Islanders vs Penguins Odds: Projected Winner
New York is 15-37 in Last 52 Meetings vs Pittsburgh
Your NHL picks and parlays card has to include this obvious winner from the Steel City for reasons we’ll lay out. The Islanders Stanley up odds are now +6000, while the Penguins are +3300, but Cup implications are now why you should be on this game tonight.
The Islanders come in losing four of their last five games dropping them in a fourth-place tie with the Penguins (63 points) who have lost three of their previous four. As of right now, both teams own the last two wild card spots, but when the season comes to a close, perhaps this match-up is the difference between a meeting with the Boston Bruins and one with the yet-to-be-determined winner of the Metropolitan division. Let’s get into tonight’s Islanders and Penguins odds and projected winner.
Islanders
Expected Goaltenders: Sorokin (NYI) 18-17-5, 41 points / DeSmith (Pitt) 10-12-4, 24 points
Streaming: MSGS, ATTP
Islanders Battling Through Tough Stretch
Watching the New York Islanders get beat thoroughly, 6-2, by the Boston Bruins this weekend reminds you that this Islanders team continues to struggle to find an identity. Similar to what one might say about the Pittsburgh Penguins, making tonight’s battle for playoff clarity a difficult one for bettors to put their finger on. New York will be rested in addition to having Ilya Sorokin back between the pipes.
Against Boston, they were short handed because of various injuries and a lack of time between the drop of the puck against the B’s and their 5-4 win against Pittsburgh, Friday. Now we know there isn’t a five-hour flight between the island and Boston, but three games in four days finally looked as if it caught up to New York.
Mathew Barzal left the game early in the first period and to make matters worse, it was in front of their Fathers on the annual Dad’s trip, a bet-on betting angle that is very popular among guys who follow the league.
If you watch closer this was a loss to be pinned on goaltender Semyon Varlamov who gave up six goals on 27 shots. To the eye, New York skated with Boston for most of the night with the difference being Linus Ulmark’s 28 saves and New York’s mistake that seemed to end up in the back of the net according to Islanders coach Lane Lambert when asked about it after the game.
Although New York is going through a difficult stretch, for bettors there is a small over-trend forming with four winners in their last five games. In those games, a total of 40 goals have been scored for an average of eight total goals per game.
As we continue our look at tonight’s Islanders, Penguins odds, and projected winner, that may give an indication of where we’re laying our money in this one.
As Trade Deadline Nears, Hextall in a Tough Spot
The Vancouver Canucks will tell you that it’s better to finish last than the middle of the pack, which they’ve done for many years. It’s tough to build an aging line-up with players who are middle-of-the-pack first-rounders unless you get lucky. Hextall still believes this team can make noise in the postseason, with the focus being on a depth forward.
History will tell you that Hextall will do everything that makes sense to give the boost the Pens need to get into the postseason, but before that, the Penguins need to find a way to earn a split with New York. A loss would drop them to the last playoff spot with the Florida Panthers and Buffalo Sabres lurking.
Pittsburgh and New York’s goal differential is separated by one point, +4 for the Pens, and +3 for New York, there doesn’t seem to be much of an edge on the moneyline. Let’s conclude our Islanders and Penguins odds and projected winner piece by giving you the right side to bet.
Bettors Hammering The Penguins
This is a classic case of bettors going in on the team who just lost a somewhat back-to-back game. After losing to New York, the Pittsburgh Penguins went home and were whipped by the New Jersey Devils, 5-2, while New York was getting boat raced by Boston.
The public will still view it as a home and home, which is why the line has gone from the opening number of Pittsburgh -134 (consensus) to a solid -145. Players love to bet on the bounce-back theory. We suggest going in another direction with the total. As we mentioned, Islander games have been blowing over and those numbers factored in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Ottawa Senators.
Take that out of the five-game equation and Islander games have produced 35 goals in four games, more than enough to cash an over ticket. There have been an average of eight goals in the Penguins’ last two losses including a 5-4 result against the Islanders. To conclude our Islanders and Penguins odds and projected winner preview, we suggest jumping on the over 6 (-110).
| Last Updated: 02/20/2023 | New York Islanders | Pittsburgh Penguins |
|---|---|---|
| Moneyline | +120 | -140 |
| Moneyline Record | -657 units | -1104 units |
| Puck Line Record | -341 units | -272 units |
| Total | 30-27-2 | 26-29-0 |
