Adam Williams presents his prediction for the NHL match.
Less than a week ago, the New York Islanders were in the top three in the Metropolitan Division, but they are now already outside the playoff spots. The Tampa Bay Lightning, meanwhile, continue to lead the Atlantic Division and are now top of the Eastern Conference as well.
New York Islanders
Beating an opponent of this calibre when the Islanders are on a five-game winless run is extremely difficult. There was one win in that stretch, but it came only in a shootout. David Rittich had to record a shutout for the side to get that victory. It is possible that the goaltender will start against the Tampa Bay Lightning, but in reality this is not so important, as Ilya Sorokin has a similar save percentage this season (90.1%). The additional problem is that in two of their last three games they have scored no more than one goal, which has led to those defeats.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning have the best record in the Eastern Conference (8-2-0) and the fourth-best in the entire NHL. They have won each of their last seven games, with only one of those victories requiring overtime (2:1 against the Edmonton Oilers). Nikita Kucherov and Brandon Hagel from the first line are confidently dealing with every opponent. Kucherov has 11 assists and 13 points, while the forward has eight goals and 12 points over his last five games – and that is without a single power-play goal.
New York Islanders vs Tampa Bay Lightning Prediction
Because of recent absences from the line-up (Kyle Palmieri, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Alexander Romanov), it will be extremely difficult for the New York Islanders to fight even for a draw in regulation time. Last season, the Tampa Bay Lightning won two of the three head-to-head meetings (5:3 at home and 4:1 away). We think that the result will be similar this time as well.
