New York Islanders vs Tampa Bay Lightning Prediction 2/1/25 NHL Picks

The New York Islanders and the Tampa Bay Lightning meet Saturday in NHL action from the Amalie Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a New York Islanders vs. Tampa Bay Lightning prediction.

New York Islanders Recap

The New York Islanders come into this game looking to pick up another win after ending up with a 3-0 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers last time out to improve to 23-20-7 on the year. After this game, New York will continue on the road for the other leg of the Florida road trip by heading to Sunrise to take on the Panthers.

Islanders Win 6th Straight & 9 Of 11

Anders Lee leads the Islanders in scoring with 37 points including 21 goals and 16 assists while Kyle Palmieri has 32 points split between 12 goals and 20 assists. Bo Horvat has 37 points with 17 goals and 20 assists while Brock Nelson has 31 points with 15 goals and 16 assists. Simon Holmstrom has 23 points with 10 goals and 13 assists and Maxim Tsyplakov has 19 points with 7 goals and 12 assists. Ilya Sorokin has gone 16-14-4 with a 2.75 GAA and a .904 save percentage in goal for the Islanders while Semyon Varlamov is 3-4-3 with a 2.89 GAA and an .889 save percentage this season. Marcus Hogberg has also gone 2-2 with a 1.45 GAA and a .947 save percentage as well on the year.

Why the New York Islanders will win

• The Islanders have won each of their last four games as underdogs.
• The Lightning have lost three of their last four games as favorites against Eastern Conference opponents.
• The Islanders have covered the puck line in each of their last 10 Saturday games.
• The Lightning have failed to cover the puck line in five of their last six games.

Tampa Bay Lightning Recap

The Tampa Bay Lightning come into this game looking to build on their 3-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings in their last matchup to improve to 27-20-3 on the year. After this game, Tampa Bay will welcome the Ottawa Senators to town for the first leg of a two-game set in Tampa.

Lightning Looking To Build Momentum

Nikita Kucherov leads the Bolts with 69 points including a team-high 21 goals and 48 assists while Brandon Hagel has 50 points with 20 goals and 30 assists and Anthony Cirelli has 37 points of his own with 19 assists. Brayden Point has 50 points with 27 goals and 23 assists while Victor Hedman has 38 points with 31 assists. Jake Guentzel also has 46 points with 23 goals and 23 assists. Andrei Vasilevskiy has gone 20-13-2 with a 2.35 GAA and a .916 save percentage while Jonas Johansson has gone 5-4-1 with a 3.27 GAA and an .899 save percentage on the year in goal for Tampa Bay.

Why the Tampa Bay Lightning will win

• The Islanders have lost each of their last eight night games at Amalie Arena.
• The favorites have won each of the last 10 games between the Islanders and Lightning.
• The favorites have covered the puck line in each of the last nine games between the Islanders and Lightning.
• The Islanders have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last six games at Amalie Arena following a road win.

Total Goals Facts

• Each of the Islanders’ last four games against Eastern Conference opponents have gone UNDER the total goals line.
• Four of the last five games between the Islanders and Lightning at Amalie Arena have gone UNDER the total goals line.

Islanders vs. Lightning Prediction

I’m leaning toward the Islanders here. I just think that the price is too good to pass on with the Islanders in their current form. New York is just rolling, the defense has stepped it up and the offense has done enough to hold up its end as well. I was concerned that maybe leaving home would hinder the Islanders, but it didn’t against the Flyers and I just haven’t loved the inconsistency from the Lightning as of late. Give me the Islanders in this one.

Chris Ruffolo's Pick: New York Islanders +142