The Pittsburgh Penguins are road favorites on Wednesday night as they visit the New York Islanders in a game that can be seen on NBCSN. The Penguins are battling for first place in the Metropolitan Division while the Islanders have the worst record in the Eastern Conference. The Penguins have had three days to get ready for this game while the Islanders had to play on Monday against Calgary. The Penguins have won the last four meetings against the Islanders including both games this season.
Don't miss the ice action from the Barclays Center at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, November 30, 2016. Catch every moment of the game live on NBCSN.
We'll have NHL odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NHL Wednesday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Penguins are making just a quick one-game road trip for this game on Wednesday as they return home for a three-game homestand that begins on Thursday. The Penguins haven’t been that great on the road as they are just 5-6 in their 11 road games.
The Islanders have been awful this season as they are in last place in the Eastern Conference. New York won’t even have much rest for this game after playing on Monday against the Flames. The Islanders have been better at home than on the road but they still have a losing record on home ice at 5-7 in their first 12 home games. Head coach Jack Capuano said that there is no rhyme or reason to what is happening. ""There's no explanation," coach Jack Capuano said, "We have no puck luck right now. It's nothing to do with anything . . . The hockey gods aren't with us right now, and that's a fact."
Special Teams
The Penguins are 10th in the league on the power play at 20% on the season. Pittsburgh is scoring 2.9 goals per game which is 9th in the NHL. The Penguins have struggled on defense as they are allowing 2.9 goals per game which is 22nd in the league and the penalty killing is a big part of the problem as the Penguins are a very poor 28th in the league at 77.2%.
The Islanders have been poor on the power play as they are 25th in the league at 13.8%. New York doesn’t score many goals as they average just 2.4 per game which is 22nd in the league. The defense for New York has been bad as the Islanders allow 3 goals per game which is 26th in the NHL. The penalty killing is 20th in the league at 81.1%.
Goalie Report
The Penguins have a definite goaltender controversy as Marc-Andre Fleury started the season with last year’s playoff hero Matt Murray injured. Fleury played okay but his record is now just 6-8 and his goals against average is 3.38. Murray has been outstanding as he is 7-1 on the season with a 1.75 goals against average. The controversy may not last long as Murray has completely outplayed Fleury and the Penguins are winning nearly every game he starts.
The Islanders would like to have a goaltender controversy but right now they have a goaltender mess as neither Jaroslav Halak nor Thomas Greiss has been very good. Halak was supposed to be the top goaltender but he is just 3-10 on the season with a 3.08 goals against average. Greiss hasn’t been that much better as he is 3-4 with a 2.62 goals against average.
Free NHL Picks
This series has been all Penguins of late as they have won the past four meetings including both games this season by scores of 4-2 and 3-2. Somewhat surprisingly, four of the last five meetings in the series have gone under the total. The Penguins have also won five of the last eight in New York including the last two with the last three going under.
I can’t make any real case for taking the Islanders in this contest so I will lay the price and take the Penguins.
NHL Odds: Penguins 4, Islanders 1
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
