Bruins vs Islanders Prediction & Picks (Jan. 18): Boston’s Road Dominance Continues at UBS Arena

An interesting NHL Eastern Conference clash takes place tonight as the Boston Bruins are scheduled to pay a visit to the New York Islanders. The two teams met for the first time this season last month, resulting in a 4-3 shootout win for Boston. Only time will tell if tonight’s Bruins vs Islanders matchup ends with a different outcome.

? Coach Montgomery on Joona Koppanen subbing in for Tomas Nosek tomorrow night against the Islanders: “Not that [Nosek] deserves it, just the opportunity for Koppanen to play…he’s understanding of the situation and it’s one more game to let him get back to 100% health.” pic.twitter.com/d5gqhehiB4

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) January 17, 2023

The Bruins are still playing like a juggernaut into January, going 13-1-3 in their last 17 games. They’ve picked up back-to-back wins against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Philadelphia Flyers, most recently blowing out the latter 6-0 on Monday.

Meanwhile, the Islanders have looked anything but impressive lately. They are 1-3-2 in their last six games and have yet to win back-to-back games in 2023. They were also in action two nights ago, falling 4-3 in overtime to the Washington Capitals, leaving Islanders fans wondering if they can finally break out of their funk tonight.

As with most notable matchups, there are plenty of betting opportunities in this Bruins vs Islanders tilt. Here’s a look at BetOnline Sportsbook’s latest odds for the games, as well as a prediction and the best bet to make, courtesy of Betting News.

Boston Bruins vs New York Islanders Matchup Information and Betting Odds

Matchup Information

• Matchup: Boston Bruins (34-5-4, 13-4-1 Away) vs. New York Islanders (23-18-4, 13-7-2 Home)
• Venue & Location: UBS Arena (Elmont, New York)
• Date: Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023
• Game Time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time
• Bruins vs Islanders TV Info: ESPN+

Bruins vs Islanders Odds

Game odds are via BetOnline as of Wednesday, Jan. 18 at 8:25 a.m. ET. Odds from other top online sportsbooks may also be mentioned in this article.

Spread

• Boston Bruins -1.5 (+138)
• New York Islanders +1.5 (-170)

Over/Under

• Over 5.5 Goals (-114)
• Under 5.5 Goals (-108)

Moneyline

• Boston Bruins -178
• New York Islanders +146

Bruins vs Islanders Betting Trends

• Boston is 6-1 straight up in its last seven games.
• The Islanders are 8-1 straight up in their last nine home games against Boston.
• The total has hit the under in four of Boston’s last six games against the Islanders.
• The total has hit the under in 12 of the Islanders’ last 18 games played in January.

Bruins vs Islanders Prediction and Picks

Bruins vs Islanders Prediction: Bruins 4, Islanders 2

Bruins vs Islanders: Bruins ML (Best Value: -178 at BetOnline) & Over 5.5 Goals (Best Value: -114 at BetOnline)

Although playing on the road is disadvantageous to some, the Bruins have thrived as the visitors this season. They’re 13-4-1 in away games this season, having not lost in regulation on the road since Dec. 9.

The Bruins have also amassed 71 goals over their 18 road games (3.94 per contest) while only allowing 43. Even their power play is clicking at 26.4% over that stretch, whereas the penalty kill has an 85.7% success rate.

David Pastrnak has been the Bruins’ most lethal threat on the road, potting 17 goals in 18 games with a team-leading 28 points. There’s a good chance that the dynamic scorer continues his impressive road play tonight considering how he has 21 points in his last 21 games against the Islanders.

Speaking of the Islanders, their offense has virtually disappeared with their being stuck in a rut. They’ve scored only 10 goals over the last six games, being held to two or fewer in five of those outings. It certainly doesn’t help that the power play is just 1-of-13 (7.7%) over that span.

In fact, the Islanders’ PP has been horrendous for the majority of the 2022-23 campaign, operating at 17.8% (sixth-worst). These struggles were highlighted when New York went 0-of-3 on the man advantage against Boston last month.

Although the Islanders are in bad shape, it can’t be ignored that they have won eight of their last nine home games against the Bruins. Nevertheless, all streaks must come to an end eventually and this year’s Boston team is on another level right now.

Daily Faceoff lists Ilya Sorokin as the Islanders’ probable starting goaltender tonight. While he has a 2.41 goals-against average (GAA) and .922 save percentage (SV%) in his last seven starts, he’s only 2-3-2 in those appearances due to a lack of scoring support around him.

With the Bruins being the highest-scoring team in the NHL and the Islanders lacking offense lately, it could be a long night for Sorokin.

At the end of the day, I’m backing the Bruins to get the victory at UBS Arena. The Islanders are playing uninspiring hockey at the moment and it won’t be good enough to beat a Stanley Cup contender.

A 5.5-goal total shouldn’t be too difficult for Boston and New York to surpass, either. After all, the over is 6-3 in the last nine Bruins vs Islanders matchups, resulting in more than 5.5 goals scored in four of the last six meetings.

Other Boston vs New York Resources

• Bruins vs Islanders Consensus Picks, Score Projections & Betting Stats