N.Y. Islanders @ PITTSBURGH
PITTSBURGH -1½ +136 over N.Y. Islanders

BEST LINES:  Pinnacle -1½ +136 BET 365 -1½ +135 SportsInteraction -1½ +135 5DIMES -1½ +135

Posted at 1:00 PM EST.

7:05 PM EST. The Islanders 5-4-1 record is a misleading one. While they are a pesky group, they rank bottom three in several key analytic categories that highlight which team has the puck and which team is chasing it. The Isles are usually playing without it and if not for the unforeseen, brilliant goaltending by Robin Lehner, the Isles would likely have two wins this season and not five. Regression is forthcoming for both Lehner and the Islanders but this bet is not about that at all. This one is about getting behind the Penguins in an important game.

It’s not important to the team per se in its quest to win a hockey game, it’s important to the team to help the community heal after a deranged madman murdered 11 people and wounded six others at the Tree Of Life Synagoguee in Squirrel Hill.

Saturday night, the Penguins played in Vancouver. They couldn't have been farther away but Mike Sullivan, Kris Letang and Sidney Crosby went right at it with the captain powerfully stating, "Knowing Pittsburgh, I know we'll stick together. We're a proud people. We're proud of our city. It's a place that I feel pretty fortunate to live." Tonight, the Penguins are where they should be --- at home.

All of Pittsburgh’s professional sports franchises have one name, one look and, thus, a singular identity within this passionate subculture of American society. Pittsburgh = Black and Gold and when the Penguins come out onto the rink tonight, this is much more than “just another hockey game”. This team has played dozens and dozens of big games and playoff games but none of them will have had the same meaning as this one to the community they play in. The Penguins, Steelers, Pirates and fans are a family and tonight it’s the Penguins turn to step up and help with the healing. That’s precisely what they’re going to do.

Here’s to PEACE & STRENGTH.

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Our Pick

PITTSBURGH -1½ +136 (Risking 2 units - To Win: 2.72)

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