Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Islanders NHL Picks & Predictions 3/20/2018

Tuesday, March 20, 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 Tuesday, March 20, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Penguins at -150 and the Islanders at +136.

Pittsburgh has a record of 41-26-5 this season and on the road they have a record of 15-18-4-2. They are 2nd in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 237 goals and given up 218 goals for a point differential of +19. For the season they have an ATS record of 41-31-0 and an over/under record of 40-30-0. New York is 30-32-10 including 16-14-4-1 at home this season. They are 8th in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 231 goals and surrendered 262 for a goal differential of -31. Their record against the spread is 30-42-0 while their over/under record is 44-25-0.

Valuable Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 41-31-0 straight up this year

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 40-30-0 against the over/under this season

Important New York Islanders Betting Trends

The New York Islanders are 30-42-0 straight up this year

The New York Islanders are 44-25-0 against the over/under this season

Key Pittsburgh Penguins Injuries

03/19/18 GO Matt Murray Concussion is upgraded to available Tuesday vs NY Islanders
03/19/18 RW Phil Kessel Undisclosed is upgraded to probable Tuesday vs NY Islanders
03/17/18 RW Carter Rowney Upper Body is out indefinitely
03/10/18 C Dominik Simon Lower Body is out indefinitely
03/02/18 RW Zach Aston-Reese Upper Body is out indefinitely

Key New York Islanders Injuries

12/18/17 D Calvin de Haan Shoulder IR (12/16)
11/08/17 LW Nikolay Kulemin Shoulder IR (11/06)
03/18/18 LW Ross Johnston Undisclosed is "?" Tuesday vs Pittsburgh
03/18/18 D Brandon Davidson Undisclosed is "?" Tuesday vs Pittsburgh
03/18/18 RW Jordan Eberle Facial injured last game, is "?" Tuesday vs Pittsburgh
02/24/18 C Alan Quine Lower Body IR (02/22)
02/19/18 GO Thomas Greiss Lower Body IR (02/16)
02/08/18 D Scott Mayfield Lower Body IR (02/06)
01/20/18 LW Shane Prince Upper Body IR (01/18)

Player Spotlight

Sidney Crosby has accumulated 77 total points this season for the Penguins. He has 23 goals this year with 209 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 11%. He has a total of 54 assists on the season and averages 20.8 minutes played per game. Phil Kessel averages 18.8 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 12% by scoring 29 goals on 234 shots. He has 50 assists, giving him a total of 79 points on the season. Matt Murray has 23 wins and 13 losses this season in net for the Penguins. He has 1,159 shots against him and he's given up 106 goals. He's made 1,053 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Player Spotlight

Anders Lee has scored 55 total points this year for the Islanders. He has 35 goals this season with 184 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 19%. He has a total of 20 assists on the season and averages 17.3 minutes played per game. Josh Bailey averages 18.1 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 13% by scoring 18 goals on 135 shots. He has 49 assists, giving him a total of 67 points on the season. Jaroslav Halak has 18 wins and 24 losses this year in goal for the Islanders. He has 1,637 shots against him and he's surrendered 154 goals. He's made 1,483 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Penguins have 87 total points this season, which ranks them 10th in the NHL. They are 5th in the league in goals scored with 237 while they've given up 218 goals, ranking them 12th overall. They have had 229 power play opportunities and have scored 59 goals on those chances for a percentage of 26%. That is 1st in the NHL. The Penguins have allowed 234 power play opportunities and have given up 46 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 80%, putting them 16th in the league when short-handed. They average 34 shots per game and as a team shoot 9.57% for the season. They allow 31 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 90%. That puts them 24th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Islanders are 23rd in the NHL with a total of 70 points this year. They have 48 power play goals on 220 opportunities for a percentage of 22%. That ranks them 9th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 207 power play opportunities and have given up 52 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 75%. That is 31st in the NHL. As a team, the Islanders are 9th in the league with 231 goals scored while they've given up 262 goals, which is 1st overall. They average 31 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 10.34%. As a team they give up 36 shots per game and have a save percentage of 90%. That is 30th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Pittsburgh is 5th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 51.7%, as they've attempted 4,362 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 4,082 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 52.4% as they have 3,329 attempts while they have given up 3,024 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 7th in the league. The Penguins start possessions in the offensive zone 52.4% of the time, which is 11th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 47.6% for the season. That is 22nd overall in the NHL. They have 2,238 face-off wins compared to 2,235 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 50%. That ranks them 17th in the league. On defense Pittsburgh has 1,727 hits and they have blocked 1,058 shots from the opposition, putting them 15th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Islanders are 31st in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 46.9% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 53.1% for the season, which is 2nd in the NHL. They have 2,105 face-off wins compared to 2,238 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 48.5%. That is 23rd in the league. On defense New York has 1,625 hits and they have blocked 1,101 shots from the opposition, which is 12th in the league. New York is 29th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 47.3% as they've attempted 4,109 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 4,578 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 46.5% ranks 29th as they have 3,023 attempts while they have given up 3,477 shots on the defensive end.

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

Josh's Pick: Take New York +136

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Josh Schonwald