This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
NHL Bets Today: Expert NHL Picks and Props for Lightning 
at Islanders 
The Tampa Bay Lightning (27-19-5) meet the New York Islanders (21-17-12) at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. on Thursday night. Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET, and the game can be viewed on ESPN.
The Lightning face the dreaded quick turnaround after playing at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night. Tampa Bay suffered the 3-1 loss in the first game back from the All-Star Break, and it was quite the departure from the team's pre-break offensive production. Tampa had won three straight games prior to the ASG, all by a 6-3 score.
The Islanders posted a 3-2 win on the road against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday, winning as an underdog (+132) while the Under (6.5) connected. The total has gone low at a 4-1 clip in the past five games for the Isles, while going 6-2-1 in the previous nine contests.
Tampa Bay is expected to turn to Jonas Johansson (10-6-5, 3.34 GAA, .894 SV%, 2 SO) in the second end of the back-to-back, rather than lean upon Andrei Vasilevskiy in consecutive starts. Ilya Sorokin (15-12-9, 3.13 GAA, .910 SV%, 2 SO) is likely to be in the crease for the home side.
The Islanders posted a 6-1 win at home last season, their only win in three meetings, The Lightning had won six in a row in the series, and the home team is 8-2 across the previous 10 in the series. The favorite has cashed in seven in a row, too, with the favorite going 6-0 on the puck line, too.
The best play is taking the Islanders on the moneyline, and you can get them at a pretty good price. The Lightning are just 1-3 in the past four games when playing on no rest, so back the home side, and maybe roll the dice on the puck line given the trends in the series.
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NHL Money Line Bets for Lightning at Islanders
- Islanders ML (-130 at BetMGM)
The Under cashed in Wednesday's 3-1 loss against the Rangers, but the Over had been on a 3-0 run for Tampa Bay before the break.
The Islanders scored an impressive road win against the Maple Leafs as an underdog, and they enter with two full days of rest, while the Lightning are playing in a back-to-back. Expect Tampa Bay to have some heavy legs, even though they did just have a week off due to the break.
The Islanders have cashed the Under at a 4-1 clip in the past five games while going 6-2-1 in the past nine outings. New York is averaging just 2.1 goals per game (GPG) in the past nine games while allowing 3.3 GPG during the span.
Consider the Under, but play it lightly.
NHL Totals Bets for Lightning at Islanders
- Under 6.5 (-118 at FanDuel)
NHL Player Props for Lightning at Islanders
Looking to the player props for this game, despite the fact we're playing the Under, the Anytime Goal Scorer props are the way to go in this Eastern Conference battle on the Island.
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For the home side, All-Star Mathew Barzal scored in Monday's game in Toronto, and he has managed two goals and five points across the past three games while going for two goals and eight points across the previous six outings. We'll play the Anytime Goal Scorer prop for a chance to nearly double up.
- Mathew Barzal Anytime Goal Scorer (+180 at FanDuel)
As far as the visitors are concerned, while perhaps he isn't the greatest participant in the All-Star Game Skills Competition, when the games count for regular, he tries his hardest. He has managed four goals and 11 points across the past five games, including three power-play points. It's hard to believe Kucherov is still plus-money as an Anytime Goal Scorer, as hot as he has been.
- Nikita Kucherov Anytime Goal Scorer (+110 at FanDuel)
