If you had to make a pick and place a wager today, which team would you choose to win the Stanley Cup this season. The automatic response would be to go and look at the current standings and choose one of the division leaders. It might prove to be a decent pick, but with so many games still to play this season, it’s also one that could well blow up in your face. You need only look at recent winners to see how difficult it is to pick predict the Stanley Cup. We routinely see the President’s Trophy winners make it past the early rounds, making their awesome regular season totally meaningless.
We also see teams coming out of nowhere to hoist the cup, just as the St. Louis Blues did last season. Still, if we had to vote, you can bet that the Boston Bruins would have a lot of people saying their name right now. They are among the best in the NHL at the moment and will get a serious test on Thursday night when they welcome in the New York Islanders. The Bruins are favored by 1 ½ at home, with the goal total set at 5 ½.
Islanders vs Bruins 2019 NHL Betting Lines & Analysis
- When: Thursday, December 19 at 7 PM EST
- Where: TD Garden, Boston
- TV: NBCSN
- Radio: SiriusXM
- Live Stream: NHL.tv
- NHL Betting Lines: Boston Bruins -1.5 (Total 5.5)
Why bet on the New York Islanders?
As it stands at the moment, the New York Islanders have the third-best record in the Eastern Conference. They have gone 22-8-2 to land on 46 points, which puts them 3 points back of the Boston Bruins in the race for the #2 seed in the East. The Islanders are second in the Metropolitan Division, 7 points off the torrid pace currently being set by the Washington Capitals.This will be the first of 3 meetings with the Bruins this season, but the Islander will like their chances on the road after going 9-5-1 through their first 15 games away from home. Perhaps more importantly, they are an incredible 11-1-0 SU in games against teams from the Atlantic Division this season. The Islanders have been up and down of late, going 6-4-0 in their last 10.
Team Stats
Offense- Goals: 2.97
- Shots: 28.25
- PP/PK Percentage: 20.78
Defense
- Goals: 2.50
- Shots: 31.59
- PP/PK Percentage: 20.45
Why bet on the Boston Bruins?
At 21-7-7, the Boston Bruins have one of the best records in the NHL, but the fact of the matter is that they have cooled off of late, going just 4-4-2 in their last 10 games. They have lost 4 of their last 5 games this season, although it should be noted that 3 of those came on a pretty poor road trip.
They closed out that trip with a win over Florida, but then lost their first home game back to the LA Kings. Overall, though, the Bruins have been outstanding in their own building, going 12-1-6 on the season. They are 8-3 in their last 11 games versus conference opponents and have won 8 of their last 10 meetings with the New York Islanders.
Team Stats
Offense- Goals: 3.37
- Shots: 31.91
- PP/PK Percentage: 26.42
Defense
- Goals: 2.57
- Shots: 30.94
- PP/PK Percentage: 17.31
Islanders vs Bruins NHL Betting Trends
- Islanders are 10-1 SU in their last 11 games against an opponent in the East conference
- The total has gone UNDER in 6 of NY Islanders’ last 8 games on the road
- Bruins are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games this season
- The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Boston’s last 9 games at home
Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction
Neither of these two teams are playing their best hockey at the moment, which makes this one a little tougher to predict. I am leaning towards the Bruins at home, but I think the Islanders might be a good bet to cover.Score: New York Islanders 3 – Boston Bruins 4
