The Boston Bruins will have their sights set on a fourth straight home victory when they host the New York Islanders on Thursday as -180 favorites on the NHL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Boston returns home on the heels of Saturday’s 4-2 defeat in Toronto against the Maple Leafs that marked the team’s fourth loss in seven outings ahead of Thursday night’s Islanders vs. Bruins betting matchup at TD Garden.
The Bruins have played six contests on the road during their middling 3-2-2 run, averaging just two goals per game in those contests. However, the team has been dominant on home ice this season, allowing just three total goals during its current three-game win streak, and surrendering two or fewer goals on seven occasions while compiling an 8-2-0 record.
That stingy defense has produced steady results for the UNDER in totals betting, which has prevailed in six of nine home dates since the 6-3 win over the Ottawa Senators as -270 chalk opening night, and is a reliable 14-3-1 in the Bruins’ past 18 overall contests, according to the OddsShark NHL Database.
The Bruins come out of their recent lengthy stretch of away games in solid shape in the standings. Boston enters Thursday’s date with the Islanders in control of a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, and just six points back of the Atlantic Division-leading Buffalo Sabres with a game in hand.
Boston, though, continues to be plagued by injuries, with Kevan Miller becoming the latest to visit the clinic with a throat injury that is expected to sideline the veteran rearguard for up to five weeks. In addition to Miller, defensemen Zdeno Chara and Charlie McAvoy and center Patrice Bergeron remain on the shelf.
The Islanders arrive in Boston as +145 underdogs after dropping a 4-1 decision to the visiting Washington Capitals as a +100 wager Monday night. The loss put the brakes on New York’s brief two-game win streak and extended a run of inconsistency that leaves the Islanders with a 4-5-1 record in their past 10 outings.
New York also has struggled to generate offense on the road this season, scoring two or fewer goals in eight of 12 outings, and has suffered defeats in three of four contests away from Barclays Center.
That is a trend the Islanders will have to overcome if they are to halt a four-game losing streak against Boston. The Bruins have allowed just four total goals in their recent dominance over New York, but have also fallen to defeat in two of their past three meetings with the Islanders at TD Garden.
