The Boston Bruins (27-26-4) will look to avenge a December loss when they take on the New York Islanders (17-20-6) in what should be a thrilling showdown Thursday night. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NHL odds series, which includes our Boston Bruins-New York Islanders prediction, odds, and pick we have laid out below.

Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Boston Bruins-New York Islanders odds:

NHL odds: Boston Bruins-New York Islanders Odds

Boston Bruins: -1.5 (+240)

New York Islanders: +1.5 (-310)

Over: 5.5 (+112)

Under: 5.5 (-138)

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Why the Boston Bruins Could Cover the Spread

It’s been a topsy-turvy February for the Bruins, as they have only gone 2-2-1 in five games this month, thus far. In their most recent outing, they failed to follow up a 2-0 victory on the road against the Ottawa Senators last Saturday by losing to the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden Tuesday night via shootout (2-1).

Goals have been hard to come by of late for the Bruins, with the team averaging only 1.57 goals for over their last seven games, during which they generated a 3-3-1 record. It’s also not helping the Bruins that they don’t have their points leader in Brad Marchand, who’s serving a six-game suspension for high-sticking Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry. All that being said, the Islanders are a very beatable team for the Bruins.

When Boston lost 3-1 to the Islanders on the road back in December, the Bruins also didn’t have Marchand and also Patrice Bergeron due to COVID-19 protocol, but they somehow found a way to outshoot New York, 41-28. And that’s despite the Islanders getting five chances on the power play to just three by the Bruins Boston also had more 5-on-5 High Danger Scoring Chances, 11-8.

That Bruins loss can be best explained by them simply being unable to solve Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov, a problem Boston won’t have this Thursday. With Varlamov out (COVID reasons), the Islanders will likely send Ilya Sorokin to patrol the crease, and that must have Boston forwards salivating, as the 26-year-old backup netminder has surrendered a total of 16 goals in his last six starts.

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Why the New York Islanders Could Cover the Spread 

Like Boston, the Islanders are also struggling to pick up wins. They are winless in three games and are only 3-7-0 in their last 10 outings.  The Islanders are getting tormented by Sorokin’s goaltending, as he’s just been a big letdown for them while acting as Varlamov’s placeholder between the pipes. However, facing a team it’s beaten before might just be the spark the Islanders need to wake up and end their slump. Varlamov’s goaltending is arguably the biggest asset of New York this season, and while they won’t have him out on the ice later tonight, the Isles still trust their blueliners to slow down Boston’s attacks. 

The New York Islanders are eighth in the NHL in 5-on-5 xGA rating (97.0) and have allowed the second-fewest goals off High Danger Scoring Chances (30). The defensive pairing of Adam Pelech and Scott Mayfield could find itself spoiling plenty of Boston’s chances to score. The duo is sixth overall in the league in xGoals against per 60 minutes (1.93) among pairings with at least 500 minutes on the ice together. They are sixth as well in terms of lowest xGoals against (16.1). Things could be easier for New York’s defense, as the Bruins are on an offensive slump.

The Islanders, on the other hand, aren’t a juggernaut offensive team, but they have been more productive lately. They have two games this February in which they scored at least four goals, including their 6-3 road win against the Vancouver Canucks on Feb. 9. Plus, they’ll be taking on Bruins goalie Linus Ullmark, who’s also not been excellent in his past few starts, having given up 17 goals in five most-recent appearances.

Final Boston Bruins-New York Islanders Prediction & Pick

It’s just so hard to trust both teams’ goaltending right now, but I’m expecting Sorokin to see more quality shots come his way than Ullmark. It’s also important to note that the New York Islanders are only 3-16-2 this season opposite teams in the playoff picture. Taking the Boston Bruins’ moneyline for this game.

Final Boston Bruins-New York Islanders Pick: Bruins ML (-110)