Two Metropolitan Division teams fighting for playoff positioning will face off, with the New York Islanders visiting the Pittsburgh Penguins.
All Odds Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
New York Islanders (+128) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (-154) Total: 6 (O -110, U -110)The Isles and Pens are two of the teams jockeying for the last few playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. This will be their third meeting of the season and second in three days, with the first two matchups seeing the Islanders emerge victorious, outscoring the Pens 10-5. The Penguins are home favorites on the moneyline at -154, while the Islanders are +128.
Neither team comes into this matchup playing well, with the Islanders posting a 5-3-2 record over their last ten games and the Pens losing two straight to sit 4-4-2.
Looking toward the projected goalie matchup, the visiting Islanders are expected to start Ilya Sorokin, while the Penguins should do the same with Tristian Jarry. The Islanders netminder has an 18-17-5 record with a .923 save percentage. Jarry hasn’t played much because of injuries, but he’s 16-5-5 with a .921 save percentage. It’s hard to give a significant advantage, but Sorokin should have a slight edge.
The Islanders have the Pens’ number this year, and with plus money on the moneyline, we feel comfortable siding with the visitors tonight.
Best Bet: Islanders moneyline (+128)
The previous two matchups saw six and nine goals, but goal scoring isn’t a strength of the Isles, sitting 24th in goals scored per game, while the Pens are 14th. New York is much better on the backend, sitting in the top ten goals allowed per game. Over the Islanders’ last five games, they’ve seen six or more goals scored in four, while the Pens have also seen that in four. There’s likely some value in backing recent trends and siding with the over six tonight at -110.
Best Bet: Over six (-110)
Lately, the Islanders have been better in the goal-scoring department, but there’s room for improvement if they hope to continue leapfrogging teams in the standings. Bo Horvat has helped the offense after New York acquired him from Vancouver. Horvat has 34 goals in 56 games and holds value to score tonight at +144.
Best Prop: Bo Horvat to Record Over 0.5 Goals (+144)
