NHL Islanders vs Lightning Picks and Odds | February 1, 2025

Written by: Nick Zanghi

Published: Sat Feb 01, 2025, 1:14 pm ET

Read Time: 5 minutes

Bradon Hagel and New York Islanders players

nhl

FINAL

New York Islanders

Tampa Bay Lightning

See Picks & Statistics For The Game

Another battle between 2 teams who hate each other. The Tampa Bay Lightning will host the New York Islanders at Amalie Arena. These 2 teams met twice back-to-back in the Eastern Conference Finals a few years back and hate each other since. This will be the 1st time they meet this season and have all the Islanders vs Lightning picks for you.

New York is currently on a 6-game winning streak and are 23-20-7 this season. They are 8-2-0 in their last 10 games and have moved up to 5th in the Metro Division. The Isles play very similar on the road vs home, with just over .500 record for each.

The return of Mat Barzal has been much noticed. The kid has helped the scoring aspect for this team big time with 12 points in 1st 12 games back from injury. Scoring is a department the team struggles in, ranking 25th in the league, so they'll take all the help they can get.

On defense, the Islanders can hold their own. They rank 12th best in the league for goals allowed and 14th for shots on goal allowed per game. One weak point for this team on both offense and defense is special teams. New York worst in power play and 2nd worst in penalty kill.

Goaltender Ilya Sorokin will be back in net for the Islanders. He is 18-14-4 this season with a 2.65 GAA and a .907 save percentage. Sorokin is also 5-0-0 in his last 5 games with a 0.99 GAA and a .964 save percentage. Man is as hot as the sun.

Tampa will look to have their way with the Islanders at home

Lightning forwards Nicholas Paul and Anthony Cirelli celebrate after scoring a goal on the Islanders.

Tampa is 27-20-3 this season and 4th in the Atlantic Division. They're coming into this game off a win over the Kings Thursday night but are only 5-5-0 in their last 10 games. Tampa plays really well at home with a 16-7-1 record.

This team is stacked on the offensive side. Between Kucherov, Point and Guentzel – the team has firepower from all around. They rank 3rd in the league for goals scored per game and 5th on the power play. The Lightning make their shots count with a 11.9% shooting percentage that is 3rd best in the league.

The Lightning play decent defense as well. They rank 11th in the league for goals allowed and 15th for shots on goal allowed per game. Their penalty kill is 10th in the league to go along with it. Tampa needs to play a little smarter as they are averaging just over 4 penalties per game.

Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy is confirmed to start. He is 21-15-2 this season with a 2.28 GAA and a .918 save percentage. Vasi has a long past vs the Islanders and has won his last 7 straight vs them. Let's check out the odds and get into the picks.

New York Islanders vs Tampa Bay Lightning Betting Odds and Game Information

Islanders vs Lightning Betting Odds

Puck Line

New York Islanders +1.5 (-180)
Tampa Bay Lightning -1.5 (+150)

Moneyline

New York Islanders +140
Tampa Bay Lightning -165

Totals

Over 5.5 (-125)
Under 5.5 (+105)

Odds courtesy of BetOnline – Get 50% up to $1000 on your first deposit

Islanders vs Lightning Game Information

Venue: Amalie Arena, Tamp Bay, FL
Date: Saturday February 1, 2025
Puck Drop: 7pm EST
TV: MSGSN, FDSSUN

New York Islanders vs Tampa Bay Lightning Prediction and Picks

New York Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin stretches all the way out to make the save.

Islanders vs Lightning Picks and Predictions: Game Total Under 5.5 Goals (+105) Get 50% up to $1000 Deposit on BetOnline for this pick

We have top notch goaltending on our hands tonight. Vasi has already been confirmed and with a day off in between, I don't see how Sorokin doesn't play. Since that will be the case, we have a Vezina Trophy winner vs a Vezina Finalist who is on fire.

Give me the under 5.5 goals for +105. The total is already low because this can easily end 2-1 or 3-1. I am leaning with the Lightning (unfortunately) at home vs a team who is due for a loss.

Hate to pick against my team, but we're here to make money. I do like for Bo Horvat to record 3 or more shots on goal for -114. He's hit this line in his last 6 of his last 7 games and has been leading this Isles win streak.

The other play I will be on is Vasilevskiy to record over 24.5 saves. The Islanders are averaging about 29 shots per game. Vasi has hit this line in his last 4 out of 5 games and his last 4 straight vs the Islanders.