Free NHL Picks Today: Pittsburgh Penguins vs New York Islanders 3/9/23

The Pittsburgh Penguins (32-22-9) and their high-volume offense play host to the New York Islanders (33-25-8) and their suffocating goaltending at PPG Paints Arena on Thursday. New York is coming off a 3-2 win over the Sabres on Tuesday.

The Islanders committed only two penalties in the game, holding Buffalo without a power play goal. Josh Bailey, Casey Cizikas, and Hudson Fasching scored one apiece for the Islanders. Ilya Sorokin saved 22 of 24 shots in the win.

Pittsburgh beat the Blue Jackets 5-4 (OT) on Tuesday. Jason Zucker was the leading goal scorer for the Penguins, netting twice. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin both had two assists to lead the team in scoring. Casey DeSmith had a dominant performance with 15 saves to earn his zeroth shutout of the season.

HEAD TO HEAD

The Islanders have won all three games between the teams this season, including a 4-2 victory in their most recent meeting in February, their third straight win against Pittsburgh.

Brock Nelson (2G 0A), Bo Horvat (1G 1A), and Zach Parise (0G 2A) each had two points to lead New York. Zucker and Jake Guentzel were on the scoresheet for Pittsburgh. Sorokin got the win, saving 44 of 46 shots (.956%).

FACING OFF

New York is averaging 2.89 goals per game for the season, 24th in the NHL, and they are taking on a Penguins team that is allowing 3.21 goals a game (18th).

Meanwhile, Pittsburgh has found the net 3.25 times a game on average, 14th in the league, and the Islanders are holding opponents to 2.64 goals per game (5th).

Pittsburgh averages more shots/game (33.9) than most teams in the league, ranking fifth, though the team’s 9.7% shooting percentage is 22nd. New York has proven to be one of the league’s better shot-stopping teams, ranking No. 2 with a team save percentage of .922%.

The Islanders’ 16.48% power play percentage is the fourth-lowest in the league, while the Penguins rank 16th with a conversion rate of 21.10%. When it comes to penalty killing, New York has the league’s eighth-ranked PK% at 82.54%, while Pittsburgh is 16th at 79.31%.

TOP PERFORMERS:

With 61 points this season, Nelson is the top skater for the Islanders. He has 27 goals and 34 assists in 66 games. In the net, Sorokin (21-18-6) is New York’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 2.34 GAA and a .925% save percentage, third-best in the league.

Crosby leads the Penguins in scoring with 76 points. He has 28 goals and 48 assists. Tristan Jarry (19-7-5) has the best goals against average for Pittsburgh at 2.77. He has a save percentage of .916%.