This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
NHL Picks for January 18: Bruins vs. Islanders
The Boston Bruins (34-5-4) kick off a two-game mini trip to Metropolitan NYC against the New York Islanders (23-18-4) on Wednesday night at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y.
This is the second of three regular-season meetings. Boston picked up a 4-3 win in a shootout at TD Garden back on Dec. 13, as Linus Ullmark edged Semyon Varlamov.
Boston is coming off a 6-0 victory against the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night behind Jeremy Swayman, and it also posted a 4-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. The B's have managed an impressive 13-1-3 record across the past 17 outings dating back to Dec. 9.
New York was edged 4-3 in overtime against the Washington Capitals in overtime last time out on Monday, and the Isles are a dismal 1-3-2 across the previous six contests. The Under is 5-1 in those outings.
Ullmark (23-2-1, 1.92 GAA, .936 SV%, 2 SO) is projected to start for the B's, while Ilya Sorokin (15-14-3, 2.30 GAA, .925 SV%, 3 SO) is expected to go for the home side.
Ullmark has allowed 3 or fewer goals in each of his past 20 starts dating back to Nov. 1, a wild 6-5 OT win against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He is 3-1-0 with a 2.03 GAA and .926 SV% in four January outings.
Sorokin was dumped Monday against the Caps, conceding four goals on 35 shots. He has a 2-3-2 record in seven January outings, but his numbers aren't terrible. He has posted a 2.41 GAA and .922 SV% since the ball dropped in Times Square to ring in 2023. Sorokin has received just nine goals of offensive support in the past five outings.
The B's are a little on the expensive side, but they're worth the risk.
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NHL Moneyline Bets for Bruins vs. Islanders
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- Bruins ML (-165 at BetMGM)
It's been all about the Over lately for the B's, going 3-1-2 in the past six games overall. Boston is also 3-1-2 in the past six games following a win, too.
For the Islanders, the Under has hit in five of the past six games overall, while going 5-1-2 in the past eight home games. However, the Over is a perfect 8-for-8 in the past eight outings against teams with a winning percentage over .600.
In this series, the Over is 4-1-2 in the past seven meetings. However, the Under is 3-1-2 in the previous six meetings on the Island, and with these two goaltenders, especially Ullmark, the Under is an easy call here.
NHL Totals Bets for Bruins vs. Islanders
- Under 5.5 (+100 at Caesars)
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NHL Player Props for Bruins vs. Islanders
As far as props are concerned, there are a handful of solid players to check out for Wednesday's Eastern Conference clash.
Boston's David Pastrnak has been on fire lately, lighting the lamp 10 times with two goals and a plus-10 rating in the past six outings. He has at least one goal in five of the past six contests, with multi-goal performances in four of the starts. As such, an anytime goal is the play at near even-money.
- David Pastrnak Over 0.5 Goals (-104 at FanDuel)
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New York's Mathew Barzal has been blanked in the past four outings, going scoreless with a minus-4 rating. He has managed just 15 shots in seven outings in the month of January, too. As such, playing the Under for points is a decent play until he revs it up again.
- Mathew Barzal Under 0.5 Points (+106 at FanDuel)
