The Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders play Game 4 of their Stanley Cup Playoffs first-round series Saturday. Puck drop is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Below, we analyze the Penguins-Islanders odds and lines, with NHL picks and predictions.
The Penguins picked up a 5-4 victory in Game 3, thanks to a wild third period. Pittsburgh benefited from a Brandon Tanev winner with just 3:36 to go in regulation after a seesaw third period.
The Islanders have been on the short end of each of the past two games after winning 4-3 in overtime in Game 1. They secured home-ice advantage after that win but gave it back after Game 3.
Penguins at Islanders: Odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:15 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Penguins -110 (bet $110 to win $100) | Islanders -110 (bet $110 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Penguins -1.5 (+225) | Islanders +1.5 (-275)
- Over/Under: 5.5 (O: +115 | U: -135)
Penguins at Islanders: Projected starting goalies
Tristan Jarry (25-9-3, 2.75 GAA, .909 SV%, 2 SO) vs. Semyon Varlamov (19-11-4, 2.04 GAA, .929 SV%, 7 SO)
Jarry stopped 26 of 30 shots in Thursday’s 5-4 win, and he has allowed nine goals on 109 shots for a .917 SV% so far in the series.
Varlamov has coughed up seven goals on 72 shots in a pair of losses since Ilya Sorokin picked up the OT win in Game 1. Barry Trotz will likely have Varlamov on a short leash in this one, with rookie waiting in the wings at the first sign of trouble.
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Penguins at Islanders: Odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Islanders 4, Penguins 3
Money line (ML)
The ISLANDERS (-110) are worth playing lightly, as they look to get back on track after a disappointing Game 3 setback. All three games in this series have been nail-biters, and Game 4 shouldn’t be any different.
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Against the spread (ATS)
The Islanders +1.5 (-275) is super expensive, as New York will cost you nearly three times your potential return.
It seems like a slam-dunk play, as all three games in the series have been decided by one goal. But it’s just too expensive, and not a good betting strategy over the long term.
AVOID, and just play the money line.
Over/Under (O/U)
OVER 5.5 (+115) is the way to go, and a nice value at plus-money. The Over has cashed in six of the past seven meetings in Uniondale. We saw nine total goals in Game 3, and the Over is 2-1 in the series so far.
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