Only a month into the NHL season, it seems unlikely that the pair of Metropolitan Division rivals, the Islanders and Penguins, will secure anything other than a wild-card spot.
The district seed seems destined to be won by some combination of the Rangers, Hurricanes, Devils and Capitals after their strong start.
The Islanders and Penguins enter Tuesday night's matchup at UBS Arena with roughly the same winning percentage, but they arrived at these records in very different ways.
Islanders vs. Penguins odds
| team | money line | pack line | total |
|---|---|---|---|
| islanders | -132 | -1.5 (+184) | o6.5 (+112) |
| penguin | +110 | +1.5 (-230) | u6.5 (-138) |
Although the Penguins have plenty of offensive power, they have been one of the league's worst defensive teams this season, allowing 3.77 goals per game and allowing 3.68 expected goals per 60 minutes.
The Islanders are on the other end of the spectrum. They are a solid defensive team, but they only score 2.25 goals per game and have already been shut out four times.
As if scoring points wasn't enough of a challenge for coach Patrick Roy's side, they are also battling the loss of top forward Mathew Barzal and defender Adam Pelech.
Most of the Penguins' most concerning defensive performances have come against the league's best offensive lines.
Their last two games were against two of the worst offenses in the league, the Canadiens and Ducks, and they managed just three goals.
In those two games, they had an expected goal share of 63.86% and allowed just 24.34 shots per 60.
Would you bet on the NHL?
Playing against a depleted Islanders team that already struggles to score should help the Penguins hide their shortcomings once again.
At -105 or higher, the Penguins have value in this matchup.
THE PLAY: Penguin Moneyline (+110, FanDuel)
Why trust New York Post Betting?
Nicholas Martin handicaps the NHL, MLB, and NFL for the New York Post. He strives to include relevant game notes in his articles to help bettors reach their own conclusions, but he's also up 180 units himself on the sports betting app's verified picks. Nick can be found at X @nickm_hockey.
