New York Islanders vs Pittsburgh Penguins Prediction: Enjoy the game's process

Prediction for the NHL New York Islanders vs Pittsburgh Penguins match which will take place on April 18th. Who will turn out to be stronger? Check the team conditions! Several betting options are available.

The Islanders are still hunting for one of the last playoff places! The current regular season has been extremely difficult for the Islanders, who were outside the top eight for much of the season and were forced to sack Lane Lambert. He was replaced by Patrick Roy, who won the first game against Dallas 3:2, but results have since fallen off. New York would be left out of the top-eight chase. Still, they ended the regular season on a high, winning seven of their last eight meetings and losing only to the Rangers in a shootout, 3:2. The surge saw them finish seventh in the Eastern Conference and book a date with Carolina in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Pittsburgh missed the playoffs for the second year in a row. Last season, the Penguins made an embarrassing run to the Cup playoffs, losing in their final game to Chicago, who had lost all motivation for the tournament. This time, Mike Sullivan's wards were out of the playoff picture for most of the regular season, but as their chances of success neared zero, they suddenly began to rise. At the turn of March and April, the Pennsylvania outfit went on a 10-game winning streak, with seven wins and three losses outside of regulation time. This allowed them to move into the coveted eighth spot in the Eastern Conference, but a 6:4 loss to Boston proved fatal.

The Islanders and Pittsburgh end the regular season with a meeting. The Islanders have already clinched a playoff spot and know they will face Carolina in the first round of the Stanley Cup. Still, the Penguins have secured tenth place in the Eastern Conference and will be looking to skate by the Cup battles for the second year in a row. They will be favorites in this matchup as they look to please the home crowd in the final game of the regular season. They must go into the playoffs on a high, winning five of the last seven meetings. 

As we noted earlier, the Islanders and Pittsburgh have no tournament implications, so they have every right to play open, entertaining, and effective hockey, improve their personal statistics, and enjoy the game's process. In addition, the Islanders and Penguins have been high-scoring teams in recent years, having combined for 66 pucks in nine previous meetings (averaging 7.33 per game)—a solid number by NHL standards.