Islanders vs Lightning Game 5 Picks and Predictions: New York Finds A Way To Stay In Every Game

The Islanders hung on in Game 4 to even their semifinal series against the Lightning at 2-2. While the Isles are big dogs tonight in Tampa, the NY reverse puck line is in play as they have lost by multiple goals in just 10 of their last 65 games.

Jun 21, 2021 • 10:25 ET • 4 min read
Ryan Pulock New York Islanders NHL
Photo By - USA TODAY Sports

The New York Islanders face off against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup semifinals on Monday night.

The Isles evened the series at two games apiece with a 3-2 victory at home on Saturday but are installed as +165 NHL betting underdogs with the series shifting back to Amalie Arena in Tampa.

Here are our best free Islanders vs. Lightning picks and predictions for NHL playoff action on Monday, June 21, with the puck dropping at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Islanders vs Lightning game info

Location: Amalie Arena, Tampa Bay, FL
Date: Monday, June 21, 2021
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
TV: CBC, NBCSN

Islanders vs Lightning odds

Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.

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NHL sharp money and line movement report

By Patrick Everson

With this series knotted at 2, Tampa Bay opened a -180 Game 5 favorite at TwinSpires and spent some time at -185 on the way to -200, where the moneyline stands at 5:30 p.m. ET. The Lightning are landing 70 percent of tickets and 78 percent of dollars. "The Lightning are our biggest liability of the day," TwinSpires trading analyst Zachary Lucas said. The total moved a few cents, from 5 (Over -130) to 5 (Over -134), with 59 percent of tickets/65 percent of money on the Over.

Check out the full line movement for this game

Islanders vs Lightning series odds

Islanders: +185
Lightning: -230

Islanders vs Lightning betting preview

Injuries

Islanders: Anders Lee LW (Out).
Lightning: None.
Find our latest NHL injury reports.

Betting trend to know

Under is 8-2-1 in Lightning last 11 overall. Find more NHL betting trends for Islanders vs. Lightning.

Puck line pick

The Islanders scored three straight goals in the second period of Game 4 and then held on to withstand the Bolts fightback in the final frame. That was a huge win for the Isles, who couldn't afford to climb back from a 3-1 deficit with this best-of-seven series shifting back to Tampa — where the Lightning have been nothing short of dominant. 

New York already stole a game from the Bolts at Amalie Arena this series, taking Game 1 by a final score of 2-1 as a +160 underdog. They are 5-2 in their last seven playoff games as an underdog for a profit of plus-4.99 units.

This Islanders squad was one of the best defensive teams in the league all year but had problems with consistently generating offense. However, they've been finding the back of the net during the postseason, with nine different players scoring at least three goals and ranking second in the league with 3.19 goals per game.

The Lightning are the defending Stanley Cup champions for good reason, however. Not only are they dominant up front, on the blueline, and in nets, they are loaded with depth and their elite players are smack-dab in the middle of their primes. That said, this line of -185 is simply too much considering how well the Islanders have played and how close this series has been. 

Being able to grab the Islanders at +1.5 at a slightly better price of -175 is better value... Especially when you consider that the Isles have lost by more than a single goal just 10 times in their last 65 games.

PREDICTION: Islanders +1.5 (-175)

Over/Under pick

When these teams have tangled over the last few years, oddsmakers have always expected low-scoring contests with the Over/Under consistently installed at 5. Despite those low totals, these teams have still gone 4-1-1 to the Under in the last six meetings. 

We mentioned that the Islanders struggled to score during the regular season but that problem typically only plagued them on the road, where they ranked 30th in the league with 2.0 goals per game.

While they have improved in that department during the playoffs, it still won't be easy to beat Bolts goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy. Vasilevskiy has been named a Vezina Trophy finalist for four consecutive seasons and was especially dominant at home during the regular season, posting a 1.75 goals-against average and a save percentage of .936 in 20 games. 

Thankfully for Islanders fans, they have a very good Russian netminder of their own in Semyon Varlamov. Varlamov went 19-11-4 with a 2.04 GAA and .929 save percentage during the regular season. He has also been clutch during the postseason, going 17-12 with a save percentage of .925 in 31 playoff games over the last two years. 

With the Lightning 8-2-1 to the Under in their last 11 games, take the Under again. 

PREDICTION: Under 5 (+110)

Islanders vs Lightning betting card

  • Puckline Islanders +1.5 (-175)
  • Under 5 (+110)

Picks made on 6/21/2021 at 9:30 a.m. ET

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