NHL Betting Breakdown: Previews, Odds and Plays for Saturday, February 27

Feb 27, 2021

SI Gambling analyst Roy Larking focuses on key matchups from the NHL East and North divisions on his Saturday hockey betting card.

Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Islanders

Meeting for the fifth time over 22 days, Pittsburgh visits New York for an East Division showdown tonight. Game time for the Penguins vs. Islanders contest is slated for 7:00 p.m. ET at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y. After New York won the first meeting, 4–3 at home on Feb. 6, Pittsburgh has won the last three against the Islanders. The Penguins posted a 4–3 (SO) win on the road and a pair of victories (4–1 and 3–2) at home. Four of the last seven meetings have needed extra time to decide the winner.

Pittsburgh (10-7-1) is fifth overall in the East Division standings, with 21 points, but trail first-place Boston by just three points. The Penguins are playing a third straight road game following two contests in Washington. Pittsburgh defeated the Capitals 3–2 in overtime on Feb. 23 and lost 5–2 during their last game on Thursday. The Penguins have a -4 goals for/goals against ratio. They average 2.94 goals per game on offense and allow 3.33 goals per game on defense. Pittsburgh is 3-6-1 on the road this season.

New York (10-6-3) sits third in the East Division with 23 points. The Islanders are playing a third straight home game. New York defeated Buffalo 3–2 on Feb. 22 and blasted Boston 7–2 during their last game on Thursday. Five different players scored in the third period during the win against the Bruins. New York is allowing 2.32 goals per game on defense and averaging 2.68 goals per game on offense. The Islanders are the only team without a regulation-time loss at home as they are 6-0-1 at Nassau Coliseum.

Led by Mathew Barzal, who has 17 points, the Islanders have five players with 12 or more points. Jake Guentzel and Sidney Crosby lead the Penguins with 16 points, and Pittsburgh has six players who have at least 11 points. These teams have played many close contests recently as six of the last seven were decided by just one goal. The last two games have resulted in five total goals being scored, but seven or more goals were scored in the previous five meetings. Bet the moneyline and back the Islanders.

Best Bet: New York Islanders (-112) moneyline at DraftKings

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook – Game Time 7:00 p.m. ET

Bet on NHL Games All Season at DraftKings

Toronto Maple Leafs at Edmonton Oilers

High-scoring squads meet when Toronto visits Edmonton for a battle of the top two NHL North Division teams. The puck drop for the Maple Leafs vs. Oilers contest is at 7:00 p.m. ET at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta. This is the fifth of nine meetings this season. These teams split the first four games as Toronto lost 3–1 and won 4–2 at home before the Oilers losing 4–3 and winning 4–3 in overtime in Edmonton. The Maple Leafs have the upper hand in this series as they have won nine of the last 12 games.

Toronto (15-4-2) ranks first in the North Division, plus first overall in the NHL, with 32 points. The Maple Leafs are 8-2-1 over their last 11 games, and six of those wins were by at least two goals. Toronto travels to Edmonton following two contests at home against Calgary. The Flames won 3–0 on Feb. 22, and the Maple Leafs won 2–1 in overtime on Feb. 24. Toronto is averaging 3.52 goals per game on offense and allowing 2.62 goals per game on defense. The Maple Leafs are 6-1-1 on the road this season.

Edmonton (14-8-0) trails Toronto by four points and sits third overall in the NHL with 28 points. The Oilers are riding a five-game winning streak and return home following 4–3 and 3–0 wins in Vancouver. Prior to that, the Oilers swept a home-and-home series against the Flames as they posted a 2–1 win in Calgary and torched the Flames 7–1 at home. Edmonton leads the NHL with 3.59 goals per game on offense, and they are allowing 2.95 goals per game on defense. The Oilers are 6-5-0 during home games.

This contest features four of the top five scorers in the NHL. Oilers superstar Connor McDavid leads the league with 40 points, and teammate Leon Draisaitl is second with 34 points. Auston Matthews leads the Maple Leafs on offense, who is third in the NHL with 31 points, and Mitchell Marner, who ranks fifth with 30 points. Including two seven-goal games against Toronto, at least seven goals have been scored in seven of the Oilers’ 11 home games. Expecting that trend to continue, bet OVER on the goal total.

Best Bet: Toronto at Edmonton OVER 6.5 goals at DraftKings