The New York Islanders and the Pittsburgh Penguins are set to face off at PPG Paints Arena in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. NBC will broadcast the action, which gets underway at 0 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 14.
New York Islanders vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Odds
New York is 50-34 straight up (SU) and has netted moneyline bettors 20.0 units this year. 51 of its matches have gone under the total, while 28 have gone over and just five have pushed. As a road team this season, the Isles are 24-17 SU.
The Islanders’ offense attempted 28.9 shots per game in the regular season, resulting in 2.8 goals per contest (ranked 21st overall in the NHL). In the postseason, the team’s climbed to an average of 33.5 shots on goal and up to 3.5 goals per game.
After sporting the third-worst power-play unit in the regular season (scoring on 14.9 percent of all opportunities), the Islanders have connected on 25.0 percent of their postseason power play chances.
Averaging 27.1 saves per game with a .931 save percentage, Robin Lehner (28-20-5) has been the best option in goal for New York this season. If head coach Barry Trotz decides to rest him, however, New York might roll with Thomas Greiss (26-17-2), who has a .927 save percentage and 2.28 goals against average this year.
Pittsburgh is 44-40 straight up (SU) and has lost 16.7 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 84 regular season contests, 42 of its games have gone under the total, while 36 have gone over and just six have pushed. It’s 23-18 SU as the home team this season.
The Penguins have converted on 24.5 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s good enough for fifth-best in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 19th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 79.6 percent of all opponent power plays.
Matt Murray has stopped 29.3 shots per game as the primary choice in goal for the Penguins. Murray has 29 wins, 23 losses, and seven OT losses and has registered a .918 save percentage and 2.72 goals against average this year.
New York Islanders vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Predictions
Pick: SU Winner – Penguins, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- Over New York’s last ten games, six of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 5-1 in those games).
- The Islanders are 20-12 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 38-23 in games where they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
- New York is 5-5 in games decided by a shootout this season while Pittsburgh is 2-3 in shootouts.
- New York might hold the upper hand if this one comes down to the wire. The team’s an impressive 20-13 in one-goal games, while Pittsburgh is 14-18 in such games.
- New York is ranked 21st this season with 11.8 giveaways per game. That figure has trended higher lately, as it’s averaged 16.4 giveaways over its last 10 games and 18.6 giveaways over its last five.
- Pittsburgh is ranked 15th this season with 10.3 giveaways per game. That figure has trended upward recently, as it’s averaged 13.8 giveaways over its last 10 games and 16.0 giveaways over its last five.
- This game features a couple of the more physical teams in the league. New York skaters have dished out the league’s eighth-most hits per game (25.2) and the Penguins have tallied the most (29.1).
