Islanders vs Lightning Game 5 Odds, Predictions and Picks – New York Listed as Underdog for Fifth Straight Game of Series
- The Tampa Bay Lightning, leading 2-1 in the series, are strong -180 favorites to win Game 5 on June 21 to take, even though the series is tied 2-2
- Each team has one win at home and one on the road heading into Game 5 in Tampa.
- Read below for the odds, game preview, and betting pick
The New York Islanders-Tampa Bay Lightning playoff series is going the way many people thought it would. But then again, it isn’t.
It was presumed this would be tight series that would require six or more games to settle. That’s assured now that it is 2-2 going into Game 5.
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What wasn’t anticipated is that the Islanders would be a better scoring team than the Lightning in this postseason. In the regular-season, the Lightning were ninth in team scoring, while the Islanders were 21st. In this postseason, the Islanders are averaging 3.19 goals per game compared to 3.13 for the Lightning.
The Lightning are strong -180 favorites. But the Islanders have been a good bet in this series, going 3-1 ATS.
Hurricanes vs Lightning Game 5 Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York Islanders | +160 | +1.5 (-182) | O 5 (-136) |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | -186 | -1.5 (+150) | U 5 (+112) |
Odds as of June 19th from DraftKings
Islanders Offense Steps Up in Postseason
Down the stretch in the regular-season, it was painful to watch New York’s offensive struggles, After Anders Lee went down with an injury, the Islanders looked inept at times.
In the postseason, they have been a different offensive team. Lou Lamoriello’s move to acquire Kyle Palmieri looks brilliant today because he has seven goals. But he is one of four Islanders with six or seven goals. Brock Nelson also has seven, while Josh Bailey and Mathew Barzal have six each.
Barzal makes it 2-0! pic.twitter.com/DxzqGxP6su
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) June 20, 2021
The Islanders are scoring by committee, and that committee has been very productive. That’s why they pulled off a 3-2 win in Game 4. Jean-Gabriel Pageau also has 13 points and Anthony Beauvillier has 12. Defenseman is tied for third on the team with seven assists.
Instead of relying on one or two offensive heroes, the Islanders have everyone on the roster playing better offensively than they did in the regular-season.
Masked Man Still the Lightning Key
Brayden Point has 12 goals in the Lightning’s 15 playoff games. Nikita Kucherov has 24 points. The Lightning has a roster overflowing with proven scorers. Victor Hedman is the NHL’s best defenseman.
But goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy remains the team’s most important player.
With the Lightning still needing two wins to return to the Stanley Cup Final, Vasilevskiy has given up eight goals in his last five games. Since the clinching game of the Carolina series, Vasilevskiy has stopped 136 of 144 shots. That’s a .944 save percentage.
The annual NHLPA Player Poll came out this morning.
64% of NHL players view Victor Hedman as the best defenseman in the league.
54% of NHL players view Andrei Vasilevskiy as the best goalie in the league.
Neither vote was all that close. pic.twitter.com/LeAK1xohtb
— Andrew Weiss (@WeissHockeyTalk) June 17, 2021
Lightning vs Hurricanes Series Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| New York Islanders | +185 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | -230 |
Anders Lee Watch
Anders Lee is still sidelined with an injury. Nobody is saying when he will be ready to play. But that doesn’t mean Islanders fans can’t get excited every time they see video of him skating.
Even though the Islanders have played impressively this postseason, they clearly miss Lee, especially when the game is on the line. The fact that the Islanders are two wins away from the Stanley Cup Final without him illustrates how well they are playing
Word is he looks strong when he does his skating drills. But there is a big difference between skating drills and game contact.
Anders Lee skated on his own this morning.
Today, he worked on skating — specifically tight cuts — and corralling rebounds. pic.twitter.com/9eZGtfhzoJ
— David Lazar (@davidlazar100) June 19, 2021
It’s hard not to take the Islanders +1.5
In a tight-checking NHL playoff series, a 1.5-goal spread looks like three goals. In this series, three of the first four games have been decided by a single goal. The other game was decided by two goals. Defense has been king in this series. The Lightning are giving up two goals per game, while the Islanders are at 2.25. That’s not going to change. Those factors make the Islanders enticing as a betting option
Pick: Islanders +1.5 (-182)
Kevin Allen has covered most major events, including the Olympics, Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Final. He covered the NHL for USA Today from 1986-2020, receiving the Lester Patrick Award in 2013 and was honored by the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2014 with the Elmer Ferguson Award.
