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Bruins vs. Islanders Odds, Picks, Predictions: Can Boston Be Stopped?

Scott Cullen

Last Updated: January 18, 2023 8:25 AM EST • 2 min 34 sec read.

David Pastrnak of the Boston Bruins celebrates his goal with teammate Pavel Zacha. Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images via AFP.

The New York Islanders face stiff opposition in their quest to improve their Eastern Conference playoff standing as they host the league-leading Boston Bruins on Wednesday. Read on for our best Bruins vs. Islanders pick based on top odds.

The Bruins have been exceptional at home this season – but then, their dominance has been pretty much universal. They own a 7-1-1 record in their past nine road games, and outshot Arizona by a 46-16 margin in their lone regulation loss over that stretch.

Although the Islanders have just one win in their past six, they still have playoff aspirations.

New York enters the day tied with Pittsburgh for fifth in the Metropolitan Division with 50 points. The Islanders have played two more games than the Penguins, but that fifth-place spot in the Metro would hold the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Here is our best Bruins vs. Islanders NHL pick (odds via Caesars Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

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Bruins vs. Islanders Game Info

  • Date: Wednesday, Jan. 18, 7:30 p.m. ET
  • TV: TNT, NESN
  • Location: UBS Arena, Elmont, NY

Bruins vs. Islanders Odds

Check out our complete list of NHL odds!

Bruins vs. Islanders Odds Analysis

The moneyline opened at FanDuel with the Bruins at -166 and the Islanders at +138.

With 72% of the consensus money line wagers on the Bruins, and news that Semyon Varlamov would likely be starting in goal for the Islanders, the odds have swung heavily toward Boston. The Bruins are now priced at -205 on the moneyline at FanDuel, with the Islanders at +168.

The total has remained steady at 5.5, opening with the Over at -115 and the Under priced at -105. Now that 62% of the consensus wagers are on the Over, the price at FanDuel has shifted to -122 for the Over and +100 for the Under; don't be surprised to see the number climb to 6.

Bruins vs. Islanders Pick

Bruins -1.5 vs. Islanders (+140) ⭐⭐⭐

Taking a road favorite on the puck line is a bit aggressive, but when a team is on pace for historic greatness, that play makes a lot of sense.

With 72 points through 43 games, Boston is on pace for 137 points in a full 82-game season. The 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens hold the record with 132 points in 80 games.

Boston is also 13-4-1 on the road, with 11 of those wins coming by two or more goals.

The Islanders fare well despite their No. 23 ranking in five-on-five score-and-venue-adjusted expected goals because they have excellent goaltending. The trouble for the Isles in this matchup: that edge disappears against a team with a league-best .928 save percentage thanks to the sensational tandem of Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman.

This game opened with the Bruins favored at -175 on the moneyline, but that line shifted quickly with news that Varlamov would likely start for New York in place of Ilya Sorokin.

Now, it sits at -190 to -200 for Boston on the moneyline. That's a lot of juice, and I'm confident that the Bruins are great enough to convert on the puckline at plus money.

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Bruins vs. Islanders Best Odds

Caesars (+140)

DraftKingsFanDuelBetMGMCaesarsPointsBet
Bruins -1.5Bruins -1.5Bruins -1.5Bruins -1.5Bruins -1.5
+135 +130 ❄️+135 +140 🔥+135

While DraftKings, BetMGM, and PointsBet would seem to be meeting at the consensus puckline price on Boston at +135, FanDuel is only paying +130.

Caesars is the sportsbook of choice for this wager, though, because +140 offers a 5-10% advantage over the other top-rated sportsbooks.

The Islanders’ goaltending news has already moved the line, so there is not likely to be much incentive to wait for it to get any better. With more money coming in on the Bruins, the puck line could get even shorter for Boston.

Bruins-Islanders pick made 1/18/2023 at 12:45 p.m. ET.

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Written By:
Scott Cullen
Scott Cullen is SportsbookReview.com's Sports Betting Analyst and is one of the most well-known sports betting writers on the web. He wrote about fantasy sports for TSN for many years, and he has also written for The Athletic, NHL.com, The Hockey News, Monkey Knife Fight, and McKeen's Hockey. Born in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, Cullen was an Economics major at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario and played for the Laurier Golden Hawks hockey team.