’s not often Vasilevskiy is caught so unawares.
"Our work ethic was there, our compete was there, our minds weren’t there," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "Some of our decisions were poor. That’s what happens. You get this deep into the playoffs, there’s only four teams left, you’ve got to have everything working in unison, and we just weren’t quite there tonight."
NHL Predictions and Picks
According to multiple top sportsbooks, this game is conspicuously cornered with the hosts while the visiting Islanders are dubbed as rather large underdogs. However, the Islanders have consistently punched above their weight class in these playoffs and given bookmakers a run for their money.
In each and every series, the Islanders entered as the series underdog only to turn the tables around. On the road to the semis, they eliminated both the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins to get here, upsetting the bookies’ series faves each time. Quite simply, they can’t be underestimated.
As a result, the Lightning are facing an uphill battle to level this series. This doesn’t mean they can’t pull off the feat but it won’t be as straightforward as the NHL odds would suggest. Having said that this series has the feeling of a close one that could go the distance. Lightning must win Game 2 as such.
NHL Picks: Lightning -1.5 (+140) with Heritage Sports (visit our Heritage Sports Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.