Islanders vs. Lightning: Odds, Keys to the Game, Lineups, TV and more

The Islanders hit the road for the first time since the All-Star break and face off against the Steven Stamkos and the surging Lightning in Tampa.

The New York Islanders hit the road for back to back games against two of the biggest powerhouses in the eastern conference. First up: The Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Islanders are playing well, having taken two of three in their first home-stand since the bye week. They are coming off a 5-3 win over the Kings on Thursday, where rookie sensation Kieffer Bellows scored two goals.

The Lightning are on an absolute tear. They have won 17 out of their last 20 games and are third in the eastern conference. Most recently, on Thursday night, they beat Pittsburgh 4-2 in Tampa.

The Season Series

Tonight is the last matchup of the season series between these two Eastern Conference foes. The first time these two met feels like forever ago:

During the Isles point streak, on November 1st, the Islanders beat Tampa in convincing fashion 5-2.  Anders Lee led the Islanders with two goals and one assist, meanwhile Derick Brassard, Matthew Barzal and Josh Bailey all had two points each and Thomas Greiss got the win.

On December 9th they met in Tampa where the Islanders won again 5-1. It was a full team effort in this one. Brock Nelson has two goals, Bailey and Lee both had two points each and Seymon Varlamov stopped 31 shots in the win.

Tale of the Tape

Every category of this matchup plays in favor of Tampa, but hockey is not a game played on paper. As stated above, the Islanders have dominated this matchup so far this season. Can the Isles complete the season sweep tonight? Leave your comments below!

Betting Odds

The odds have the Islanders as the big underdogs in this one, courtesy of the Action Network.

This one is a tricky matchup. The Islanders have dominated the season series, but Tampa is on fire and have won eight straight at home. With that being said, this matchup is completely up in the air.