Pittsburgh vs N.Y. Islanders on 02/17 by Craig_Brown
4
FINAL
5
Game Pittsburgh
-102
LOSS
Loss 1
Handicapper Analysis
0
The Penguins are on the last leg of a four-game road trip when they meet the Islanders on Friday night. Before the trip began, Pittsburgh decision Colorado, 2-1, in overtime, and then hit the highway with a 6-3 victory over the lowly Ducks in Anaheim.
The following night, the Pens were gassed from their big effort against the Ducks and got ripped by the Kings, 6-0, before they defeated the Sharks, 3-1, on Tuesday. But now they will take on their division rivals and try to avenge a 5-1 loss at the end of December in the same hostile arena.
This meeting will have a vastly different outcome as the Isles have been tanking lately, having lost three straight against low-level teams like Vancouver (6-5), Montreal (4-3 OT), and Ottawa (3-2 SO). The biggest issue concerning the Islanders this season is their lack of offense (25th in goals scored) and a good, but not great defense, that they have enjoyed in the recent past. Also, the Islanders are 0-5 in their last 5 games playing on two days’ rest.
The following night, the Pens were gassed from their big effort against the Ducks and got ripped by the Kings, 6-0, before they defeated the Sharks, 3-1, on Tuesday. But now they will take on their division rivals and try to avenge a 5-1 loss at the end of December in the same hostile arena.
This meeting will have a vastly different outcome as the Isles have been tanking lately, having lost three straight against low-level teams like Vancouver (6-5), Montreal (4-3 OT), and Ottawa (3-2 SO). The biggest issue concerning the Islanders this season is their lack of offense (25th in goals scored) and a good, but not great defense, that they have enjoyed in the recent past. Also, the Islanders are 0-5 in their last 5 games playing on two days’ rest.
