NY Islanders (14-15-7) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (16-16-5)
December 29, 2024 5:30 pm EDT
The Line: Pittsburgh Penguins -128 / NY Islanders +104; Over/Under: +6.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Islanders meet Sunday in NHL action from the PPG Paints Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Islanders prediction.
Pittsburgh Penguins Recap
The Pittsburgh Penguins come into this game looking to bounce back after taking one on the chin in a 6-3 loss to the Islanders last time out. After this game, Pittsburgh will head on the road for a matchup with the Detroit Red Wings.
Penguins Looking To Split Home And Home
Going into Saturday’s matchup, 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 a .886 save percentage on the year.
New York Islanders Recap
The New York Islanders will look to build on their win over the Penguins from Saturday’s tilt ahead of their rematch with the Toronto Maple Leafs on New Year’s Eve and then will meet the Bruins and Golden Knights.
Islanders Looking To Sweep Penguins
Entering Saturday, 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 a .898 save percentage in goal for the Islanders while Semyon Varlamov is 3-4-3 with a 2.89 GAA and a .889 save percentage this season.
Penguins vs. Islanders Prediction
I’m going to back the over here. I’m not comfortable backing either side with how up and down both teams can be when it comes to winning games, but both teams have had a tendency to allow goals more often than not this season and I just think this is going to be a back and forth game that’s a bit closer than the one we saw on Saturday. Give me the over.
