The New York Islanders have taken a point in five of their last seven games and look to be past their earlier struggles heading into Thursday’s home matchup with the Boston Bruins. The Bruins are dealing with their own health & safety struggles of late, as Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron will both be unavailable.
Can the Islanders take advantage of a short-handed Boston team that is reliant on the Perfection Line? Are the Bruins any better than their ninth-place Eastern Conference standings indicate? Find out in our free NHL picks and predictions for Bruins vs. Islanders.
Bruins vs Islanders odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
The Bruins opened at -130, hit -120, and now currently sit as underdogs at some books at -105. The total has been bouncing around 5 and 5.5.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until puck drop and be sure to check out the full NHL odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Bruins vs Islanders predictions
- Prediction: Islanders ML (-110)
- Prediction: Over 5 (-130)
- Best bet: Bruins team total Under 2.5 (-105)
Predictions made on 12/16/2021 at 9:00 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Bruins vs Islanders game info
• Location: UBS Arena, Elmont, NY
• Date: Thursday, December 16, 2021
• Puck drop: 7:30 p.m. ET
• TV: Sportsnet 360
Bruins vs Islanders betting preview
Injuries
Bruins: Patrice Bergeron F (Out), Brad Marchand F (Questionable), Craig Smith F (Questionable).
Islanders: Matt Barzal F (Questionable), Ryan Pulock D (Out).
Find our latest NHL injury reports.
Bruins vs Islanders head-to-head record (since 2021)
Bruins: 5-9 SU, 36 goals for.
Islanders: 9-5 SU, 43 goals for.
Betting trend to know
The Bruins are 1-6 SU in their last seven meetings in New York. Find more NHL betting trends for Bruins vs. Islanders.
Bruins vs Islanders picks and predictions
Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.
Moneyline/Puck line analysis
The New York Islanders are four games past their epic 11-game losing streak, but with wins against the Devils and Senators in their last four, this team isn’t screaming with confidence. They’re also playing without star forward Matt Barzal and defenseman Ryan Pulock, who is second on the team in time on ice. But even with the poor form and missing pieces, the Islanders have a great shot at picking up a pair of points versus a struggling Boston team that has also just been dealt some bad news.
Patrice Bergeron was placed on the COVID list yesterday, where he joins Brad Marchand and Craig Smith. The Bruins were already heavily reliant on the Bergeron-Marchand-Pastrnak line for goal production, as those three have 29 of the team’s 69 goals. Marchand, the team’s leading point-getter, has missed four of the team’s last seven games, and the Bruins are 1-3 SU and have scored just nine goals in his absence.
Losing his top center will put all of Bruce Cassidy’s lines in a blender, as Eric Haula will likely jump up the first line with Taylor Hall and Pastrnak. This may look like a decent line, but the other three lines are weak at center, which is a big advantage for the Islanders.
Linus Ullmark should get the nod for the Bs after Jeremey Swayman took the 4-1 loss vs. Vegas two nights ago. Ullmark has been playing above his head of late. He's allowed exactly two goals in five straight starts but has seen a ton of rubber, as the Bruins have conceded at least 42 shots on net in his last two starts. Ullmark’s run is unsustainable, as he had a 3.01 GAA over the first month of hockey and has a career 2.76 GAA.
Ullmark will face a New York offense that is scoring 2.71 goals per game over its last 10 and is 5 for 14 on the PP over its last six games. Missing Matt Barzal hurts, as he was starting to heat up, but his loss isn’t nearly as significant as Bergeron and Marchand’s.
Ilya Sorkin could likely get the nod in net tonight for the home team. The Russian netminder has been the better New York goalie this year and despite a 7-7-4 record, he owns a .926 SV% that ranks in the Top 10 in hockey. He’ll face a Boston offense that has scored just 14 goals over its last seven games with 10 of those at even strength.
These two teams saw each other 14 times last season, including a six-game playoff series that New York won 4-2. The Islanders won nine of those matches and six of the seven on home ice, with that only loss coming in overtime.
This will likely be a low-scoring affair and we’re fine with taking the home side here as. Despite the losses, the Islanders have played in five straight one-goal games on home ice and haven’t lost by more than one goal in eight straight.
Prediction: Islanders ML (-110)
Over/Under analysis
With so much skill on the sidelines Thursday night, there seems to be only one way to look at this total. Both teams sit in the Bottom 6 in goals scored over the last month and have been profitable to the Under on the season. Barzal was riding a six-game point streak and was starting to heat up, but his absence, combined with that of Bergeron and Marchand’s, means both teams will be playing without their top point producers. However, getting an NHL total of 5 is a different story.
Very seldomly do we pass on an Over at 5 in the NHL. The Bruins will still be trotting out a pretty decent PP 1 that could get things done, while the loss of Ryan Pulock on the blueline for the Islanders also hurts them defensively.
The Islanders have scored three or more goals in four of their last six games, as the offense is starting to pull it together after managing just 13 goals over the 11-game losing streak. The Boston penalty kill has been more than generous of late, giving up a goal in four straight games and having killed just 10 of its last 15.
Losing centermen is also a recipe for goals as the shuffle of lines tends to hurt defensively when centers play with new wingers. Bergeron is also one of the best defensive centermen and was responsible for checking the opponents’ top line — his face-off skills will be missed by the Bruins.
It’s not often we see totals of 5 but when they do come, we’ve never shied away from them — even at this price.
Prediction: Over 5 (-130)
Best bet
We’re getting a decent price on Boston's team total of Under 2.5. Boston has scored three goals just twice in its last seven games and has failed to score three goals in any of its last six defeats.
The losses of Bergeron, Marchand and even Craig Smith hurt this team substantially, as not many teams rely on their top three forwards as much as Bruce Cassidy's squad does.
Betting on the Islanders is always a nail-biter as the offense has struggled but hitting the Under on the Bruins’ team total of 2.5 at -105 might be a less-stressful wager than the Islanders’ moneyline. New York has held its opponent to Under three goals in back-to-back games and getting an Under 2.5 goals at -105 with a total of 5 is a decent price.
Pick: Bruins team total Under 2.5 (-105)
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