The New York Islanders need just one more win to advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, and they will have their first chance to get that series-clinching win on home ice. New York will host the Pittsburgh Penguins for Game 6, after coming out of Pittsburgh with a Game 5 overtime win.
Can Pittsburgh hold off elimination and get back to its home rink for a Game 7? Find out in our free NHL betting picks and predictions for Penguins vs. Islanders on May 26 at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Penguins vs Islanders game info
• Location: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
• Date: Wednesday, May 26, 2021
• Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
• TV: ATTSN-PT, MSG+
Penguins vs Islanders odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
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NHL Sharp Money and Line Movement Report
By Patrick EversonThis game opened at a flat -110 aside but money on the Penguins has pushed them as big as -117 favorites, with the Islanders coming back at -103. According to FanDuel sportsbooks, 51 percent of moneyline wagers are on Pittsburgh while 77 percent of puckline bets are laying the -1.5 goals with the Pens. The total opened 5.5 (Under -135) and has seen the vig adjusted slightly to -131. The Under 5.5 is drawing 61 percent of totals bets for this game.
Check out the full line movement for this gamePenguins vs Islanders series odds
Penguins: +250
Islanders: -357
Penguins vs Islanders betting preview
Injuries
Penguins: Casey DeSmith G (Out).
Islanders: Oliver Wahlstrom RW (Questionable), Anders Lee F (Out), Johnny Boychuk D (Out).
Find our latest NHL injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Under is 8-2-2 in the Islanders' last 12 games following a win. Find more NHL betting trends for Penguins vs. Islanders.
Moneyline pick
Despite absolutely dominating play in Game 5, the Penguins suffered a devastating overtime loss. The loss fittingly came with a crucial error from Pittsburgh goalie Tristan Jarry, who struggled all night long and stopped 25 of 28 shots.
On the other end of the rink was rookie Ilya Sorokin, who was an absolute stud, delivering one of the performances of the postseason. Sorokin turned away 48 of the Penguins' 50 shots to help his team get within a game of the second round.
Sorokin, now 3-0 in the series, has never once wavered against the veteran-heavy Penguins, while Semyon Varlamov has often struggled, with an 0-2 record, a 3.61 goals against average and a save percentage just a hair above .900.
Sorokin's heroic performance was made even more frustrating for Pittsburgh, as it will find a game so heavy on chances hard to come by. New York limited opponents to the fewest high-danger and fourth-fewest medium danger chances per game during the regular season, with an average of 1.7 and 6.6 per game.
The Islanders have tightened their defense even further in the playoffs, as they have allowed just 1.4 high-danger chances per game. Not only has Pittsburgh suffered the playoff misfortune of running into a hot goalie but it's compounded by the rest of the Isles' suffocating defensive play.
The Penguins had a golden opportunity to take a 3-2 lead in Game 5, with one of their best performances of the series met by New York's worst. Instead, the Islanders took the advantage back to Long Island, where they were 21-4-3 in the regular season.
With New York unlikely to repeat its timid performance beyond its goalie's stellar play, and Pittsburgh goalie Tristan Jarry considerably worse away from home, the Islanders will send the Penguins packing.
PREDICTION: Islanders (-110)
Over/Under pick
After back-to-back five-goal games, the series is now 2-3 O/U, with the defensive intensity ramping up more and more every game.
The Penguins have gotten a quiet series out of their top line, as Sidney Crosby, Bryan Rust and Jake Guentzel have a combined six points and are a -1. While Pittsburgh's offense found joy against Varlamov, it hasn't been the case vs. Sorokin, who now boasts a fantastic 1.66 goals against average and a save percentge of .951 in three games.
Any kind of freedom on offense has been hard to come by for the Pens, with their high-danger scoring chances down from 2.7 per game in the regular season to 1.7 in this series, while medium-danger chances have shrunk from 7.2 to 6.6. In the rare instances of Pittsburgh creating chances in this series, it has only really been rewarded against Varlamov.
If the Islanders are going to wrap up the series on home ice and avoid a Game 7, they will do it their way. Despite Jarry's particularly poor form on the road, New York's series clincher will come in a low-scoring affair.
PREDICTION: Under 5.5 (-135)
Penguins vs Islanders betting card
- Islanders (-110)
- Under 5.5 (-135)
Picks made on 5/25/2021 at 7:30 p.m. ET
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