Tampa Bay vs New York Islanders: The Islanders to win the game

The Tampa Bay Lightning and the New York Islanders are the main event this early in the NHL season. For two years in a row, the teams have battled it out in the Eastern Conference Finals, so their confrontation has already taken on the status of a major event. How will the two best teams of recent years play this time? We’ll select a few options to bet on at once.

This season is special for the Lightning. The fact is that Jon Cooper’s team can win a third Stanley Cup in a row. The last time the New York Islanders did just that, back in the 1980s. The Islanders, then managed by Al Arbor, had won four straight titles from 1980 to 1983. So there’s some sacred meaning in the fact that today it’s the Islanders who are becoming Tampa Bay’s main obstacle to a landmark achievement.

As for the current regular season, it’s been, what they call, a work in progress for the Lightning. After starting with several losses in a row, the Lightning have found their game in a renewed lineup and continue to win mostly. On the eve of the game with New York, they beat Florida 3-2 in overtime. Andrei Vasilevsky made 26 saves, and Brayden Point scored the winning goal.

The Islanders moved on. Nassau Coliseum Stadium, which has been the Islanders’ home since the early 1970s and the home of the 1980s dynasty team, will be replaced by the new, ultra-modern UBS Arena. It is almost ready for operation as the first game is scheduled for 21 November. The Calgary Flames will visit the Islanders. There are two games left before the team’s journey to the start of the championship in Florida. After the Lightning, New York will play the Panthers. The away series will total 13 games—a truly unprecedented situation.

Barry Trotz’s team has not had the best track record to date, with only five wins in 11 meetings. Before their game with Tampa Bay, the Islanders suffered two defeats - 2-5 against Minnesota and 0-4 against New Jersey.

The third straight meeting between the Islanders and Lightning in the playoffs is expected with great interest. There is a high probability that it will take place again, and the Lightning, by all appearances, will no longer be the favourite there. It does not seem likely that Tampa Bay will be stronger than New York in the upcoming game. First of all, the Islanders need a win here. The team has lost two games in a row and then has a back-to-back with Florida, so there will be fewer chances of success. Second, right now, the Islanders seem like a stronger team. The Lightning’s lineup is not yet balanced, as evidenced in particular by their opponents’ comebacks. Toronto and Carolina scored one puck in the third period, while Florida had two in the last game. Washington was also close but fell short. At the same time, the Islanders won all their matches against strong opponents, whom they approach with a special attitude, by going dry against Vegas and Winnipeg, 2-0 each.

The prediction is that New York will at least not lose in regulation time.

• X2 for 1.64;
• W2 in regulation time for 2.10;
• W2 and Total Under 4.5 for 6.80.