New York Islanders vs Pittsburgh Penguins Prediction, 2/18/2021 NHL Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: New York Islanders vs Pittsburgh Penguins

Date: Thursday, February 18, 2021

Location: PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: NHL Network

Odds/Point Spread: Islanders (+110) Penguins (-133)

Casey DeSmith and the Pittsburgh Penguins (7-6-1) play the New York Islanders (8-4-3) at PPG Paints Arena on Thursday. The Penguins open this game at -133 while the Islanders are coming in at +110. The total is set at 6.5.

The Islanders had a good night with a 3-0 victory against the Sabres in their previous contest. The offensive zone starts for them sat at 42.1% and their PDO rating was 115.0 in this game. They amassed 20 face-off wins when at even strength and lost on 16 opportunities to take control of the puck. Their Fenwick came in at 29 and the Fenwick Against sat at 31, meaning they had a Fenwick rate of 48.3%. The Corsi for the Islanders sat at 40 and the Corsi against at the end of this game was 49 which had their Corsi percentage coming in at 44.9%. New York amassed 4 penalty mins for this contest. They also had 2 opportunities with more players on the ice but didn't convert them into a score. The Islanders had an average offensive output in this win. In the game, they converted 3 out of the 24 shots they put on goal.

New York Islanders opponents have totaled 37 power play tries (28th in the league) and have tallied 7 goals in those chances. The Islanders have had 411 shots attempted against them and have a save percentage of .920. New York has taken 444 shots and holds a shooting percentage of 8.6%. When playing at even strength, the Islanders have conceded 26 goals while having 28 on the offensive side of the ice. New York has tallied 46 power play opportunities and they have notched 10 goals out of those chances, garnering them a percentage of 21.74%. For the season, they have tallied 19 points and their points percentage sits at .633. In reference to their scoring capabilities, the New York Islanders have notched 38 goals (23rd in pro hockey) so far this year and have allowed 33.

The player between the pipes for this game is Semyon Varlamov. The opposition has notched 1,276 goals against Varlamov in his career and his goals against rate is 2.65. Varlamov has been in goal for 504 games throughout his pro hockey career. He has a save percentage of .916 in his 28,853 mins on the ice. He has amassed a mark of 239-185-58 and he has started in 481 games. During his career on the ice, Varlamov has accounted for 268 quality starts and his quality starts percentage is at .557. Varlamov has seen 15,144 shot attempts taken against him and has gathered 13,868 saves.

Their last time out, Pittsburgh opposed the Capitals in a game where the Penguins were on the wrong end of the score by a tally of 3-1. Pittsburgh earned a 50.0% Corsi rating. This Corsi rating tells us the kind of game Pittsburgh played and we'd say it was a below average outing in all. Their Fenwick rate was 46.4% by earning a Fenwick of 26 and the Capitals finishing with a 30 Fenwick. They had a PDO of 93 and their oZS percentage was 38.5%. The Penguins scored 1 goal out of the 27 shots on goal they were seeking. They had 3 power play chances in this matchup but weren't able to notch a goal.

On the season, the Pittsburgh Penguins are sitting with 41 goals, 15 points, and a points percentage of .536. They have granted a total of 50 goals to be scored by way of 38 goals at even strength and 12 goals while they were shorthanded. The Penguins have accumulated 35 goals at even strength and 6 goals (26th in the league) while on the power play. They have recorded 42 power play opportunities and they have a power play rate of 14.29%. Pittsburgh has tried 413 shots (22nd in pro hockey) and has accumulated a shooting percentage of 9.93%, while allowing their opponents 398 shots. They have recorded a penalty kill percentage of 73.91% on the other teams 46 power play chances, and their save percentage is 87.4%.

For the opposition you will find Casey DeSmith protecting the goal. He has gathered 1,430 stops out of the 1,564 shots attempted against him, which gives him a percentage of .914. DeSmith holds a career mark of 25-16-6 and has participated in 56 games. He has been a starter 46 games and has accumulated 3,003 mins. DeSmith's quality start percentage comes out to 56.5% and he has 26 quality starting assignments in his career. The opposition is averaging 2.68 goals per contest and he has conceded 134 goals overall.

Who will win tonight's hockey game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take New York (+110)

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