The New York Islanders (14-15-7) travel to face off against the Pittsburgh Penguins (16-16-5) on Sunday, December 29th. This game will be played at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh and televised on ESPN+. The Penguins are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Islanders are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Rangers. Puck drop is set for 5:30 ET.

Islanders vs Penguins

The New York Islanders Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

The Islanders dropped to 14-15-7 with a 5-2 loss to the Rangers. As underdogs on the puck line, they failed to cover, and the total of 7 goals surpassed the pre-game line of 6.

New York fell behind 2-0 before Casey Cizikas scored at 15:22 in the second period. The Rangers responded with a goal, but the Islanders cut the deficit to 3-2 with just 8 seconds left in the second. However, the Rangers pulled away with two more goals in the third.

The Pittsburgh Penguins Are Coming Off A Win

With a 3-1 win over the Canadiens, the Penguins evened their record at 16-16-5. Pittsburgh entered the game as -1.5 goal favorites and covered the puck line. The total was set at 6.5 goals, but the combined score of 4 fell short of that mark.

Sidney Crosby scored twice for the Penguins, who had two players find the net in the game. Pittsburgh kept Montreal scoreless until the third period, when the Canadiens cut the lead to 2-1. Blake Lizotte added an empty-net goal to seal the victory.

New York Offense Breakdown

The Islanders fired 37 shots on goal but managed just two scores in their 5-2 loss to the Rangers. Casey Cizikas netted his first goal of the season, while Brock Nelson added his fifth, with his goal coming just eight seconds before the second intermission.

New York had 23 giveaways and went scoreless in the first and third periods. Pierre Engvall picked up his first assist of the season on Cizikas’ goal, while Simon Holmstrom now has four assists this year.

Penguins Offense Breakdown

Sidney Crosby netted his 4th and 5th goals of the season in the Penguins’ 3-1 win over Montreal. He scored early in the first period and added a power-play goal in the second. Blake Lizotte contributed his 2nd goal of the season with an empty-netter.

Pittsburgh took 24 shots on goal and recorded 14 giveaways. Lars Eller picked up his 3rd assist on Lizotte’s empty-net goal, while Erik Karlsson earned his 7th assist on Crosby’s second goal.

New York Team Defense

On the defensive side, the Islanders gave up the first goal just 3:44 into the opening period and allowed two more in the 3rd, including an empty netter at 3:23. Ilya Sorokin made 35 saves with an 89.7% save percentage, while the defense added 12 takeaways and 17 hits.

Pittsburgh Team Defense

Defensively, the Penguins will look to build on their last game, where they gave up just 1 goal to Montreal. Alex Nedeljkovic made 25 saves with a 96.2% save percentage, and the defense added 5 takeaways and 19 hits. The only goal they allowed came at 5:32 in the 3rd period.

Islanders vs Penguins Trends

• Although New York has a straight up record of 1-2 in their last three road games, they have not held up as well vs the puck line going 1-2. The team averaged 3 goals per game in these games.
• When looking at their past three matchups at home, Pittsburgh has an puck line record of 2-1 while averaging 4 per game. The team went 2-1 overall in these games.
• Spanning across their last five games as the betting underdog, the Penguins have gone 3-2 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 2-3.
• Going back to their previous five games as the favorite, New York has an puck line mark of 1-4 while going 2-3 straight up.

Islanders vs Penguins Prediction

If you’re looking for a moneyline pick, my choice is the Penguins to take down the Islanders at home. With the moneyline currently at -119, I’m placing my bet on the Penguins straight-up.

For my recommended choice in the puck line, I’m leaning towards the Islanders to cover. Even if the Penguins secure a straight-up win, this game is expected to be tightly contested, and the Islanders should cover the puck line.

If you’re looking at the over/under line set at 6 goals, our prediction is that this game will exceed that mark, and we strongly advise placing a bet on the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.