Lightning vs Islanders Prediction NHL Picks 2/24/24

New York Islanders (23-19-14) vs Tampa Bay Lightning (30-23-5)

Game Info: Saturday, February 24, 2024 at 2:00 pm (UBS Arena)

Betting Odds: New York Islanders +104 / Tampa Bay Lightning -128 --- Over/Under: 6.5

The Tampa Bay Lightning and the New York Islanders meet in NHL action from the UBS Arena on Saturday night. Who comes out on top in this Eastern Conference showdown? Let’s dive in and find out with our Lightning vs. Islanders Prediction.

Tampa Bay Lightning Team Preview

The Tampa Bay Lightning come into this one looking to snap a three-game losing streak after a 5-3 loss to Washington last time out. Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning in scoring with 95 points including a team-high 36 goals and 59 assists while Brayden Point has 28 goals and 31 assists for his 59 points. Victor Hedman’s added 54 points with 45 assists while Steven Stamkos has 50 points with 27 assists and Brandon Hagel has 54 points split between 21 goals and 33 assists. Jonas Johansson has gone 10-7-5 with a 3.54 GAA and an .886 save percentage while Andrei Vasilevskiy is 19-14 with a 2.98 GAA and an .896 save percentage this season.

Tampa Bay Lightning Team Facts

• The Lightning have lost five of their last six games as favorites following a home loss.
• The Lightning have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last six games as favorites following a home loss.
• The Lightning have lost the first period in eight of their last nine games following a home loss.
• The 'Over 1.5 Goals Period 3' market has hit in each of the Lightning's last nine games following a home loss.

New York Islanders Team Preview

The New York Islanders come into this one looking to rebound from a 4-0 loss to St. Louis last time out. Mathew Barzal leads the Islanders in scoring with 59 points including 17 goals and 42 assists while Noah Dobson has 58 points with a team-high 51 assists and Brock Nelson’s added 45 points with a team-high 24 goals this season. Bo Horvat’s also chipped in 49 points with 22 goals of his own and 27 assists and Kyle Palmieri has 32 points with 15 goals and 17 assists. Ilya Sorokin has posted a 17-12-11 record in goal for the Islanders this season with a 3.14 GAA and a .910 save percentage while Semyon Varlamov is 6-7-3 with a 2.91 GAA and a .910 save percentage this season.

New York Islanders Team Facts

• The underdogs have won four of the Islanders' last five games.
• The Islanders have covered the puck line in each of their last 13 games as underdogs against Eastern Conference opponents.
• The home team has won the second period in each of the last five games between the Lightning and Islanders.
• The 'Over 1.5 Goals Period 2' market has hit in each of the Islanders' last 20 games as underdogs.

Lightning vs. Islanders Prediction

I’m on the Islanders here. I don’t love this game, but what I love less is losing money with a Tampa Bay Lightning team who’s best years appear to be behind them. And that’s losing games at home where they’ve been a much better team, not on the road where they’ve been wildly inconsistent all year long. The Islanders have been up and down themselves, but I trust them at home more than I trust Tampa Bay in this spot. Give me the Islanders here.

The pick in this article is the opinion of the writer, not a PickDawgz site consensus.