Media by Associated Press – Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin celebrates a goal against the New Jersey Devils during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Pittsburgh, Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
For those lucky people who have federal holidays off, there is plenty of NHL action on the schedule today. President’s Day is one people usually have to work, but there are opportunities to put money down and have action to follow while at work or when you get home.
New York Islanders at Pittsburgh Penguins (-146)
The Penguins are in a spot where they need to start collecting wins. Pittsburgh has lost three of its past four games, including an embarrassing 5-2 home loss to New Jersey Saturday at home. The Penguins enter this game as a favorite, where the Penguins have been good recently.
Pittsburgh has won its last three games as a favorite. The Penguins are 14th in the league in scoring, putting up 3.22 goals per game. When it comes to defense, Pittsburgh has struggled as of late, giving up five goals apiece in the past two games. The Penguins have a good team save percentage on the season, ranking 10th at .912, but have had some tough times since Tristan Jarre went out with an injury.
The Islanders haven’t been playing great hockey, either. New York has lost four of the past five games, but the Islanders’ lone victory during that stretch came in a 5-4 win over the Penguins. The total has gone over in four of New York’s last five games.
Pittsburgh will bounce back and grab a win.
Winnipeg Jets at New York Rangers Under 6.0
The Jets have either struggled to score or clamped down on their opponents scoring over the past ten games. Winnipeg has seen the under go 8-1-1 in its past ten games. The Jets, who will be playing a back-to-back, are in the third game of a road trip and will be going up against a tough New York Rangers team.
Winnipeg goalie Connor Hellebuyck has had a strong season, ranking fourth in league with a .924 save percentage and seventh in goals-against average at 2.43. New York goalie Igor Shesterkin has also been solid this season. Shesterkin has a 2.55 goals-against average, and a .914 save percentage.
This game should go under.
Philadelphia Flyers at Calgary Flames (-245)
Calgary has lost four of its past six games. The Flames are now two points out of a Western Conference playoff spot and will be desperate to turn the momentum around. When it comes to where Calgary has struggled, the Flames are in the middle of the pack.
Calgary averages 3.13 goals per game and is in the bottom third of the league for power-play percentage at 19.4 percent. The Flames will be matched up with a team that is also ineffective on the power play. Philadelphia has lost four straight games and has the second-worst power play in the league, only converting 16.3 percent of its opportunities.
The Flyers have also been in a tailspin, losing their last four games. This is the third game of a four-game West Coast swing for Philadelphia, and it won’t muster up a victory against Calgary.
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