Bruins Odds: B’s Sizable Favorite To Take 3-2 Series Lead Over Islanders

It’s that time for the Boston Bruins.

Time for their best players to be the best players on the ice. Time for the B’s to play a complete 60-minute game with purpose. Time for Tuukka Rask to turn into a brick wall. And time to put the New York Islanders on the ropes.

Boston is a decent home favorite in Game 5 against the Isles at most American sportsbooks. The market opened B’s -180 and it has moved toward the good guys everywhere. The cheapest available price is -185 at DraftKings and William Hill while one prominent global shop has the B’s -195.

For the fifth straight game, the total is set at O/U 5 with juice to the “Over.” I’m still kicking myself for being one game early on the “Under” with my Game 2 bet. I knew the Bruins’ 5-2 series-opening win was a bit of an aberration, but Game 2 flew “Over,” while Games 3 and 4 sailed “Under.”

Thems the breaks sometimes.

Heading into Game 5, I need the B’s players to be the best players on the ice. Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak were completely held in check at even strength last game and that cannot happen as the series matures. Boston will need its “Perfection Line” to live up to the billing.

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Head coach Bruce Cassidy was not pleased with his bunch passing up shots for passes in Game 4. I would tend to agree with that assertion. Pucks simply have to go to the net, especially against Semyon Varlamov. Boston took only eight shots in the third period because it kept passing in pursuit of the perfect shot.

Expect more pucks to the net and more traffic in front of Varlamov. That’s the recipe to beat the Islanders and send this thing back to Long Island with a chance to shut their lights out.

I’m also very interested in a wager on the Bruins to win the series. Let’s remember, they were as high as -550 after their Game 3 win. So you would’ve had to risk $550 to win $100 on Boston to advance to the next round at that point in time.

Naturally, New York’s Game 4 victory caused the series price to regress quite a bit. With everything all square 2-2, the B’s are now as cheap as -194 to eliminate their pesky foe. I don’t necessarily love laying -194 and I refuse to do it on a regular basis. But I would argue it’s relatively cheap in this situation.

If the Bruins win Game 5, the series price will balloon from -194 to -600 or so.

Bruins series prices vs. Isles
-194 FanDuel
-200 Circa Sports
-200 FOX Bet
-210 Westgate SuperBook
-225 DraftKings

Experience and composure are crucial in a pivotal swing game like we’ll see Monday night at TD Garden. I’m a believer in the Bruins’ pedigree and their ability to perform when the stakes are high. And as much as many won’t want to read this … I believe Tuukka Rask will deliver.

Count me in on the B’s in regulation, to win the game and to win the series. Let’s go.

B’s regulation (-115)
B’s moneyline (-185)
B’s series (-194)

RECORD: (40-33, +5.3)