A team that has defied the odds in the playoffs has been the New York Islanders. They have been the underdog in most of the postseason games. It was the case when they went up against the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins, but came out winning both series. It wasn’t going to be any different against the defending champions Tampa Bay Lightning.

Game 1 gave us a glimpse of how much the Isles have improved, much so they took the first victory of the series on the road, containing the Lightning from scoring until the final minutes of the game. With a 2-1 victory, we return to Tampa for Game 2, before sending the series to upstate New York. Can the Isles get another victory on the road? Or will the Lightning get a win at home and tie the series?. Let’s dive into the latest expert preview for the Islanders vs. Lightning, along with the latest NHL odds, betting trends and predictions. Be sure to be on the lookout for updated NHL odds and lines out our online Bitcoin sportsbook before placing your bets!

Islanders vs. Lightning Game 2 Information

• When: Tuesday, June 15th, 2021, 8:00 PM ET
• Where: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida
• TV: NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS
• Radio: WRHU-88.7 FM (Islanders) // WFLA 970 AM (Lightning)
• Live Stream: NHL Live
• NHL Betting Odds: Tampa Bay Lightning (-192) / OU: 5.0

READ MORE: Canadiens vs. Golden Knights NHL Playoffs Odds and Game 1 Pick – June 16th, 2021

Why Bet on the New York Islanders?

If there’s one thing the Islanders did in Game 1, was that they came out swinging from the start. They were in control of the high danger chances, with four of the six chances that were generated. They drew penalties, with a +3 penalty differential. The chances they created helped them hold the lead throughout the whole game.

The defense was so good, they didn’t allow Tampa Bay any single scoring chance off the rush, allowing to take a 9-0 advantage in this category. Their goaltending will most likely continue to be taken care of by Seymon Varlamov, who currently has four straight starts and wins. Not to say that Ilya Sorokin is a bad choice, far from it. He’s had a good run with the playoffs games he’s been in. That defense is hard to break.

Why Bet on the Tampa Bay Lightning?

We don’t see the usual Tampa Bay so shaky in the offense, but they have been shaky in Game 1 so far in the playoffs. They’ve lost every opening home game. This allowed the Isles to take a 2-0 lead, which they kept until the very last minute of the game, when the Lightning finally scored. It was a very sloppy performance from the defending champions.

They had only two power plays and their only goal came from a power play, in which goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy was part of to create 6 on 4 advantage. Also, they are currently averaging 41% of goals coming from the power play. There’s no doubt they have an elite talent to get goals in, but they need to figure out a new strategy to get past New York.

Islanders vs. Lightning Betting Trends

• The Islanders are 5-1 SU in the last 6 games.
• The Islanders are 7-13 SU in the last 20 games against Tampa Bay.
• The totals went under in 4 of the Islanders’ last 5 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay.
• The Lightning are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games.
• The Lightning are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games played on a Tuesday.
• The totals went under in 7 of Tampa Bay’s last 8 games.

Islanders vs. Lightning Expert Betting Predictions

The defending champs are the favorites for tonight’s Game 2. Though they are not the favorites as they were in Game 1, which had better odds. But their recent performance affected the NHL odds. So I wouldn’t bet on them just yet. On the other hand, the Islanders have brought the question, should you bet on the underdog? So far, I would say they are a perfect example of bringing intrigue to the games. We don’t know which New York we will see and that’s awesome. We’ll see which side the balance shifts towards in Game 2.

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*All odds stated are subject to change without prior notice.