The New York Islanders earned a huge victory in Game 1, defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning, 2-1. Now Tampa Bay looks to even the series on Tuesday evening.
Here you can find the best NHL picks, news, and stats for NHL playoff semifinal battle at Amalie Arena. Tampa Bay is the favorite at -213. This according to PointsBet Sportsbook, which puts New York at +175 as the underdog.
The Islanders will be without Johnny Boychuck, Anders Lee, Michael Dal Colle, and Oliver Wahlstrom. Tampa Bay will be without Marian Gaborik and Anders Nilsson.
Varlamov Shines in Islanders Series Opening Victory
Semyon Varlamov stopped 30 of 31 shots to lead the Islanders to the 2-1 victory. New York took a 1-0 lead on a Matthew Barzal goal 12:32 into the second and extended their lead to two when Ryan Pulock scored just after the five-minute mark in the third. Tampa Bay finally broke the shutout in the final minute.
New York is averaging 3.46 goals per game and is connecting on 11.5% of their shots, both second in the playoffs. The power-play has been extremely effective at 25.7%. Jean-Gabriel Pageau leads the team with 10 assists and 13 points. Kyle Palmieri is the leading goal scorer with seven.
The Islanders are allowing 2.62 goals per game but the penalty killing has been terrible at 60.7%. Varlamov is 5-3 with a 2.43 GAA and a .930 save percentage. He has won his last four starts.
Lightning Look to Rebound
Tampa Bay was shutout for 59:06 until Brayden Point scored his ninth goal of the season to break the shutout. That was a power-play goal. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 29 of 31 shots.
Tampa Bay is averaging 3.25 goals per game and they are connecting on 11.1% of their shots, both third in the postseason. The power-play is the best at 42.1%. Nikita Kucherov leads Tampa Bay with 14 assists and 19 points. Point is the leading goal scorer with nine and is second in points with 13.
Tampa Bay is allowing 2.33 goals per game in the penalty killing has been solid at 79.5%. Vasilevksiy is now 8-4-0 with a 2.23 GAA and a .934 save percentage.
Trends:
New York:
- None
Tampa Bay:
- 5-2 in their last seven games.
- 45-19 in their last 64 games at home.
New York Islanders vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Pick:
This must be looked at as a must-win game for Tampa Bay. They simply cannot go down 0-2 heading back to New York, so they have to come out on all cylinders. I expect to see a complete effort as they control both ends of the rink on their way to a decisive victory. The Islanders are 3-8 in their last 11 games in Tampa Bay. Look for two first-period goals for the Lightning as they cruise.
New York Islanders vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Total Pick:
Varlamov proved he is the real deal, and he should help to keep Tampa Bay from scoring more than three goals in any contest in this series. These teams have gone under in three of the last four meetings and have gone under in four of the last seven meetings in Tampa Bay. The under looks like the smart that here as well.