Pittsburgh Penguins (16-15-5) vs. NY Islanders (13-15-7)
December 28, 2024 7:30 pm EDT
The Line: NY Islanders -150 / Pittsburgh Penguins +122; Over/Under: +7.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Islanders meet Saturday in NHL action from the UBS Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a NY Islanders vs Pittsburgh Penguins Prediction.
Pittsburgh Penguins Recap
The Pittsburgh Penguins come into this game looking to build on a 7-3 win over the Flyers in their last game. After this game, the Penguins will take on the Islanders in a rematch of their home and home tilt.
Penguins Looking To Stay Hot
Evgeni Malkin has 29 points with 7 goals and 22 assists while Sidney Crosby has a team-high 39 points of his own with a team-high 10 goals and 29 assists. Rickard Rakell has 29 points with 16 goals and 13 assists and Erik Karlsson has 24 points with 3 goals and 21 assists. Bryan Rust also has 27 points with 15 goals and 12 assists. In goal for the Penguins, Joel Blomqvist has gone 3-5 with a 3.60 GAA and a .904 save percentage while Tristan Jarry has gone 8-5-2 with a 3.47 GAA and an .885 save percentage this season. Alex Nedeljkovic is also 5-5-3 with a 3.26 GAA and an .886 save percentage on the year.
Why the Pittsburgh Penguins will win
- The underdogs have won six of the last seven games between the Penguins and Islanders.
- The Islanders have lost five of their last six games as favorites against Eastern Conference opponents.
- The underdogs have covered the puck line in each of the last nine games between the Penguins and Islanders.
- The Islanders have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last seven games as favorites following a home loss.
New York Islanders Recap
The New York Islanders come into this game looking to bounce back from a 7-1 loss at the hands of Buffalo last time out.
Islanders Looking For Bounce Back
Anders Lee leads the Islanders in scoring with 27 points including 13 goals and 14 assists while Kyle Palmieri has 25 points split between 12 goals and 13 assists. Bo Horvat has 25 points with 9 goals and 16 assists while Brock Nelson has 20 points with 10 goals and 10 assists. Simon Holmstrom has 21 points with 9 goals and 12 assists and Maxim Tsyplakov has 19 points with 7 goals and 12 assists. Ilya Sorokin has gone 10-11-4 with a 2.95 GAA and an .898 save percentage in goal for the Islanders while Semyon Varlamov is 3-4-3 with a 2.89 GAA and an .889 save percentage this season.
Why the New York Islanders will win
- The Penguins have lost each of their last 13 Saturday road games.
- The Islanders have won each of their last five games against the Penguins following a loss.
- The Islanders have covered the puck line in seven of their last eight home games against the Penguins following a home loss.
- The Penguins have failed to cover the puck line in four of their last five road games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
NY Islanders vs Pittsburgh Penguins Prediction
I’m on the Penguins here. I just can’t lay any sort of odds with a team that got demolished by a team that had lost 13 games in a row prior to their last game. The Penguins have been playing the better hockey side-by-side in recent weeks and I think the value is on their side here. Give me Pittsburgh and the plus money.
