New York Islanders at Tampa Bay Lightning

By Sam Batz

The Tampa Bay Lightning host the New York Islanders, for their second matchup of the season, on Saturday, April 1st (7:00 PM EST, ESPN+) in Tampa Bay’s Amalie Arena. The Islanders and Lightning played their first game all the way back in October of 2022 and haven’t met again since. The Lightning won that game 5-3 and now welcome the Islanders back to Tampa Bay for a rematch. Both sides are top candidates to make the playoffs but neither has clinched a spot, and with few games left on the schedule, every game carries extra weight. The Lightning are favored at -152, while the Islanders are the underdogs, priced +137. 

New York Islanders Breakdown (+137)

The Islanders are 39-28-9 with 87 points. They have just 6 games left on their schedule but have a 90% chance to make the playoffs. New York is currently 4th in the Metropolitan Division and 7th in the Eastern Conference. The Islanders went 6-3-1 (13 pts) in their last 10 games and are coming off back-to-back wins over the New Jersey Devils (5-1 on Monday) and the Washington Capitals (2-1 on Wednesday). The Islanders made the playoffs 6 times in the last 10 years, but missed out last season, and will continue to play their best hockey until the regular season is officially over and the playoffs are set. 

Tampa Bay Lightning Breakdown (-152)

The Tampa Bay Lightning are 44-26-6 with 94 points through 76 games, are 3rd in the Atlantic Division, and 6th in the Eastern Conference. With 6 games left on their schedule, Tampa Bay is highly likely to make their 6th consecutive playoff appearance. The Lightning have made it to the Stanley Cup finals three straight years, but according to FiveThirtyEight, Tampa Bay has a poor chance to represent the East for a 4th time. Tampa Bay is a great team, but will need to get past the heavily favored Boston Bruins in order to get back to the finals. The Lightning went 5-5 in their last 10, but are in the middle of a two game winning streak, which they will hope to extend through Saturday against the Islanders. 

Islanders vs. Lightning Odds

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Islanders vs. Lightning: Season Stats

Islanders vs. Lightning: Betting Trends

Islanders vs. Lightning: Game Changers

New York Islanders

• Brock Nelson (Center) leads the Islanders with 69 points (32 goals, 37 assists) and averaged 0.8 points per game (5 goals, 3 assists) in his last 10 games
• Anders Lee (Left Wing) and Zach Parise (Left Wing) are the only other players, besides Nelson, with 20+ goals on the season (48 combined goals)
• Ilya Sorokin (Goaltender) has played the most games between the sticks for New York. He is 28-19-7 (9th), averages 2.36 GA/G (5th), and has a 92.4% SV% (3rd)
• The Islanders averaged 3.4 goals for and 2.8 goals against in their last 10 games

Tampa Bay Lightning

• Nikita Kucherov (Right Wing) leads Tampa Bay with 104 points (28 goals, 76 assists) and averaged 0.9 points per game (2 goals, 7 assists) in his last 10 games. Kucherov has the 2nd-most assists and 3rd-most points in the NHL
• Andrei Vasilevskiy (Goaltender) has played 57 games in goal for Tampa Bay. He is 33-20-4 (4th), averages 2.61 GA/G (14th), and has a 91.6% SV% (T-9th)
• The Lightning averaged 3.0 goals for and 2.8 goals against in their last 10 games

Islanders vs. Lightning Prediction

Take the Tampa Bay Lightning to win Saturday’s game. The Lightning rank amongst the top-five best scoring teams, while the Islanders rank amongst the top-five defenses. In a battle of offense versus defense, I am going with the offense. New York’s Ilya Sorokin is a great goaltender, but the Lightning average nearly 32 shots per game and will pepper the Islanders goal all night in a bid to get closer to clinching the playoffs. Tampa Bay plays well at home, with a win-rate close to 70%, and as favorites, the Lightning don’t get upset by the underdog very often. 

Prediction: Tampa Bay Lighting Moneyline (-152)

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