New York Islanders vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Game 5 Prediction, NHL Odds
The underdog Islanders’ 4-1 win Saturday afternoon locked the series at 2-2. Ilya Sorokin, who did not start game two or three, stopped 29 shots getting New York two games away from an upset.
The rookie Russian netminder improved to a 2-0 record in the playoffs, holds a 1.76 goals-against average and a .944 save percentage.
Sorokin spent nine seasons in the KHL before coming to North America at the start of this season. He was named the KHL’s playoff MVP in 2019 when he went 16-4 with five shutouts, posting a 1.19 goals-against average and .947 save percentage.
Islanders vs. Penguins Stanley Cup Odds
The winner of game five puts all the pressure on their opponent, pushing them to the edge of elimination. The -142 favourite Penguins head back home to the PPG Paints Arena where they are 23-4-3 this year. 67 percent of our Sports Interaction customers are taking the Penguins tonight.
More than a goal separated these teams in game four for the first time all series. The Islanders were able to cover the spread again putting them at 3-1 in the series.
The first half of the series has seen its fair share of powerplays, 20 to be exact. It took a while but the Isles have found their groove on the man advantage with three goals, while the Pens have as many short-handed goals as they do a man up, just one.
60 percent of bettors have this one going over with a total of 5.5 tonight. The series split 2-2 on the over/under. The Penguins hold a 12-15-3 O/U record at home and the Isles are 7-21-2 as the away team.
New York Islanders
When the Islanders play their game it is hard for anyone to match up against it. They have been getting offence from everyone on their roster, their powerplay is starting to click and they have found out which one of their goalies should be the starter.
A defenceman has scored in back-to-back games and all four of the forward lines have gotten at least two, boosting New York’s offence as a whole. They averaged 3.3 goals per game through the first four games of the series, after ending the season at 2.7.
The powerplay didn’t have a goal in game one or two, but found the net in game three and never looked back adding two goals again in game four. The Isles powerplay had the Pens figured out in the regular season, running at 35 percent. Their power play is currently three for 12.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Sidney Crosby was held pointless for the third straight game Saturday, something that has only happened once all season. Pittsburgh’s captain scored back in game one tying him for seventh all-time in playoff points at 190th. Since then he’s thrown four hits and taken five shots, seeing his ice time go from 25 minutes in game one to 16 minutes yesterday.
The Penguins have a better chance to win when Sid is on the ice, so could he not be at full health? And has Evgeni Malkin fully recovered from his lower-body injury?
After picking up two assists in his series debut in game three, Malkin didn’t get a shot on net in game four. The six-foot-three 195 pounder got involved physically, taking a roughing penalty in the first period, his first of three consecutive minors.
Kris Letang has been the most important and consistent Penguin this entire series. Averaging over 26 minutes of ice-time a night and spends a lot of his time killing his teammates’ penalties.
NYI
PIT