Lightning vs. Islanders Game 3 Prediction
The Lightning have jumped out to a 2-0 series lead over the Islanders and are favored in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET. Will New York pull off the upset or will Tampa Bay take a commanding series lead?
Game Snapshot
041 Tampa Bay Lightning (-161) at 042 New York Islanders (+140); o/u 5
8:00 p.m. ET, Friday, September 11, 2020
Rogers Place, Edmonton, AB
Tampa Bay Lightning DFS Spin
Andrei Vasilevskiy allowed one goal on 28 shots in Wednesday’s 2-1 Game 2 win over the New York Islanders. It was a much tougher outing for Vasilevskiy than in Game 1’s blowout. The Russian netminder was tested early, giving up the opening goal less than 90 seconds into regulation. However, Vasilevskiy settled down after that, coming up with some big saves to allow Victor Hedman to tie it and Nikita Kucherov to score the winner in the dying seconds. The Lightning now hold a 2-0 series lead and will be looking to put the Islanders on the brink of elimination on Friday.
New York Islanders DFS Spin
Matt Martin scored a goal in Wednesday’s 2-1 Game 2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Nick Leddy did very well to push the puck into Tampa’s zone, finding Martin in the slot to open the scoring less than 90 seconds into this game. Martin continues to be a surprising offensive contributor for the Islanders. The 31-year-old forwards now finds himself at five goals in 18 games after needing 55 regular-season games to hit five goals. It was a tough break for the Islanders tonight, giving up the winner with barely nine seconds left in regulation and they are now staring at a 2-0 series deficit.
Lightning vs. Islanders Betting Prediction
Islanders coach Barry Trotz admitted following Game 2’s loss that it was a “little bit of a shot to the gut” and while he expressed confidence that his team would bounce back in Game 3, I’m not so sure. The Islanders played as well as they could for three periods and it still wasn’t enough in the end. Victor Hedman is on fire right now for the Lightning, scoring a goal in four straight games and racking up seven points over that same stretch. The Islanders didn’t give up a ton of high-danger scoring opportunities in Game 2 but I envision Game 3 looking more like Game 1 did when the Lightning scored from all over the ice. Tampa Bay is 38-13 in its last 51 games overall and 36-16 in its last 52 games as a favorite. I like the Bolts on the puckline again tonight.
NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING -1.5 (+167)
