The Pittsburgh Penguins will be looking to build on their easy win over the New York Islanders in Game 1 on Friday night as those teams meet in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
And they will do it with Sidney Crosby back in the lineup. The Penguins captain was cleared to play earlier Friday. They were already huge favorites but this news will inflate the line further.
The Penguins bounced the Islanders 5-0 as a big -210 favorite on the NHL betting lines in Game 1 of the series on Wednesday night, even with Sidney Crosby not in the lineup for Pittsburgh. Marc-Andre Fleury made 26 saves for the shutout in that contest.
The Penguins sport records of 36-12 heading into this matchup, while the Islanders sit at 24-17-7 on the season. The OVER/UNDER records are 23-24-1 for the Penguins and 26-21-1 for the Islanders.
View NY Islanders vs Pittsburgh Odds and Stats.
Betting Line:
On the Sportsbook NHL line for this matchup, Pittsburgh sat as -245 favorites over at Sportsbook. The total was set at 5.5 at Sportsbook but may move closer to puck drop.
Power Rankings:
It's a hockey betting matchup between the No. 2-rated Penguins and the No. 12-ranked Islanders, according to the latest NHL power poll here at Odds Shark.
How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Pittsburgh's No. 1-ranked offense (3.4 goals per game) against a Islanders defense that ranks No. 20 at 2.9 goals per game allowed. The Penguins Sportsbook has clicked at a 24.7% rate while the Islanders have a 80.3% rate on the penalty kill.
In their last action, New York was a 5-0 loser on the road against the Penguins. Bettors on Pittsburgh at -210 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (5) sent UNDER bettors home happy as well.
New York Islanders Trends:
When playing on Friday are 6-4
Before playing New Jersey are 4-6
After playing Pittsburgh are 5-5
After a loss are 5-5
Pittsburgh Penguins Trends:
When playing on Friday are 6-4
Before playing Ottawa are 5-5
After playing NY Islanders are 5-5
After a win are 8-2
A few Islanders at Penguins trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of the NY Islanders last 10 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of the NY Islanders last 10 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
NY Islanders are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games
NY Islanders are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 5-0 SU in their last 5 games when playing NY Islanders
Pittsburgh is 16-2 SU in its last 18 games at home
Pittsburgh is 16-2 SU in their last 18 games when playing at home against NY Islanders
Pittsburgh is 21-4 SU in its last 25 games
Next up:
NY Islanders home to Pittsburgh, Sunday, May 5
