NHL: New York Islanders vs Boston Bruins Prediction, Odds and Best Bets

Tonight’s matchup between 2 somewhat rivals square off. The New York Islanders will travel to Boston to take on the Bruins. Boston is off to what some would say a surprising start, but that depends on who you ask.

A lot of people had written the Bruins off before the season started. The departure of Bergeron and the lost faith in Ullmark seemed to be part of the reason why. Either way, they are off to a 10-1-1 start and are 1st in the Atlantic Division.

Newly names Captain Brad Marchand has been doing something right in the locker room that has these boys buzzing. Marchand has 6 goals and 5 assists so far and is right behind David Pastrnak who has 9 goals and 8 assists. Pasta leads the team in both goals and assists.

Despite peoples' predictions, Ullmark looks pretty good. He is off to a 4-1-1 start with a 2.30 GAA and a .926 save percentage. Jeremy Swayman has been even better though. He’s 6-0-0 with a 1.49 GAA and a .952 save percentage. He leads the league in both categories.

Ullmark and Swayman stand as one of the best goalie tandems in the NHL. There is another duo that ranks right up there, and it is their opponents goalies, Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov of the Islanders. Ullmark and Sorokin are expected to make the starts.

Sorokin and Varlamov have been the big keys to the Islanders hanging in there. Sorokin is 3-1-3 with a 3.12 GAA and a .911 save percentage. Varly is 2-2-0 so far with a 1.77 GAA and a .950 save percentage with both wins being shutouts. Illya’s GAA is out of hand and it’s all on the defense.

The Islanders’ defense has been horrendous and putting so much pressure on the goaltenders. They have blown leads in 3 games recently that all ended in losses. Both goalies have multiple 30+ save games and Sorokin has two 40+ save games. They are going to have to do better if they want to contend all year.

New York was always known for their slow, defensive style of play and they’ve lost it. They rank 30th in the league for shots on goal allowed per game with 35.3. That is a ridiculously high number when you think about it and they’re lucky for their strong goalie tandem.

Although the Isles rank in the bottom of the league for goals forced per game and middle of the league for shots on goal per game, they look much better this year. They’re moving the puck much better and everyone’s getting involved.

Noah Dobson and Mat Barzal have both really shown up so far this year. It’s great to see as they are both home grown players coming into their own. Bo Horvat is playing great and showing what he brings to this team. Brock Nelson leads the team with 5 goals and Kyle Palmieri is tied for 3rd in points with 8.

It’s going to be interesting to see of the Isles can go back to their defensive ways and keep Boston under control. They have the best chance with Sorokin in net as well. Let’s get into the picks and odds.

Betting Odds

Puck Line

• New York Islanders +1.5 (-192)
• Boston Bruins -1.5 (+158)

Moneyline

• New York Islanders +136
• Boston Bruins -164

Totals

• Over 5.5 (+100)
• Under 5.5 (-122)

Odds courtesy of BetUS

Game Information

• Venue: TD Garden, Boston, MA
• Date: Thursday, November 9, 2023
• Puck Drop: 7pm EST
• TV: NESN, MSGSN

New York Islanders vs Boston Bruins Prediction and Picks

Prediction and Pick: Game Total Under 5.5 (-122) BetUS

We have such a great goaltending match up this game. Ullmark is the defending Vezina Trophy winner and Sorokin was a finalist. As mentioned before, these guys haven’t been playing around.

The Islanders have Sorokin as their line of defense, but Boston has a lot of defense behind Ullmark. The Bruins are 1st in goals allowed per game with 1.92 and rank 20th in shots on goal allowed per game with 31.4. New York averages just about 31 shots per game, so they should get their looks on Ullmark.

With all the goaltending and the Bruins stingy defense, I see this game going under. I unfortunately (unofficially) lead the Bruins in this game, but you never know. The books lean the same way with a 5.5 total which makes sense based on the things we’ve talked about. Not too juicy either – this game is going under.

Player Prop: Ilya Sorkin O30.5 Saves (-125)

Just call it a system play at this point. I know you may be sick of seeing the same play, but what’s not broke don’t fix, right?

With the way the Islanders just bleed shots, either goalie is going to see 30+ shots a game. This is a no brainer in my opinion. Sorokin has hit this line in all 5 game this season except for his first 2 games.

Sorokin’s only problem is getting help from the defense, but that just leaves more chances for shots on goal. It pains me to say that this may is going to get completely peppered, but if he’s going to – I might as well ease my wounds with coin!

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