New York Islanders

Islanders Game 29 Preview vs. Boston Bruins: Lines, Best Bets, How To Watch

Published

5 months ago

December 15, 2023

The New York Islanders conclude their longest home stand of the regular season tonight when they welcome the Boston Bruins to UB Arena. Here’s what you need to know before puck drop.

Injury Updates:

The Islanders officially placed Scott Mayfield on injured reserve with an upper-body injury retroactive to Dec. 11. Mayfield last played on Monday during the Islanders’ 4-3 overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Tonight’s game will be the ninth Mayfied has missed this season.

Adam Pelech is eligible to return from long-term injured reserve on Tuesday. However, Islanders head coach Lane Lambert said this morning he expects it to take longer for Pelech to recover from an upper-body injury he sustained on Nov. 24 against the Ottawa Senators. Pelech resumed skating earlier this week, but there is no exact timeline for his return this season.

Ryan Pulock has yet to resume skating. He’s on injured reserve with a lower-body injury he suffered on Dec. 7 against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Parise Getting Ready For Return:

Zach Parise is continuing to work towards a return to the NHL this season. Will it be with the Islanders?

Report: Parise Eyeing Return To NHL This Season; Multiple Teams Interested

Projected Lineup:

Lee-Horvat-Barzal

Engvall-Nelson-Palmieri

Holmstrom-Pageau-Gauthier

Fasching-Cizikas-Clutterbuck

Romanov-Dobson

Bolduc-Bortuzzo

Reilly-Aho

Sorokin

Varlamov

Last Time Out:

Simon Holmstrom is cementing himself as a deadly penalty-killer as his league-leading fourth shorthanded goal was the decision-maker in the Islanders’ 4-3 win over the Ducks on Wednesday night.

Islanders Survive Bad Breaks, Defeat Ducks, 4-3

The Opponent:

After beginning the year on a blistering pace, the Boston Bruins are 5-4-1 in their last 10 games following an overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday. Still, the Bruins (18-5-4) are the top team in the Eastern Conference standings.

David Pastrnak leads the Bruins in both goals and points, and Brad Marchand has a respectable 25 points thus far in his first year as Boston’s captain.

Reigning Vezina winner Linus Ullmark will get the start in goal against the Islanders. He has a record of 9-4-1 with a 2.71 GAA and a .917 save percentage.

However, Boston will be without two key contributors tonight. They placed both top defenseman Charlie McAvoy and top-six forward Pavel Zacha on injured reserve yesterday.

The Bruins boast the league’s best shorthanded unit and the 12th-ranked power play.

In their matchup back on Nov. 9, the Bruins pulled away from the Islanders for a 5-2 win at TD Garden.

Islanders Hang With Bruins But Can’t Hang On

Best Bets:

The Islanders have developed a bad habit of slowing down in the second period lately. Bet on the Bruins to win the middle frame using odds presented by Draft Kings.

How To Watch:

Puck drop between the Islanders and Bruins from UBS Arena is scheduled for just past 7:30 p.m. EST. The game can be seen on MSGSN and streamed on MSG + or ESPN+ for out-of-market viewers. 88.7 FM WRHU will produce the radio feed of the game, which can also be heard on 103.9 FM WRCN and streamed on ESPN Radio.