It is a Metropolitan Division battle as the Pittsburgh Penguins face the New York Islanders. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Penguins-Islanders prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

The Penguins enter the game sitting at 15-13-4 on the year, which places them seventh in the division. Last time out they faced the Ottawa Senators. The Senators scored first, but just a few minutes later the Penguins tied it up on a Lars Eller power play. Still, the Senators scored again to make it 2-1. In the second, the Senators would score twice in the period again, but like the first, the middle goal of the frame was from the Penguins, leading to the Penguins being down 4-2 going into the third. In the third, Drew O'Connor scored 1:51 into the period to make it a one-goal game. Then Kris Letang tied it up with under two and a half minutes left to force overtime. In overtime, Tim Stutzle would put the first puck in the back of the net, giving the Senators the 5-4 overtime win.

Meanwhile, the Islanders come into the game sitting at 16-8-9 on the year, which is good for second in the division. Last time out, the Islanders faced the Carolina Hurricanes. The Islanders scored first, on a Sebastian Aho (NYI) goal. The Hurricanes tied it back up, but the Islanders would score two more times in the period to lead 3-1. In the second, Carolina's Sebastian Aho scored to make it 3-2, but the Islanders struck back to have a two-goal lead going into the third. The Hurricanes would get two in the third, but Anders Lee would also score as the Islanders won 5-4.

Here are the NHL Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NHL Odds: Penguins-Islanders Odds

Pittsburgh Penguins: -104

New York Islanders: -115

Over: 6.5 (+104)

Under: 6.5 (-128)

How to Watch Penguins vs. Islanders

Time: 7:30 PM ET/ 4:30 PM PT

TV: NHLPP/ESPN+

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Penguins Will Win

The Penguins continue to struggle to score consistently. They now sit 27th in the NHL in goals per game this year, with just 2.84 goals per game on the season. Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel share the team lead in points this year. Crosby leads the team in goals on the season with 19 of them and has added 16 assists, good for 35 points. He has four goals and four assists on the power play as well. Meanwhile, Guentzel is second on the team in goals with 14, while leading the team in assists with 21. He has three goals and four assists on the power play.

Third on the team in points, this year is Evgeni Malkin. He enters the game with 11 goals on the year and 16 assists. That gives him 27 points this year. He has also been the most productive on the power play this year, with two goals and six assists. Rounding out the top-scoring players for the Penguins is blue liner, Erik Karlsson. He is tied for second on the team in assists this year, coming in with 16 assists and six goals to his credit.

The Penguin's power play has struggled heavily this year, as they sit 27th in the NHL in power play conversion this year. The Penguins have just 41 power-play goals, good for a 13.7 percent success rate. They have been better on the penalty kill though, sitting tenth in the NHL with an 82.7 percent success rate.

It is expected to be Tristan Jarry in goal today for the Penguins. He is 9-11-2 on the year with a 2.61 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. While he has just nine wins, he is top 15 in the NHL in save percentage and goals against average. Further, he is tied for first in the NHL with three shutouts. The last time out was awful for him though. He played just 21:56, allowing four goals on 14 shots in the game with the Maple Leafs.

Why The Islanders Will Win

The Islanders are an average-scoring team this year, sitting 15th in the NHL with 3.12 goals per game this year. The team leader in points this year is Mathew Barzal. He enters the game with ten goals and 25 assists on the year, for his 35 points. He has three goals and ten assists on the power play as well. The top goal producer for the Islanders this year is Brock Nelson. Nelson enters the game with a team-leading 16 goals on the year, while also giving 14 assists, good for 30 points. He also has four goals and six assists on the power play this year.

Meanwhile, Noah Dobson is the team leader in assists, while sitting second on the team in points. He has just five goals but leads the team with 29 assists, good for his 34 points. He is also the team leader in plus/minus at plus 18 on the year while having a goal and 12 assists on the power play. Bo Horvat also sits with over 30 points this year. He has 14 goals and 19 assists on the year, good for 33 points. Horvat has five goals and five assists while on the power play this season.

The power play has been great for the Islanders this year, as they sit sixth in the NHL this year with a 24.7 percent conversion rate on the power play. Further, they have scored 23 times when having the man advantage. On the penalty kill, the Islanders have not been as good. They are last in the NHL with a 71.0 percent success rate, but they are second in the NHL with eight shorthanded goals this year.

Ilya Sorokin is expected to be in goal for the Islanders in this one. He is 10-4-7 on the year with a 3.09 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage. He has not lost in regulation yet this month, going 5-0-2 with a 3.07 goals against average and a .916 save percentage. Last time out, he allowed four goals on 40 shots, good for a .900 save percentage and the win.

Final Penguins-Islanders Prediction & Pick

The Penguins rank near the bottom of the league in many offensive categories, including goals per game, expected goals, and chances created. They have also struggled on the power play and to get shots on the net. The Islanders have scored well, and while thye do have some defensive issues at times, especially when on the penalty kill, they make up for it with their offense. The offense for the Islanders has also done better at home this year, while the Penguins are worse on the road. Take the Islanders to win in this one.

Final Penguins-Islanders Prediction & Pick: Islanders ML (-115)