Tonight is Game 4 in the Eastern Conference Playoffs in the NHL as the Pittsburgh Penguins take on the New York Islanders. The Penguins hold a 2-1 series lead. Tonight's game is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on NBC Sports Network. Currently the odds for the game have the Penguins as a road favorite to take a 3-1 lead.
The Penguins lost home ice advantage when the Islanders picked up a win in Game 2. Yet, they were able to come back and win Game 3 in overtime, re-gaining that home ice advantage. If they are able to win tonight's game it's nearly a virtual lock they will march onto the next round.
Yet, one of the strange things about the Islanders this season is their record in home games. You'd think a team that qualifies for the playoffs would be a pretty good team at home. However, that's not the case with the Islanders, who went just 10-11-3 at the Nassau Coliseum. But tonight marks the biggest game of the year for the Islanders, who will look to even the series.
Marc-Andre Fleury has played well in between the pipes for the Penguins, collecting a goals against average of 2.56 in the three combined games. He's saved better than 92 percent of the shots against him in the series. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have been beating up on the Islanders.
Look for more of the same tonight as the Islanders are in a bad spot. They're got their backs up against the wall and certainly need to get the victory in this one. Frans Nielsen leads the Isles with 12 shots on goal in the three games but hasn't scored a goal yet. Matt Moulson has scored twice for the Islanders and John Tavares has to play better.
We think the Islanders are going to play a tough, hard game in this one. But it's hard to back them with how bad they've been in home games this season. Pittsburgh won 18 of their 24 games on the road during the regular season, in addition to the Game 3 win.
Free Pick: Pittsburgh 3, Islanders 2
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