Pittsburgh Penguins vs New York Islanders Betting Pick & Prediction 12/28/24

The Penguins and Islanders are set to face off at 7:30 ET on ESPN+. The Islanders will host the game at UBS Arena in Elmont, NY. The over/under for this game is set at 6 goals, and the Islanders are favored by -1.5 against the Penguins in a Metropolitan division matchup.

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS VS NEW YORK ISLANDERS BETTING PICK

The Pick: New York Islanders -1.5

This game will be played at UBS Arena at 7:30 ET on Saturday, December 28th.

WHY BET THE NEW YORK ISLANDERS:

• Based on our analysis, we foresee the Islanders winning the game with a predicted score of 4-2.
• Take the Islanders on the moneyline
• The Islanders should also cover at -1.5

Will Pittsburgh Come Through as Road Underdogs?

With a 3-1 win over the Canadiens, the Penguins moved above .500, improving to 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-goal line.

Sidney Crosby scored twice for the Penguins, who kept the Canadiens off the board until the third period. Blake Lizotte added an empty-net goal to seal the victory.

Sidney Crosby led the Penguins’ offense with two goals in their 3-1 win over Montreal. He opened the scoring at 4:03 in the first period and added his fifth goal of the season on a power play at 1:20 in the second.

Blake Lizotte closed out the scoring with his second goal of the season on an empty net at 19:15 in the third. Pittsburgh took 24 shots on goal and recorded 14 giveaways.

Defensively, the Penguins will look to build off their last game, where they allowed just 1 goal to the Canadiens. Alex Nedeljkovic made 25 saves, finishing with a 96.2% save percentage. Pittsburgh’s defense also recorded 5 takeaways, 19 hits, and 19 blocks.

Will the Islanders Win at Home?

The Islanders fell to 13-15-7 after a 5-2 loss to the Rangers. Entering as underdogs on the puck line, New York failed to cover, and the total of 7 goals surpassed the pre-game line of 6.

After falling behind 2-0, Casey Cizikas put the Islanders on the board at 15:22 in the second period. The Rangers responded with two more goals, including an empty-netter, to seal the game.

The Islanders fired 37 shots on goal in their 5-2 loss to the Rangers, but only found the net twice. Casey Cizikas scored his first goal of the season, while Brock Nelson added his fifth, with just 8 seconds left in the second period.

New York recorded 23 giveaways and went scoreless in the first and third periods. Pierre Engvall, Simon Holmstrom, Kyle Palmieri, and Anders Lee each picked up an assist.

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