The New York Islanders ended a five-game losing skid on Saturday against the Penguins and then picked up a shutout win over the Rangers. Pittsburgh has now lost four of its last five and plays the Islanders in three of its next five games. The Pens will be underdogs in this one.
- Date/Time: February 11, 7 p.m. ET
- Arena: Nassau Coliseum
- TV Coverage: ATTP
- Sportsbook Odds: Islanders -111 | O/U 5.5 (Line History)
- Penguins vs Islanders Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
The game opened with the Islanders as favorites at -111 and can now be found in the -111 to -115 range depending on the book. The total is set at 5.5 with the OVER the favorite in the -111 to -118 range.
Pittsburgh News & Notes
Depleted for most of the season so far, the Pittsburgh defensive corps finally received some reinforcements against the Islanders on Saturday with Kris Letang, Mike Matheson and John Marino all returning to the ice.
But with a relatively healthy lineup, the Penguins still lost 4-3 on the Island despite holding the edge in shots and overall scoring chances. Pittsburgh out-chanced New York 31-22 in that game and has only been out-chanced once in its last five games despite going 1-3-1 in that stretch.
In fact, the Penguins rank in the top 10 in the league in both shots for percentage (SF%) and scoring chances for percentage (SCF%) at even strength, which would indicate more goals are on the way for a team that has actually allowed more goals than it has scored at 5-on-5 despite those high rankings.
However, the Pens need better play in net as starter Tristan Jarry continues to struggle. He is 2-4-1 with an ugly .857 save percentage this season.
New York News & Notes
The Islanders continue to try to win games through their defense-first style of hockey as the four goals they scored on Pittsburgh on Saturday matched a season high. Only the New Jersey Devils, who have played two fewer games, have scored fewer goals than the Islanders’ 25 this season and only five teams have scored fewer at even strength.
Mathew Barzal continues to lead the way for the Isles as the only player on the team with more than seven points through 11 games (he has 12), but it is the goaltending that has been the main reason for the success the Islanders have had this season.
Semyon Varlamov has been lights-out, with a 5-2-1 record and .935 save percentage. His save percentage ranks fourth in the NHL among goalies who have played at least six games and he leads the league with three shutouts in only eight starts. He will likely get the start in this matchup.
Betting Pick: OVER 5.5
Despite how well Varlamov has played, the underlying numbers say the Penguins may be due for some better puck luck. Combine that with the struggles of Tristan Jarry and you can make a great case for the OVER here.
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Buy Sports Picks Now- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh’s last 6 games.
- Pittsburgh is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games against New York.
- The total has gone UNDER in 10 of New York’s last 13 games.
