Islanders Put 7-Game Winning Streak on the Line vs Lightning: November 1 NHL Pick
- After winning seven straight, Islanders will look to match the third-longest win streak in franchise history when they host the Lightning on Friday
- New York last won eight consecutive games in the 1982-83 season
- Tampa Bay has a 7-2-0 mark against the Islanders over the last three seasons, but has lost two of its last three games
It’s the NHL’s most in-form team against the reigning Presidents’ Trophy winners on Friday night as the New York Islanders host the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Islanders will be looking for an eighth consecutive win, while Tampa is still trying to find the form that saw it win an NHL-record-equalling 62 games last season. However, despite New York’s recent streak, the Tampa Bay vs New York odds still favor the Lightning.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs New York Islanders Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Lightning | -1.5 (+197) | -121 | O 6 (-111) |
| New York Islanders | +1.5 (-227) | +110 | U 6 (+101) |
Odds taken Oct 31
Island Heat
The hottest team in the NHL right now, the Islanders have won seven straight, powering through the ranks of the elite, such as the defending Stanley Cup champions St. Louis Blues, as well as some of the also-rans, such as the Ottawa Senators.
Only 2 NHL teams have recorded 8 wins in their past 10 games.
The Vancouver Canucks are 8-1-1 and the New York Islanders are 8-2.
— John Shannon (@JShannonhl) October 31, 2019
New York last won eight straight during the 1982-83 season, which coincidentally ended with the last of the team’s four straight Stanley Cups.
While the team has put up serviceable offense over this run by scoring at least three goals in each of the games – solid defense has been its real calling card. Only once in the seven-game run has it conceded as many as three goals, and its goals-against average on the season is a respectable 2.45, good for fifth-best in the NHL.
Just before the Pulock goal Semyon Varlamov robs a sure goal from the Flyers here.
Save of the game.#isles pic.twitter.com/cRlqU1epjM
— Eyes on Isles (@eyesonislesFS) October 28, 2019
The team also has the benefit of being at home Friday, and having had most of the week to rest up since last playing on Sunday, a 5-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. In addition to that, New York has a 5-2-0 record at home so far this season.
Spreading the Wealth
Although their offense ranks only 22nd in the NHL with 33 goals on the season – tied with the crosstown rival New York Rangers – the Islanders are getting a balanced contribution from across the lineup.
No need to question the chemistry here.
Derick Brassard and Brock Nelson are quite the combo. pic.twitter.com/HAfulcPWrl
— NHL (@NHL) October 27, 2019
Already without standouts such as Andrew Ladd and Jordan Eberle, New York has relied on players such as Matthew Barzal, Brock Nelson and Josh Bailey to pick up the slack. And they’ve responded tallying 28 points between them, while Derrick Brassard enters the game riding a three-game goal-scoring streak.
Road Weary
While the Islanders will be well-rested, Tampa Bay will be back on the ice for the third time in four nights. And recent results haven’t gone in their favor either, with the Lightning losing two of their last three, with Wednesday’s 7-6 win at New Jersey preventing the Lightning’s first three-game losing streak since March 2018. So far this season, Tampa Bay is 4-3-1 on the road.
However, after scoring seven in a game for the second time this season, Tampa’s offense is starting to click once again, which could be bad news for New York. And much like the Islanders, Tampa is starting to benefit from a balanced scoring attack.
Twice as nice for Mr. Ondrej Palat. 🔥#TBLvsNJD | #GoBolts pic.twitter.com/VR5S2NkE3E
— x – Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) October 31, 2019
Neither of Steven Stamkos nor reigning Art Ross Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov were on the score sheet on Wednesday, but Brayden Point, Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson each had three points.
Banged Up
However, Tampa is suffering from a bit of an injury bug at present, with both Victor Hedman and Patrick Maroon out on a day-to-day basis with lower and upper-body maladies respectively.
However, the latter injury opened the door for Alex Volkov, who made his NHL debut on Wednesday.
"We're not going to be the team that they were last year, and the sooner we start to come to grips with that, I think we'll get past the living-on-what-happened last year mentality just assuming that things are going to go our way."#TBLvsNJD | Kevin Shattenkirk: pic.twitter.com/08nw66A9kp
— x – Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) October 31, 2019
And with backup Curtis McElhinney playing against the Devils, it opens the door for regular starter – and reigning Vezina Trophy winner Andrei Vasilevskiy to get the nod between the pipes on Friday. The Russian netminder has a 6-3-0 record with two shutouts, a 2.28 goals-against average and a .936 save percentage over 10 career appearances against the Islanders.
Pick: After seven straight wins, the Islanders look a good bet to make it eight (+110)
For the last 20 years, Paul Attfield has worked in sports media. Starting out in his native Britain with the likes of The Independent, he eventually switched continents, with his work appearing in the likes of the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and Yahoo Sports since.
