It is Game 2 in the East Division semifinals when the New York Islanders take on the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday. New York opened with a 4-3 victory over Pittsburgh in overtime to open the series.
Here you can find the best picks, news, and stats for this East Division playoff battle at the PPG Paints Arena. Confirm is the favorite at -132. This according to PointsBet Sportsbook, which puts the odds for New York at +110 as the underdog.
The Islanders will be without Johnny Boychuk, Anders Lee, and goaltender Semyon Varlamov. The Penguins will miss goaltender Casey DeSmith and Evgeni Malkin.
Islanders Draw First Blood in OT
Kyle Palmieri scored his second goal of the game, 16:30 into overtime to give the Islanders a 4-3 victory over Pittsburgh. Jean-Gabriel Pageau added a goal and two assists for New York. Ilya Sorokin stopped 39 of 42 shots to earn the victory.
New York is averaging 2.7 goals per game, 20th in NHL and is 21st on the power play at 18.8%. The Islanders are led by Matt Barzal with 45 points. Brock Nelson is a team leader in goals with 18. Eight different players scored in double digits for New York.
The Islanders are second in goals allowed per game at 2.2 and are sixth in penalty killing at 83.7%. With Varlamov out, it will be Sorokin going again. He went 13-6-3 with a 2.17 GAA and a .918 save percentage during the regular season. Sorokin allowed a single goal in three of his final four regular-season starts.
Penguins Look to Rebound
Three different players scored goals for Pittsburgh in this contest, including Sidney Crosby. No Penguins’ player had more than a single point in the contest. Tristan Jarry stopped 37 of 41 shots.
Pittsburgh is averaging 3.4 goals per game, second overall, and they are fourth on the power play at 23.7%. Crosby led Pittsburgh in scoring with 24 goals, 38 assists, and 62 points. Crosby had 22 power-play points. Jake Guentzel was second with 23 goals and 57 points.
The Penguins are 14th in goals allowed per game at 2.8 and are 27th in penalty killing at 77.4%. It will be Jarry going on Tuesday. He is 25-9-3 with a 2.75 GAA and a .909 save percentage during the regular season. Jarry gave up nine total goals over his last three regular-season starts.
This is really a must-win game for Pittsburgh. They simply cannot go back to New York down 0-2, so they have to come out with a lot of energy. This is a veteran group with a lot of experience who knows how to win game situations like this. The Penguins are 6-2 in the last eight meetings between these teams and are 35-16 in the last 51 meetings in Pittsburgh.
Pick: Take Pittsburgh in -132.
The Total:
New York has gone over in four of the last six games while Pittsburgh has gone over in four of their last five games. These teams combined for seven goals to open the playoff series have gone over 5.5 goals in two of the last three meetings. Pittsburgh needs to come out and create energy and get flying early. So I expect them to drive score.
Pick: Go over 5.5 at +125.