Bruins vs. Islanders Thursday NHL injury report, odds: Patrice Bergeron will play, Josh Bailey out

The New York Islanders reached the NHL's Final Four last postseason, falling to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning in a Game 7. The Isles got off to a terrible start this season because they had to play their first 13 games on the road as their new home arena was finished and they also were hit hard by COVID/injury. Long story short: The Isles aren't making the Eastern Conference playoffs unless they get red hot right now. They host the Boston Bruins tonight with New York missing winger Josh Bailey but Boston getting star Patrice Bergeron back. It's a pick'em at Caesars Sportsbook.

Bergeron left a game Feb. 8 against the Penguins following a collision with Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby and had missed the past three – although Bergeron was not diagnosed with a concussion. The four-time Selke Trophy award winner is good to go tonight. He's third on the team with 35 points and is plus-9 in 43 games. Bergeron's Over/Under point total tonight is 0.5 (as it is for the vast majority of players) with the Over a -150 favorite.

Boston leading scorer Brad Marchand (49 points) remains out due to a six-game suspension. He did appeal that Wednesday, but there's no chance he plays tonight even with a reduction. Bergeron was injured in the same game where Marchand hit Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry from behind before swiping at him with his stick.

The Islanders ruled out Bailey with an upper-body injury apparently suffered in Tuesday's 6-3 loss in Buffalo. The winger has three goals and 18 assists with a minus-6 rating in 38 games. New York returns home off a 1-3-0 road trip and the Isles are 3-7-0 in their last 10 games. They are 13-4-4 when scoring first this year and are 4-16-2 when allowing the opening goal.

It's Linus Ullmark in net for Boston and Ilya Sorokin for New York. Ullmark (16-7-1, 2.78 GAA, .909 SV) was shelled for six goals by Carolina in his most recent start a week ago but has been a bit better on the road with a 2.63 GAA. He lost at home to the Islanders on Dec. 16 in the lone meeting between the teams, allowing two goals on 27 shots. Sorokin (14-11-5, 2.51 GAA, .919 SV) wasn't in net for that one but Semyon Varlamov for New York. Sorokin has a stellar 1.99 GAA at home this season.

The home team has won 11 of the past 15 in the series.

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