Bruins vs. Islanders Game 3 Prediction
The Bruins-Islanders second-round series shifts to New York on Thursday night for Game 3 at 7:30 p.m. ET. Will the Islanders pull off another upset or is there a better bet on the board tonight?
Game Snapshot
001 Boston Bruins (-140) at 002 New York Islanders (+120); o/u 5
7:30 p.m. ET, Thursday, June 3, 2021
Venue: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
Boston Bruins DFS Spin
Tuukka Rask is “fine” and “ready to go,” according to coach Bruce Cassidy, for Game 3 on Thursday against the New York Islanders. Rask was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice and Cassidy added that there’s “no issue there” a day after mentioning that the Bruins netminder was playing through some nagging problems. The Boston bench boss expects Rask to be in the crease for Thursday’s matchup against the Islanders. Rask is coming off a 4-3 overtime loss in Game 2 of the second round series between the two clubs when he stopped 35 shots. He has a 2.06 goals-against average and .930 save percentage in seven games this postseason.
New York Islanders DFS Spin
Semyon Varlamov was not named one of the three finalists for the Vezina Trophy as voted by the NHL’s General Managers. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Philipp Grubauer and Marc-Andre Fleury were named the finalists, leaving Varlamov on the sidelines despite his 19-11-4 record. He also had a 2.04 goals-against average and .929 save percentage this season. “I’m disappointed,” coach Barry Trotz said Tuesday. “I’m biased, a little bit, because I get to see ‘Varly’ from a day in and day out, aspect. He’s probably been our MVP this year. I can’t challenge the three finalists. Vasilevskiy has been outstanding, Fleury’s been outstanding, and I’ve had Philipp Grubauer [with the Washington Capitals], and he’s been outstanding.’’
Bruins vs. Islanders Game 3 NHL Playoff Prediction
The Bruins are 0-4 in their last four meetings with the Islanders in New York, while the home team has cashed in eight of the previous 10 meetings between these two teams. The Islanders are also 4-1 in their last five games overall, are 4-1 in their last five games as a home dog and are 4-1 in their last five games when facing an opponent like Boston that owns a winning percentage above .600. New York has also cashed in 23 of its last 31 home games.
NHL PLAYOFFS PREDICTION: NEW YORK ISLANDERS +120