The Pittsburgh Penguins evened their best-of-seven series with the New York Islanders on Tuesday and will look to notch another victory as they head to Nassau Coliseum for Game 3 tonight.
After the first two games in this series were decided by a single goal, oddsmakers are expecting another close battle, with NHL betting lines installing the Islanders as slim -119 favorites.
Here are our best free Penguins vs. Islanders picks and predictions for Stanley Cup playoffs action on Thursday, May 20, with the puck dropping at 7 p.m. ET.
Penguins vs Islanders game info
• Location: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, New York, NY
• Date: Thursday, May 20, 2021
• Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
• TV: SN360, NBCSN, MSG, ATTSN-PT
Penguins vs Islanders odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
Compare NHL odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
NHL Sharp Money and Line Movement Report
By Patrick EversonThis moneyline did a little back-and-forth at TwinSpires Sportsbook, where the Islanders opened slim -112 favorites, moved out to -122, then back to -112 as of 3:45 p.m. ET. The Penguins are landing 67 percent of moneyline tickets and 62 percent of moneyline dollars. The total rose from 5 to 5.5, with ticket count 4/1 and money 3/1 on the Over.
Check out the full line movement for this gamePenguins vs Islanders series odds
Penguins: -125
Islanders: +105
Penguins at Islanders betting preview
Injuries
Penguins: Evgeni Malkin C (Questionable).
Islanders: Anders Lee LW (Out), Johnny Boychuk D (Out).
Find our latest NHL injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Over is 9-2 in the Penguins' last 11 road games. Find more NHL betting trends for Penguins vs. Islanders.
Moneyline pick
Semyon Varlamov returned to nets for New York in Tuesday's 2-1 loss. Although he let in a soft goal to Bryan Rust within the first few minutes of the game, he locked down the rest of the way and finished with 43 saves on 45 shots.
That early goal might have been due to rust (pun not intended) as Varlamov hadn't played in eight days due to an injury. He has been one of the best goalies in the league this year, boasting a 2.04 GAA with a save percentage of .929 in 36 games.
While Pittsburgh goalie Tristan Jarry has been solid this season (2.75 GAA, .909 save percentage) he hasn't been on Varlamov's level and has surrendered four goals in three of his last seven starts.
The Penguins may have finished the regular season with the best record in the East Division but it won't be easy to get past the Isles on their home ice. The Isles have played exceptionally well at Nassau Coliseum this season, going 21-4-3 with a goal differential of plus-40.
While the Pens haven't been terrible on the road, they have been significantly worse than at home, going 15-12-1 with a goal differential of minus-1.
This should be a tough see-saw series between these teams which has me leaning towards the Isles to get the W in their return to New York.
PREDICTION: ML NY Islanders -119
Over/Under pick
Although a total of just three goals were slotted in Game 2, both sides got plenty of scoring opportunities, with Pittsburgh taking 45 shots and New York generating 38.
Don't forget that the Isles won the first game by a score of 4-3 and they've been even better offensively at Nassau Coliseum. The Islanders rank sixth in the league with 3.43 goals per game at home while converting on 25.8 percent of their power play opportunities.
Meanwhile, Jarry has struggled on the road, posting a 3.25 GAA with a save percentage of .885. If Jarry has another poor showing tonight, he will need to be bailed out by Sidney Crosby and a potent Pens offense that averaged 3.45 gpg during the regular season.
The Pens have cashed the Over in nine of their last 11 away games, while the Over has gone 5-1 in the last six meetings between these teams in New York. Back the Over again tonight.
PREDICTION: Over 5 (-133)
Penguins vs Islanders betting card
- ML NY Islanders (-119)
- Over 5 (-133)
Picks made on 5/20/2021 at 9:30 a.m. ET
Did you know that if you parlayed today’s NHL Penguins vs. Islanders picks, you could win $22.24 on a $10 bet?
Use our NHL parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
Where can I bet on the NHL?
You can bet on NHL odds at every online and casino sportsbook, including NHL moneylines, puck lines, Over/Under totals, and a ton of NHL prop odds. Head over to our best sportsbooks for NHL betting in your area.
