Two of the NHL’s best teams on the power play, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Islanders take the ice at the Barclays Center in a Metropolitan Division tilt. The puck drops at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 20, and you will be able to catch the game live on Sportsnet.
Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Islanders Odds
Pittsburgh is 41-31 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 0.1 units this season. 40 of its outings have gone over the total, while 30 have gone under and just two have pushed. As a road team this season, the Pens are 15-22 SU.
Pittsburgh currently touts the first-best power-play unit in the NHL, as it’s converted on 25.8 percent of its extra-man advantages this season. Its penalty kill is ranked 17th in the league, and it has successfully killed off 80.3 percent of its penalties.
Pittsburgh, as a collective unit, has been sent to the penalty box 4.0 times per game during the 2017-18 season, and 3.2 per game over its past five games. The team has had to kill penalties just 8.6 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Boasting a .909 save percentage and 25.7 saves per game, Matt Murray (25-16-2) has been the best option in goal for Pittsburgh this year. If Pittsburgh decides to rest him, however, they may go with Tristan Jarry (15-11-2 record, .908 save percentage, 2.77 goals against average).
Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel will both be relied on to produce for the visiting Penguins. Malkin has 89 points via 40 goals and 49 assists, and has recorded two or more points 23 times. Kessel has 29 goals and 50 assists to his credit (and has registered a point in 49 games).
On the other bench, New York is 30-42 straight up (SU) and has lost 12.3 units for moneyline bettors thus far. 44 of its games have gone over the total, while 25 have gone under and just three have pushed. The team is 16-18 SU at home this year.
New York has converted on 21.8 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that places it in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 31st overall, and it’s successfully killed off 74.9 percent of all penalties.
New York players have been sent to the penalty box only 3.4 times per game in total this season, and 4.8 per game over their past five match ups. The team’s had to stave off opponent power plays a whopping 14.6 minutes per game over their last five outings.
Jaroslav Halak has stopped 29.7 shots per game as the primary choice in goal for New York. Halak has 18 wins, 32 losses, and six overtime losses and has registered a fairly-weak .906 save percentage and 3.28 goals against average this year.
The Isles will be led on offense by Mathew Barzal (19 goals, 54 assists) and John Tavares (32 goals, 41 assists).
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Islanders Free Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Islanders, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Trends
The over has hit in four of New York’s last five outings.
The Penguins are 15-7 in games where they outshoot their opponent by 10 or more. They’ve averaged the league’s second-most shots on goal (34.4) while New York has attempted the 23rd-most (only 31.0).
Extra-man opportunities could prove to be extremely important in tonight’s game. The Penguins are 20-11 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 26-20 in games where they serve fewer than 10 penalty minutes, in total. The Islanders are 11-22 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 19-32 in games where total penalty minutes are in the single digits.
Pittsburgh is 2-2 in games decided by a shootout this season while New York is 3-3 in shootouts.
New York is ranked 22nd in the NHL this season with 6.4 takeaways per game. That figure has trended upward recently, as the team has forced 7.2 takeaways over its last 10 games and 7.6 takeaways over its last five.
Pittsburgh has forced 7.2 takeaways per game over its last five road games, right in line with its season average of 7.0 takeaways per game (ranked 20th).
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