Pittsburgh Penguins - New York Islanders predictions and free betting tips [21/02/2024]

The Pittsburgh Penguins will host the New York Islanders in an NHL regular season matchup.

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins face a challenge as they attempt to secure a playoff spot, trailing the New York Islanders by 3 points while having two games in hand. Recent encounters with divisional opponents have not been successful for the Penguins, particularly after their overtime loss to Carolina on 14th January with a score of 2:3, prompting the team to step up their efforts in subsequent games. Since then, the team has gone 5-7, including 4 losses in their last 5 games, highlighting their inconsistency.

In their previous match against the Los Angeles Kings, the Penguins suffered a 1:2 defeat, which was a significant blow for the team, more so in the context of the pre-match ceremony honouring Jaromír Jágr. The players understand the importance of every point at this stage of the season and seek to improve their performance to secure a place in the playoffs. Sidney Crosby continues to be a key figure for the Penguins, demonstrating leadership qualities and contributing significantly to the team's play. However, despite his efforts, the team struggles with power-play conversions, ranking 26th in the league with an average of 2.87 goals per game and converting only 13.7% of power-play opportunities.

New York Islanders

The New York Islanders face significant challenges this season, notably after losing a hard-fought win against the New York Rangers in overtime with a score of 6:5 in an outdoor game. This event, attracting thousands of spectators and TV cameras, underscored the Islanders’ struggle for a playoff spot, particularly against the backdrop of their penalty kill, which has proved a weak point for the team. Islanders coach Patrick Roy acknowledges the difficulties but underscores the positive aspects of the team's even-strength play.

Despite this, the Islanders rank last in the league in terms of penalty kill efficiency, capitalising on only 70.7% of their opportunities. Since the coaching change, the team has gone 4-6, a sign of instability and a quest for form. The situation five-on-five seems promising, but the team continues to struggle defensively, conceding an average of 3.31 goals per game. This impacts the team's overall performance, despite the steady play of goaltender Ilya Sorokin, who has put up reliable performances this season.

Head-to-head

At the beginning of the new year on 1st January, the Pittsburgh Penguins secured a victory with a score of 3:1. On 28th December 2023, the Islanders lost to the Penguins with a huge score of 0:7. However, in contests prior to this date, the Islanders demonstrated their prowess, claiming a victory in overtime on 21st February 2023 with a score of 4:3 and defeating the Penguins on 18th February 2023 with a score of 4:2. Additionally, in a further matchup held on 10th March 2023, the Islanders once again outscored the Penguins, this time with a result of 5:4.

Match Predictions for Pittsburgh Penguins vs New York Islanders

Although both teams have been underperforming recently and failing to secure playoff positions, the Penguins have an advantage of two games in hand and a 7:0 victory in their recent match against the Islanders in late 2023. I'm backing them on home ice.