The NHL Playoffs continue to deliver. Last night, Vegas snuck out a win to even up the Series at 2. Today we have Game 5, between the New York Islanders and the Tampa Bay Lightning.
New York Islanders (+155) @ Tampa Bay Lightning (-190)
The Lighting come into this game as heavy home favorites after dropping Game 4 on the road 3-2. Ryan Pulock was the hero for the Islanders last game as he made a spectacular save with his hand on the goal line as time expired to preserve the lead. New York travels to Tampa where they were able to win Game 1 by a score of 2-1. The Islanders have given the defending Stanley Cup Champions a better series than last year, and continue to show that they belong with this team.
Andrei Vasilevskiy and Semyon Varlamov have both been outstanding this series which is why the under is 3-1 this Series. In that one game that went over, the Isles gave up 5 powerplay opportunities to the Bolts. For the first time in this series Andrei Vasilevskiy finished a game with a – GSAx. Its safe to say he didn’t play his best game which contributed to the Lightning’s loss. However, I wouldn’t expect this to become a trend. Vasilevskiy is leading the playoffs with a crazy +18.2 GSAx. Opposite Vasilevskiy, Varlamov has been confirmed for the Islanders tonight who posts a +2.1 GSAx in the post season.
In tonight’s game, I’m looking to back the Bolts at home. The Lightning have an incredible track record of not dropping back to back games in the playoffs. After Vasilevskiy’s tough performance in Game 4, I also look for him to rebound at home. Even though this is a big number, I like the Bolts to get it done Game 5.
Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning -190 (Risk 1.9 Units)
