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NY Islanders vs Tampa Bay NHL Playoff Betting Second Round

NY Islanders vs Tampa Bay NHL Playoff Betting Second Round

Written by on April 25, 2016

NHL Betting News
We are still patiently waiting for the Stanley Cup round 2 schedule to be released, as there are still a couple of series to be decided in the Western Conference. The second round is beginning to take shape, though, and we already know that the New York Islanders will be facing the Tampa Bay Lightning in what may well be a very tight series. The Islanders sprung something of an opening round surprise, taking down the Florida Panthers in 6 games, while the Lightning booked their ticket to the next round by bouncing the Detroit Red Wings pretty quickly. Given that Tampa are the higher seeded of the two teams, they will have the benefit of home ice advantage in this series, which could well play an important role in who moves on. Both teams should be well rested before this one gets started, and it’s fair to say that both teams need that rest. The Lightning are still fighting the injury bug, and the Islanders played a lot of hockey in their opening round series versus the Panthers. This is a series that should see the Lightning favored to win in the NHL betting odds, but the Islanders are proving to be a resilient lot.

A Look Inside at the NY Islanders vs Tampa Bay NHL Playoff Betting Second Round

Why Bet on the Islanders to Win the Series?

You have to wonder just how much the Islanders have left in the tank after their opening round series versus the Panthers. 3 of the 6 games went to overtime, with 2 of them actually requiring double OT to decide a winner. That’s a lot of hockey, and it has to be said that the Islanders also rode their luck a little, particularly in Game 5, where there survived an OT penalty shot miss by the Panthers that would have swung the series in the favor of Florida. The Islanders took 2 of 3 from the Lightning this season, and were able to split the two games played in Tampa. They will be looking to get that same result from the opening 2 games of the series so that they can snag home ice advantage.

Why Bet on the Lightning to Win the Series?

When the Tampa Bay Lightning won their only Stanley Cup back in 2004, they had to go through the Islanders to get there. That is the only time that these two have gone head to head in the playoffs, and Tampa will be hoping that history repeats in this one. The good news for Tampa is that they are starting to get a little healthier, but we are still waiting to hear about the status of Steven Stamkos for this series. It was initially reported that he would be out at least a month with blood clots, and we are now getting close to that month being up. The Lightning have gone 5-2- 1 at home versus the Islanders in the past few season, but are also just 1-7- 0 on the road in that same 4-year period. If they can solve the Islanders on the road, they should move on.

Expert Betting Pick and Series Prediction

The Islanders are a nice story so far this playoff, but even good stories have to come to an end at some point. The Lightning have been brilliant defensively this postseason, and I think they will shut the Islander down.
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