Daily NHL Odds and Betting Trends – 09/09/20

by OddsShark (@OddsShark) – Sponsored Post

Here’s a look at the NHL odds and betting trends for the games on today’s schedule.

All NHL betting lines below are as listed at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.

Islanders vs Lightning | OddsShark Matchup Report

Opening NHL Odds: Lightning -185 Favorites

The Lightning showed no signs of rust in the series opener on Monday, blowing out the Islanders 8-2 as -160 betting favorites at sportsbooks for their fifth consecutive win this postseason. Tampa Bay got five points each from Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov, while Yanni Gourde also scored twice to fuel the rout.

New York went with Thomas Greiss in goal to start Game 1, but he lasted just over 10 minutes while allowing three goals. Semyon Varlamov then closed out the game for the Islanders, surrendering Tampa Bay’s other five goals in just under 50 minutes of work. The Islanders obviously looked overmatched in Game 1 and will need to figure out how to keep pace with their opponent in a hurry. They trailed 3-1 at the end of the first period and never recovered, so a better start could go a long way if they are going to tie up the series at 1-1.

Tampa Bay is extremely balanced offensively and does not even miss captain Steven Stamkos at this point. Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has also performed very well between the pipes and has rarely been tested lately outside of a double-overtime win over the Boston Bruins in Game 5 of the second round that turned out to be the series clincher. Vasilevskiy made 45 saves in that one and has not had to make more than 29 in any other game since the first round.

Check out OddsShark on Twitter and Instagram or head to YouTube for analysis on this week’s top games. As well, the OddsShark Computer serves up daily NHL picks for bettors.