New York Islanders vs Tampa Bay Lightning Game 2 Predictions, Odds & Picks

• The Islanders need to find the gas pedal
• Tampa Bay must strike early
• Don’t get Over excited about the trends just yet

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Islanders vs Lightning Predictions and Picks

The New York Islanders put up an absolutely horrendous performance in game one on Monday night. The 8-2 loss heard around the world was an embarrassment to Isles fans everywhere. The NYI just snapped a 26-year conference final drought though and are here for a reason. They’re a solid group and will put up a far better fight in game two. We guarantee it!

Picks:

Tampa Bay Lightning wins at -177

The Bolts win again 3-1.

Betting Trends

While game one was bleak, these Isles have still taken nine of their last 13 Straight Up. Meanwhile, Tampa has hit the Under in 10 of their last 14 against Eastern opponents.

How to Watch Islanders vs Lightning

An 8-2 loss is not indicative of these either teams really. Yes, the Bolts have a higher-powered offense. Yes, the Bolts are favored to win the series. Winning by six goals is not a common thing though and we’d be absolutely floored if it happened twice in this series.

Still, with that said, Tampa is the better team on paper so a far better effort will be required of the Islanders if they want to stick around in this series. New York will truly need to up their offensive and defensive output to stand a chance against this juggernaut of a Lightning bunch. The same bunch that is also still without their captain and arguably best player. Crazy, right?

New York Needs an Ace Up Their Sleeve

The Thomas Greiss show has been fun to watch but it was more of a horror flick in game one. The star of the semifinal seventh game against Philly just a few days back was the worst player on the ice hands down for New York in this series opener. He allowed three goals on six shots and was yanked early.

Semyon Varlamov didn’t fare too much better stopping 20 of 25 but he at least allowed them a chance to get back into the game. He’ll likely start game two and will need a ton of help as well. Brayden Point posted five points while Nikita Kucherov had four to his name in the winning effort. In other words, New York’s box out the game will have to be far better. For example, Point’s first goal came from walking around the entire team. It looked like pee wee hockey.

For New York to improve and get back into this best of seven, they’ll need to truly force Tampa to the perimeter and keep them out wide. By allowing the Bolts to infiltrate the middle of the attacking zone they’re making themselves extremely vulnerable against a high powered offense. The best offense is a great defense and that’s the way New York is going to need to alter their game.

A Quick Mark Could Be the Difference for Tampa

When you lose by six goals in a playoff game you simply hit the reset button for the following night. Every coach will tell you that ten times out of ten. If you’re the aggressor, you need to rip away any and all hope immediately from the underdogs. If Tampa can strike first and or early, they’ll tear the heart right out of New York’s chest.

An early strike could be the difference and these Bolts are the team to get that job done. The pace that these guys score at is unlike any other team in this league. Now, with that noted, Tampa can have some off nights. While they can score at will, Lightning totals have gone Under in 10 of their last 14.

Nonetheless, an early goal or two could be the difference for the blue and white as after just one game they seem to already have the Isles on the ropes. Another offense attack nice and early could deliver the final fatal blow. We certainly then wouldn’t feel confident whatsoever about the Isles chances if they were trailing 2-0 in this series.