Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Islanders NHL Picks & Predictions 1/5/2018

Friday, January 5, 2018

Barclays Center

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Pittsburgh Penguins travel to Barclays Center to play the New York Islanders on Friday, January 5, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Penguins at +109 and the Islanders at -120.

Pittsburgh has a record of 20-18-3 this season and on the road they have a record of 8-12-2-1. They are 7th in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 116 goals and given up 129 goals for a point differential of -13. For the season they have an ATS record of 20-21-0 and an over/under record of 21-18-0. New York is 20-16-4 including 12-4-3-1 at home this season. They are 6th in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 137 goals and surrendered 144 for a goal differential of -7. Their record against the spread is 20-20-0 while their over/under record is 26-11-0.

Valuable Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 20-21-0 straight up this year

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 21-18-0 against the over/under this season

Important New York Islanders Betting Trends

The New York Islanders are 20-20-0 straight up this year

The New York Islanders are 26-11-0 against the over/under this season

Key Pittsburgh Penguins Injuries

12/29/17 RW Bryan Rust Upper Body IR (12/27)
12/29/17 D Chad Ruhwedel Upper Body IR (12/27)
01/04/18 D Brian Dumoulin Head injured last game, is "?" Thursday vs Carolina
01/04/18 RW Carter Rowney Undisclosed injured last game, is "?" Thursday vs Carolina
01/02/18 GO Tristan Jarry Wrist left last game, is "?" Thursday vs Carolina

Key New York Islanders Injuries

12/28/17 D Johnny Boychuk Lower Body IR (12/27)
12/18/17 D Calvin de Haan Shoulder IR (12/16)
11/08/17 LW Nikolay Kulemin Shoulder IR (11/06)

Player Spotlight

Phil Kessel has accumulated 44 total points this season for the Penguins. He has 17 goals this year with 152 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 11%. He has a total of 27 assists on the season and averages 18.8 minutes played per game. Sidney Crosby averages 20.8 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 12% by scoring 14 goals on 119 shots. He has 22 assists, giving him a total of 36 points on the season. Matthew Murray has 14 wins and 11 losses this season in net for the Penguins. He has 808 shots against him and he's given up 78 goals. He's made 730 saves for a save percentage of 90%.

Player Spotlight

Josh Bailey has scored 50 total points this year for the Islanders. He has 12 goals this season with 72 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 17%. He has a total of 38 assists on the season and averages 18.2 minutes played per game. Anders Lee averages 17.1 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 24% by scoring 24 goals on 100 shots. He has 15 assists, giving him a total of 39 points on the season. Jaroslav Halak has 11 wins and 11 losses this year in goal for the Islanders. He has 774 shots against him and he's surrendered 74 goals. He's made 700 saves for a save percentage of 90%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Penguins have 43 total points this season, which ranks them 21st in the NHL. They are 16th in the league in goals scored with 116 while they've given up 129 goals, ranking them 7th overall. They have had 146 power play opportunities and have scored 38 goals on those chances for a percentage of 26%. That is 1st in the NHL. The Penguins have allowed 146 power play opportunities and have given up 27 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 82%, putting them 14th in the league when short-handed. They average 35 shots per game and as a team shoot 8.17% for the season. They allow 30 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 90%. That puts them 26th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Islanders are 19th in the NHL with a total of 44 points this year. They have 28 power play goals on 136 opportunities for a percentage of 21%. That ranks them 9th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 122 power play opportunities and have given up 31 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 75%. That is 30th in the NHL. As a team, the Islanders are 2nd in the league with 137 goals scored while they've given up 144 goals, which is 2nd overall. They average 31 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 11.00%. As a team they give up 33 shots per game and have a save percentage of 89%. That is 30th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Pittsburgh has a Corsi percentage of 52% as they've tried 2,508 shots on goal while at full strength while they have surrendered 2,317 shots on net when they have a full team on the ice. That ranks them 9th in Corsi percentage. They are 3rd in the NHL in Fenwick percentage with 53.1% as they have 1,927 shots while they've given up 1,704 attempts on defense. The Penguins start possessions in the offensive zone 53.6% of the time while their defensive zone percentage is at 46.4% for the year. That puts them 5th and 27th in the league in zone percentages respectively. They have 1,318 face-off wins as opposed to 1,265 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 51%. That is 11th overall in the NHL. On defense Pittsburgh has 983 hits and they've blocked 613 attempts from opposing offenses, which is 9th in the league.

Advanced Statistics

The Islanders start possessions in the offensive zone 48.8% of the time while their defensive zone percentage is at 51.2% for the year. That ranks them 25th and 10th respectively in the NHL. They have 1,160 face-off wins as opposed to 1,248 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 48.2%. That is 27th in the league. On defense New York has 849 hits and they've blocked 607 attempts from opposing offenses, ranking them 12th in blocked shots. New York is ranked 21st in Corsi percentage with 48.7% as they've tried 2,297 shots on goal while at full strength while they have surrendered 2,424 shots on net when they have a full team on the ice. Their Fenwick percentage is 25th in the NHL at 48.2%, as they have 1,691 shots while they've given up 1,817 attempts on defense.

Who will win tonight's Penguins/Islanders NHL game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take New York -120

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