The Pittsburgh Penguins (42-22-10) take a short trip to face the New York Islanders (33-29-9) Tuesday at UBS Arena. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we look at the Penguins vs. Islanders odds and lines, and make our expert NHL picks, predictions and bets.
The Penguins snapped a four-game losing skid last time out as C Sidney Crosby had a superstar moment with an overtime winner against the Nashville Predators Saturday. Pittsburgh has been mired in a rough stretch against mostly playoff foes and has won just three of its last 10 games.
The Islanders were left without a paddle in a 6-1 loss at the St. Louis Blues Friday. New York has been playing inspired hockey of late, going 6-4 in its last 10 games against some good teams.
Penguins at Islanders odds, spread and lines
- Money line: Penguins -120 (bet $120 to win $100) | Islanders +100 (bet $100 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Penguins -1.5 (+185) | Islanders +1.5 (-260)
- Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Penguins at Islanders projected goalies
Tristan Jarry (33-18-6, 2.41 GAA, .919 SV%, 4 SO) vs. Ilya Sorokin (23-14-7, 2.27 GAA, .927 SV%, 6 SO)
Jarry has lost five games in a row in what has to be a concerning trend after he had a late-season swoon last year. He’s 0-4 with a 3.60 GAA and a .896 SV% in April. If you have any aspirations of going deep into the playoffs, you need your goalie to perform better. This could be a “get-right” game for him as he shut out the Isles, saving 25 shots, in his only appearance against them this year.
Sorokin was great in his return from injury in a 2-1 upset over the Carolina Hurricanes Friday. He stopped 20 of 21 shots he saw. He was also great in a tough-luck loss to the Pens earlier this season, stopping 29 of 30 shots in a 1-0 loss.
Money line
These two teams battled to a 1-0 finish in November, and this feels like another low-scoring affair. Pittsburgh’s recent struggles have resulted in a great price. Roll with the PENGUINS (-120).
Against the spread
There’s no value on the puck line as Pittsburgh’s offense hasn’t been reliable, nor has their netminder. PASS.
Over/Under
There isn’t a lot of data to shift this one either way. The Over is 7-3 in the last 10 between these teams in New York, but Pittsburgh’s offense isn’t in the same stratosphere as those previous teams. Penguins C Evgeni Malkin is serving a four-game suspension for cross-checking and will not be a participant. LEAN UNDER 5.5 (-110).