Islanders Look To Force Game Seven With Penguins

Pittsburgh Penguins @ New York Islanders -Saturday May 11, 2013 (Pittsburgh leads 3-2)

The betting sites never expected the series between the top ranked Pittsburgh Penguins and the eighth seeded New York Islanders to go seven games. But if the Islanders can pull off the win on Saturday night, then a game seven will be played the next night in Pittsburgh. The last thing the Penguins want is to have this series go the full seven games, especially when Pittsburgh’s competition for the next round has had several days off to rest. Of course, that all depends on whether or not Pittsburgh makes it to the next round.

The online betting experts had wondered if the Penguins would try to use Tomas Vokoun to address the playoff goaltending issues right away, or if they would give Marc-Andre Fleury one more chance to keep his job. Fleury got his chance and, once again, he blew it. The problem is that now the Penguins have almost put their backs up against the wall by giving the Islanders momentum. Vokoun finally takes his place in net on Saturday, but the Penguins may have waited too long to make a change that the team knew it had to make.

Why the Islanders Will Win

These kinds of games are as much about emotion as they are talent. The sportsbook experts know that the New York Islanders are no longer intimidated by the Penguins, and that is a very bad thing for Pittsburgh. The Islanders actually come home for game six loaded with confidence and looking forward to the challenge. This is a New York team that has absolutely nothing to lose and that is the kind of attitude that wins hockey games. The Islanders also happen to have the talent to back up their enthusiasm, which is even worse for the Pens.

Why the Penguins Will Win

The thing that has to be frustrating for Penguins’ fans is that Tomas Vokoun was brought in because of the failings of Marc-Andre Fleury in the last two playoff runs. But when these playoffs started, the Penguins put Fleury in net. Now that Pittsburgh has surrendered all of its momentum thanks to the persistent playoff failings of Fleury, Tomas Vokoun is finally asked to come in and save the day. During the season, Vokoun showed that he is more than up to the challenge of winning big games. The Penguins hope this veteran goalie can give the team the boost it needs to end this series.

The Bottom Line

It is still a huge mystery as to why the Penguins would bring in Tomas Vokoun for playoff goaltending but start Marc-Andre Fleury. For at least this one game, the Penguins will have to suffer the consequences of their decision. How it plays out in game seven in Pittsburgh could be a completely different story.

Pick: New York Islanders