Bruins vs Islanders Game 6 Odds, Predictions and Best Bet – Boston Favored to Tie Series on the Road
By Robert Duff in NHL Hockey
Published:
- The Boston Bruins are -129 road favorites to beat the New York Islanders in Game 6 of their Stanley Cup East Division final on Wednesday, June 9th
- The Islanders are trying to reach the Stanley Cup final four in successive seasons for the first time since 1983 and 1984
- See below for odds, analysis and our prediction for Game 6
How’s this for a trend? Every time the New York Islanders have beaten the Boston Bruins in the playoffs, they’ve won the Stanley Cup.
How’s this for deja vu? The last time the Isles went to the Staney Cup semifinals in back-to-back-seasons, the Montreal Canadiens were also part of the NHL final four.
Up 3-2 in the East Division final against Boston, should the Islanders close out the Bruins, they’d join the Canadiens in this spring’s final four showdown for Lord Stanley’s mug.
Hold on there a second, though. The oddsmakers aren’t getting aboard this trend train. Even though the Isles are home for Game 6, it’s the Bruins who’ve been established as -129 road favorites. Boston is 1-4-1 straight up as a road favorite at Long Island this season.
 Bruins vs Islanders Game 6 Odds
| Player | Moneyline | Spread at DraftKings | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Bruins | -129 | -1.5 (+200) | O 5.5 (+116) |
| New York Islanders | +111 | +1.5 (-245) | U 5.5 (-141) |
Odds as of June 9th
The scheduled puck drop for Wednesday’s game at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum is 7:30pm ET. NBCSN is carrying the broadcast.
Bruins Losing Composure
Not only is Boston fighting a losing battle against the Islanders, the Bruins are also waging a costly assault on the NHL. Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy lambasted the officiating in the series after Boston fell 5-4 in Game 5. The NHL countered by isssuing a $25,000 to the Boston coach.
It’s an age-old tactic — blame the officials and get the media asking about that subject. For the Bruins, it’s a better topic of conversation than dealing with questions about why they’ve lost two games in a row, squandering a 2-1 series lead.
https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1402285248851947520?s=20
The NHL Department of Player Safety issued a $5,000 fine to Bruins winger Nick Ritchie for elbowing Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield in the head during Game 5.
It’s the second straight game a Boston player incurred a $5,000 fine. Forward David Krejci was tagged for slashing Isles forward Mathew Barzal in Game 4.
Islanders vs Bruins Series Odds
| Team | Odds at DraftKings |
|---|---|
| New York Islanders | -225 |
| Boston Bruins | +180 |
Injury Updates
Dealing with what the Bruins are calling nagging injuries, Boston goalie Tuukka Rask left Game 5 after two periods. Rookie Jeremy Swayman played the third frame.
Rask is being listed as questionable for Game 6. That could mean Swayman will be making his first career NHL playoff start with Boston’s season on the line.
The Bruins will also be without forward Curtis Lazar for Game 6. He suffered a lower-body injury during Game 5. Lazar attempted to check Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech but ended up tumbling into the boards himself.
#Isles captain Anders Lee back in his office in front of the net pic.twitter.com/KETEg84UBN
— Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) June 7, 2021
Boston is already missing defensemen Kevan Miller (six games) and Brandon Carlo (two games) with undislosed injuries. Neither is expected to play in Game 6.
Though he’s not expected to play again this season, Islanders captain Anders Lee (right ACL surgery) has resumed skating.
Barzal Burying Bruins
Islanders coach Barry Trots called out Barzal after he collected just three points in six opening-round games against Pittsburgh. The shifty forward has responded.
Barzal is on 🔥🔥🔥
He has goals in 3 straight games for the #Isles #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/E68mSWPAUu— For Future Considerations (@PodcastFFC) June 7, 2021
Barzal has scored in each of the last three games. He’d gone 15 postseason games without a goal prior to that.
Through five games against Boston, Barzal has collected five points. In 17 career regular-season games facing the Bruins, he’s delivered 14 points.
Trendspotting
The Bruins have been the favorite for all six games of this series. The over is 3-1-1 through five games.
The second round is following a similar pattern to the Isles’ first-round set against Pittsburgh. New York was also down 2-1 to the Penguins and rallied to win in six games.
Boston outshot the Islanders 44-19 in Game 5. That was including an 18-3 edge in the third period.
The Islanders netted three power-play goals in Game 5. They’re 9-for-31 (29%) with the man advantage during the playoffs.
- Pick: New York Islanders (+111)
Sports Writer
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
