New York Islanders vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Game 1 Prediction, NHL Odds
Sidney Crosby begins his quest for cup number four as he leads the eastern divisions best, the Pittsburgh Penguins into game one against the New York Islanders.
The home teams went 6-0-2 in regulation during the season series, but the playoffs are a whole new animal.
Islanders vs. Penguins Betting Analysis
The Penguins had the Islanders number this year taking six of eight meetings in the regular season, putting them the -131 favourite. Finishing first gives Pittsburgh home ice advantage through most the playoffs. Both squads have been better on home ice this year, the Penguins went 4-0 against the Islanders and 22-4-2 overall, while the Isles were 2-0-2 vs. Pittsburgh and 21-4-3 overall. Playoff history is on New York’s side. In 2019, the Islanders swept them in round one and they took the 2013 meeting in six games as well.
The Islanders love to slow down the play and keep the scoring chances low so don’t expect them to score too many goals. Their offence ranked in the bottom half of the league and second lowest of any playoff team. The Penguins on the other hand, will do everything they can to keep the series wide open and high scoring, ranking second in goals for.
New York Islanders
A year after the Islanders surprised everyone by going all the way to the semi-final, they are still being counted out by most. The six-game loss to the eventual Stanley cup champions in Tampa Bay last season, showed the hockey world how good coaching can make a world of difference. Barry Trotz, now in his third year with the team, has structured them to play extremely defensively in the neutral zone, a hallmark of any Trotz team.
The Islanders lost their Captain Anders Lee back in March when he had surgery for a torn ACL and have had trouble trying to replace his offence. To fix it, General Manager Lou Lameriello acquired forwards Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac from the Devils. Unfortunately, the pair have struggled since arriving to Long Island combining for three goals and only six points.
Mathew Barzal will undoubtedly be the X-Factor for New York. Barzal had five goals and 12 assists in 20 games in the bubble last year, but has found another level, leading the Islanders with 45 points (17G, 28A) in 55 games this season.
Pittsburgh Penguins
People see the aging core in Pittsburgh and say that Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are making their last run for another cup. Then, General Manager Ron Hextall went out at the trade deadline and picked up Jeff Carter, another veteran piece who seemed to have somehow completed the puzzle.
With a deadly one, two, three punch at the centre position, Pittsburgh tore through the East division in the back half of the schedule. In their last 20 games, they went 14-5-1 looking like a completely different Penguins club. Starting goalie Tristan Jarry was 14-2-2 with two shutouts during the same stretch, posting a .918 save percentage.
Pittsburgh was fully healthy at their practice on Friday, but it didn’t last long, as backup goaltender Casey DeSmith left about halfway through. DeSmith missed the last three games of the season with an undisclosed injury and could have possibly come back too soon.
The Pens have a lot of game breakers throughout their lineup but this year Jake Guentzel took his game up a notch, or two. He finished second on the team in goals (23) and second in points (57) and was one of only two Penguins to play the entire 56 game season.
NYI
PIT