The Pittsburgh Penguins (16-15-5) travel to face off against the New York Islanders (13-15-7) on Saturday, December 28th. This game will be played at UBS Arena in Elmont 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 7:30 ET.

Penguins vs Islanders

The Pittsburgh Penguins Are Coming Off A Win

With a 3-1 road win over the Canadiens, the Penguins moved above .500, now sitting at 16-15-5. Pittsburgh covered the puck line as -1.5 goal favorites, and the total of 4 goals fell short of the 6.5 set for the game.

Sidney Crosby led the way with two goals, and Blake Lizotte added an empty-netter to seal the victory. The Penguins kept Montreal scoreless until the third period, when the Canadiens cut the lead to 2-1 before Lizotte’s goal put it out of reach.

The New York Islanders Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

The Islanders fell to 13-15-7 after a 5-2 loss to the Rangers. As underdogs on the puck line, the Islanders failed to cover. The total for the game was set at 6 goals, and the combined 7 goals went over that line.

New York’s defense struggled, allowing the Rangers to score first at 16:16 in the first period. The Islanders didn’t get on the board until the second period, when Casey Cizikas scored at 15:22. Brock Nelson added another goal for the Islanders with just 8 seconds left in the second period.

Pittsburgh Offense Breakdown

Sidney Crosby led the Penguins’ offense with two goals in their 3-1 win over the Canadiens. He scored his 4th goal of the season early in the first period and added his 5th on a power play in the second. Blake Lizotte secured his 2nd goal of the year with an empty-netter at 19:15 in the third period.

The Penguins fired 24 shots on goal, with Crosby scoring on two of his three attempts. Pittsburgh recorded 14 giveaways and scored their second goal on a power play.

Islanders Offense Breakdown

The Islanders fired 37 shots on goal but only managed 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 8 seconds before the second period ended.

New York had 23 giveaways and didn’t score in the first or third periods. Cizikas’ goal came 4:38 into the second period, and Nelson’s followed at 19:52. The Islanders picked up four assists in the game.

Pittsburgh Team Defense

Defensively, the Penguins will look to carry over their performance from their previous game, where they allowed just one goal to the Canadiens. 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.

New York Team Defense

Defensively, the Islanders gave up the first goal just 3:44 into the first period and allowed two more in the third, including an empty-netter. Ilya Sorokin made 35 saves with an 89.7% save percentage, and the defense recorded 12 takeaways and 17 hits.

Penguins vs Islanders Trends

• Across their last five road contests, Pittsburgh has a 3-2 record vs the spread. Their overall mark in these games was 2-3, while averaging 3 goals per game.
• Across the Islanders last three home games, the team averaged 2 goals per game while allowing 4. Their record vs the puck line in these contests was 0-3, while going 1-2 straight-up.
• Going back to their previous ten games as the underdog, New York has an puck line mark of 8-2 while going 4-6 straight up.
• As the betting favorite, the Penguins have an puck line record of 3-0 in their last three games. In these matchups, their straight up record was 3-0.

Penguins vs Islanders Prediction

For a moneyline bet, I’m backing the Islanders to secure a victory over the Penguins at home. With the moneyline currently set at -141, I’m locking in my bet on the Islanders straight-up.

For a puck line prediction, our preference is the Islanders to secure a win and cover. Anticipate the Islanders to win this one by multiple goals over the Penguins.

For those looking at the over/under line set at 6 goals, our expectation is that this game will surpass that mark, and we suggest making 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.