The New York Islanders and the Boston Bruins continue their second-round battle in New York on Thursday with the series tied 1-1.
The B’s are favorites for Game 3 with bookmaker Bovada offering odds at -140 for the visitors to succeed. The odds for an Isles win are at +120 and the goals total is set at 5.0.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: June 2nd, 7:00 P.M. (EST)
These are two top-class defensive teams, but there’s been plenty of scoring in the series so far with Boston starting the action with a 5-2 win and New York notching a 4-3 victory.
The Islanders impressed with a three-goal outburst during the second period in Game 2, but they still had to rely on an overtime goal to tie the series. Boston showed great character to come back from two down inside the final 10 minutes of regulation, and despite dropping one of their home games, the Bruins are still favorites to progress into the Stanley Cup semifinals.
Boston has been among the most consistent teams in the league throughout the season and they were very dominant in the first round against Washington.
David Pastrnak has already racked up 10 points in the playoffs and Tuukka Rask has been frustrating the opposition between the pipes with a 5-2-0 record. The Finnish netminder appeared to be hurt at the end of Game 3, but he is fully expected to be in the lineup on Thursday. Rask has posted an outstanding 2.06 goals-against average in the playoffs with a .930 save percentage.
The Bruins also get a boost here with Craig Smith returning. He missed Monday’s Game 2 with a lower-body injury but was back in practice on Wednesday. The 31-year-old has been a key piece for the team on the second line this season and he’s a nice addition for the Bruins offense, which has generated 3.43 goals per game during the postseason.
The Islanders have been scoring close to three goals per game as well (3.38), but veteran goaltender Semyon Varlamov has had a tough time during the playoffs, which has resulted in a 3.00 goals-against average for the team. He’s 1-2-0 for the postseason with rookie Ilya Sorokin outplaying him with a 4-1-0 record.
With that said, Sorokin struggled in Game 1 against Boston and Varlamov made a winning return to the crease on Monday picking up some much-needed confidence. He shined during the regular season with seven shutouts and a 19-11-4 record. Boston might be favorites in the matchup, but they will be in for a frustrating time if Varlamov returns to form.
