NHL Pick: Bruins PK Line -1.5 (+147) at Heritage Sports (visit our Heritage Sports Review)
Boston owns the No. 1 defense in the league and that will tell the tale as the Islanders don’t have enough firepower to keep pace with the high-flying Bruins.
Let’s review the NHL odds on this Eastern Conference clash and keep cashing our NHL picks!
Remember, fans from the Bay State and the Empire State who are looking to make a wager on this game should be sure to check out our top-rated Massachusetts and New York betting sites.
Boston Bruins vs. New York Islanders
Wednesday, January 18, 2023 – 07:30 PM EST at UBS Arena
Czech Mate
Eventually, the Bruins will hit a rough patch but then again, we’ve been expecting that for a while and it still has yet to manifest. Boston checks in with a remarkable 34-5-4 record after stomping the Flyers, 6-0, on Monday at the Garden.
It was a trio of Czechs that propelled the Bruins to another victory as David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha had two goals apiece while David Krejci had three assists. Jeremy Swayman turned aside all 29 shots he faced and recorded his first shutout of the season and the Bruins continued their assault on the rest of the league.
David Krejci played his 1000th game as a member of the Bruins and fellow countryman, David Pastrnak said, “He is like my big brother. I was idolizing him as a kid. I came into the league, young and learning from him every day. And now he is one of my closest friends. So, I’m very happy for him.”
Isles Edged by Caps
The Islanders have dropped 5 of their last 6 games including their 4-3 overtime loss to the Capitals on Monday. Despite jumping out in front to a 3-0 lead on goals by Sebastian Aho, Matt Martin, and Hudson Fasching, the Capitals would begin their march toward victory midway through the second period with a tally by Washington’s Garnet Hathaway. The Caps would knot the game at three and score at 4:27 of the overtime session to claim the victory.
A non-call on Alexander Ovechkin in the second period upset the Islanders after he took a few steps before burying Jean-Gabriel Pageau into the boards. A charging call at that juncture could have very well changed the course of the game.
"Charging, boarding, whatever it might be. He took steps,'' Islanders coach Lane Lambert said. "We should have been on the power play."
"You're disappointed in how it finished,″ Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson said. "We got one point but you have to find a way to get both points. Unfortunately, we didn't."
Total Trends
- The Under is 3-1-1 in the Bruins’ last 5 vs. Metropolitan.
- The Under is 5-1 in the Islanders’ last 6 overall.
- The Under is 5-1-1 in the Islanders’ last 7 vs. Atlantic.
- The Under is 5-1-2 in the Islanders’ last 8 home games.
- The Under is 4-1-1 in the Islanders’ last 6 Wednesday games.
- The Under is 9-3 in the Islanders’ last 12 games playing on 1 day’s rest.
- The Under is 3-1-2 in the last 6 meetings in New York between these clubs.
Team Trends
- The Favorite is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings between these clubs.
- The Bruins are 4-0 in their last 4 road games.
- The Bruins are 22-6 in their last 28 vs. Metropolitan.
- The Bruins are 20-6 in their last 26 vs. a team with a winning record.
- The Islanders are 1-5 in their last 6 overall.
Bruins vs. Islanders: Pick and Prediction
The Bruins are the most complete team we’ve seen in decades. Yes, decades, as they are on a pace to break the NHL’s season points record set by the Canadiens in the 1976-1977 season with 132 points over an 80-game schedule.
Consider for a moment that the Bruins are ranked No. 1 in goals allowed, surrendering an average of 2.1 goals per game, No. 1 on the penalty kill (86.2%), No. 1 in goals scored averaging 3.8 goals per game, and No. 3 on the power play, converting 27.9 percent of their man-advantage opportunities.
The Islanders own a solid defense, No. 8 in the league allowing 2.7 goals per game, and are effective on the penalty kill as well, extinguishing 82.6 of their opponents' opportunities.
However, what New York doesn’t have is much of an offense. The Isles are 23rd in goals scored (3.0/game) and 27th on the power play, cashing in on just 17.8 percent of their chances.
We are also likely to get the benefit of having a Vezina Trophy candidate in the net for Boston when Linus Ullmark (23-2-1, 1.92 GAA, .936 save percentage) gets the nod to tend the twine against the Islanders tonight.
This looks like a mismatch on paper at many top-rated sportsbooks which is why we will avoid the big vig and lay the 1.5 goals.
Score Prediction: Bruins 3 – Islanders 1
NHL Pick: Bruins -1.5 (+147) at Heritage Sports (visit our Heritage Sports Review)
NHL Pick: Under 5.5 (+105) at Bookmaker (visit our Bookmaker 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.
