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The New York Islanders, the Eastern Conference's third-ranked team, are set to host the Pittsburgh Penguins, positioned 13th in the conference, at UBS Arena on Wednesday, Dec. 27, at 7:30 p.m. ET.
On Saturday, New York clinched a 5-4 win on the road against the Carolina Hurricanes in its most recent game, while Pittsburgh suffered a 5-4 overtime loss on the road to the Ottawa Senators on the same date.
The match will be televised on MSGSN, SportsNet PT and ESPN+.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Islanders: Game Preview
New York Islanders holds a 6-2-4 record against the Metropolitan Division and stands at 16-8-9 overall. The Islanders boast a scoring differential of -2, tallying 103 goals scored and 105 allowed.
Matthew Barzal has contributed 10 goals and 25 assists for the Islanders, while Bo Horvat has notched seven goals and eight assists in the last 10 games.
In goal, Semyon Varlamov has posted a season record of six wins and four losses, allowing 33 goals and making 375 saves.
Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Penguins, with a 15-13-4 overall record and a 3-3-2 performance against the Metropolitan Division, hold a 3-3-3 record in one-goal games.
Sidney Crosby leads the Penguins with 19 goals and 16 assists, while Evgeni Malkin has recorded one goal and six assists in the last 10 outings.
In goal, Alex Nedeljkovic has played 10 games this season, securing a 5-5-2 record, faced 26 goals, maintaining a GAA of 2.6 and has made 288 saves with a .914 SV%, placing him 15th in the NHL.
Wednesday's matchup marks the first meeting between the two teams this season.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Islanders: Head-to-head and significant numbers
- The Penguins and Islanders have a history of 305 games, including regular season and playoffs, with the Penguins holding an overall record of 144-129-22-10 (50.8%) against the Islanders.
- Currently, on a 4 game-losing streak against the Islanders, the Penguins have a 130-108-22-10 (52.2%) record in regular season matchups.
- The Penguins' longest winning streak against the Islanders spans 5 games, a feat achieved on four occasions.
- Pittsburgh stands 10th in the league with an 82.69% penalty kill percentage, while the Islanders sit at the 32nd position with a 71% penalty kill rate.
- The Penguins boast the second-best faceoff win rate in the NHL at 54.6%, whereas the Islanders claim the 11th position with a 50.8% faceoff win percentage.
- The Penguins rank 29th in the league with an 8.6% shooting percentage, while the Islanders hold a 10.4% shooting percentage, ranking 13th.
- The Penguins have achieved five shutouts against opponents, while the Islanders have recorded four this season.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Islanders: Odds and Prediction
Of the 14 games New York held the favorited status this season, they emerged victorious in eight. In 11 contests with odds lower than -127, the Islanders secured seven wins, and the odds suggest a 55.9% chance of them winning the upcoming game.
Conversely, the Penguins clinched seven wins in 13 matchups when considered underdogs this season. When facing odds of +106 or longer as the underdog, the Penguins hold a 3-4 record, and the odds suggest a 48.5% chance of them winning the next game.
Prediction: New York Islanders 5 - 4 Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Islanders: Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result: Islanders to win.
Tip 2: Total goals over 7: Yes.
Tip 3: Penguins to beat the spread: Yes.
