Tampa Bay Lightning vs NY Islanders Picks and Odds Nov 15

Tampa Bay Lightning vs NY Islanders Betting Preview

WagerTalk NHL handicapper Andrew McInnis offers his Tampa Bay Lightning vs NY Islanders betting preview for Monday, November 15 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning have opened as a modest -130 home favorite over the Islanders with the total sitting at 5.5 goals.

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Tampa Bay Lightning vs NY Islanders Prediction

Tampa Bay Lightning -130 vs NY Islanders
Total: 5.5 Goals
Tampa Bay has won five of its last seven games, with both of the losses coming in overtime.
New York will open its new arena on Saturday, November 15 vs Calgary.

Nearing the end of a 13 game road trip to open up their season, the Islanders visit Tampa Bay to take on the Lightning in a Monday night match-up. The Islanders are 5-4-2 on the season, and the defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning are 7-3-3.

I certainly give some credit to the Islanders for what they’ve been able to do this season, given the fact they are playing double-digit games on the road to start the season, but it seems as if the fatigue is finally beginning to set in. The Islanders have scored only four goals in their previous three games and are fresh off being shutout 4-0 to the New Jersey Devils. The longer a road trip goes on, the harder it is for teams to put forward a complete defensive effort. Hockey teams that have been on the road for an extended period often show fatigue, late-game sloppiness, and take undisciplined penalties. That’s what I think we’re starting to see with the New York Islanders, and things won’t get much easier for them against a talented Lightning team with lots of scoring ability, stellar defense, and a Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender.

The Bolts have won five of their last seven games, with the two losses coming in overtime, and they’ve now boosted themselves to seventh in the league in expected goals per 60 minutes in 5v5 hockey. Ultimately, this Tampa Bay team is not a team you want to face when you’re struggling.

The New York Islanders have lost to below-average teams, and their only wins have come against teams that are off to rough starts to their season, including the Coyotes, Canadiens, and the Blackhawks. The Islanders have been able to get goal-support from top players like Brock Nelson and Matthew Barzal. Still, it seems this year they are lacking the depth they’ve always had, and it’s hurt them big time, big enough that they rank second last in the league in goals scored per game, only being better than the Arizona Coyotes, who have one win on the season. The Islanders don’t have a single win in their last six games against teams with a winning record, and their struggling offence will find it tough to beat Vasilevskiy at home, a red-hot goaltender that’s posting a 2.31 GAA and a save percentage of .921 this season.

The Islanders come into this one relatively rested, having not played a game in several days. Still, even with those few days off, I think this extended road trip has taken a massive toll on them while they await their home opener in their newly built arena. It always says a lot about a team when you look at who they are defeating and not just how many wins they have, and that’s the story with the Islanders this year; they haven’t done anything impressive. Tampa Bay seems to have gotten their swagger back after a slow start to their season, blowing out Pittsburgh, beating Washington, and defeating their state rivals, the Florida Panthers, in overtime.

Tampa Bay Lightning vs NY Islanders Pick:

Tampa Bay is heating up and starting to look like their old selves while the Islanders anxiously wait to get home to their newly built arena and are fatigued from their long road trip. The Islanders have had trouble scoring on the season, and it won’t get much easier for them as Tampa goaltender Andre Vasilevskiy hasn’t allowed more than two goals in any of his last six starts and boasts a save percentage of .944 during that span. Play the Lighting -135.

🏒 The NHL season is only a month old, but Detroit has already played four more games than Columbus. Will that scheduling quirk affect tonight’s game between these two squads? Join @CarmineBiancoWT and @McInnispicks for #PuckTime at 11am ET / 8am PT.https://t.co/7TvcFOEgVJ

— WagerTalk (@WagerTalk) November 15, 2021

Hockey Betting 101

Period Pucklines – Thanks to the expansion of sports betting offerings, bettors can now bet individual periods in a hockey game. Instead of the traditional -1.5 / +1.5 pucklines for the full game, a period puckline is displayed with -0.5 / +0.5. Betting on the favorite with the period puckline requires them to out-score their opponent in that period. Betting on the underdog with the +0.5 head start allows the bet to cash if the two teams are tied after that individual period.

Reverse Pucklines – The reverse puckline gives the favorite a +1.5 head start and turns the underdog into the -1.5 role. Bettors might be intrigued by this option if they are looking at an underdog they think might win by 2+ goals at a very juicy price.

Alternate Pucklines – The alternate puckline bumps the point spread from 1.5 to 2.5 goals. So the favorite has to win the game by three or more goals, and the underdog can now lose the game by two goals and still cash a bet on the alternate puckline.

…Check out WagerTalk’s Sports Betting Guides for more information.

WagerTalk’s Puck Time

Join Andrew McInnis and Carmine Bianco for Monday’s edition of Puck Time as our panel of professional hockey handicappers break down tonight’s NHL betting slate. The New York Islanders are only five nights away from opening their new arena. How will they close their extended season-opening road trip with stops against the Panthers and Lightning this week? Join Andrew and Carmine as we discuss tonight’s NHL betting slate, including this Tampa Bay Lightning vs NY Islanders Eastern Conference clash.

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