Islanders vs Bruins Game 1 Odds, Picks, And How To Bet Game 1

• The Islanders and Bruins play Game 1 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series on Saturday, May 29th (8 pm ET)
• Ilya Sorokin has won all four games he has started in net for New York and Tuukka Rask had a .941 save percentage last round for Boston.
• Read below for the odds, game preview, and betting pick

The New York Islanders and Boston Bruins are about to get reintroduced to each other. Game 1 will be played on Saturday, May 29th (8:00 pm ET) at TD Garden and will be broadcast on NBC.

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Boston is currently listed as a solid -177 home favorite to triumph in the first game of this second-round series.

Can the Boston Bruins hold serve at home or will the New York Islanders steal home-ice advantage away early?

Islanders vs Bruins Odds – Game 1

Odds as of May 28th.

Will The Rest For Rask Do Him Good?

The Boston Bruins got a much-needed break by closing out their series with the Washington Capitals on Sunday. They were able to get some extra practice in. For the 34-year-old Tuukka Rask, that was very much a good thing after a tough series against a hard-charging Washington Capitals team.

Rask was excellent in the Round 1 series versus Washington especially as the series went on. He went 4-1 with a 1.81 goals-against-average and .941 save percentage. Rask yielded just 10 goals on 169 shots and had a goals saved above average of 3.3. The Boston goaltender played exemplary in eliminating the Capitals.

However, there is a little something to keep an eye on?

Tuukka Rask just gave us an update on his health @TheGregHillShow: "Health is ok. I've been playing… [health is] not as good as I want it to be, but I've been playing and practicing, that's all that matters"

— Ken Laird (@KenLairdWEEI) May 28, 2021

The question becomes what ailment of sorts is Rask battling through? No one would even know what is the matter with the Boston goaltender. This is because he has performed so well.

Either way, Tuukka Rask is certainly not Tristan Jarry and that should worry New York. Rask is just 2-2 versus the Islanders this season but sports an impressive 1.86 goals-against average and .925 save percentage.

Rask was excellent in Round 1 with a .895 high-danger save percentage against Washington.  He will make life difficult against New York much as he did during the regular season. Expect some close, hard-fought games in this series as New York comes in with confidence averaging 3.5 goals per game. Again, the Boston goalie dealt with an upper-echelon offense in Washington. He has the ability to turn aside New York as well.

Ilya Sorokin Faces An Even Bigger Test

When Pittsburgh scored three goals early in Game 6, there had to be a twinge of nervousness with Sorokin in net. He did not allow a goal the rest of the way. The question is was it because of Sorokin, the Penguins, or both? It may be a question that gets answered quickly in this round against the Boston Bruins.

Sorokin was the difference-maker in Round 1 for the Islanders against the Penguins.

Goals Saved Above Average in playoffs (@NatStatTrick all-encompassing goalie metric):

1. ILYA SOROKIN, 4.13
2. Connor Hellebuyck, 3.43
..
..
20. Alex Nedeljkovic, minus-2.03
21 (last). TRISTAN JARRY, minus-6.46

If you're overthinking PIT/NYI series, it aint that hard to explain

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) May 28, 2021

One has to ask if Sorokin can handle a much more balanced team in the Boston Bruins. That is the great unknown. So far, the 25-year-old has played with a calmness beyond his years. The young Russian will have less margin for error in a series where defensively Boston was on a level with New York and averaged 0.22 goals per game more scored during the regular season.

Islanders vs Bruins Series Odds

Islanders vs Bruins Best Bet

The Bruins are solid favorites to win the opening game of this series and the number does seem to be increasing. Boston enjoyed such a luxury in balance as far as scoring. Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron had three goals each but Taylor Hall, Jake DeBrusk, and David Pastrnak tallied twice. The Bruins possess four lines that can potentially score goals at any time. Even their power play is a top-10 caliber unit.

Boston Bruins Bruce Cassidy and the team’s late season and playoff success..” We added some people and got healthy.”@wbznewsradio pic.twitter.com/Waaq9tfEWa

— Tom Cuddy (@TomCuddySports) May 28, 2021

For New York, Game 1 may be a daunting task. Boston is finally about as healthy as they are going to be. The Bruins expect to take advantage of a young goaltender early in the series. My pick is the Boston moneyline on Saturday night.

Pick: Boston Bruins Moneyline (-177)