New York Islanders @ Pittsburgh Penguins – Saturday March 30, 2013 1:00PM EST
The online betting experts figured that the Calgary Flames would be trading JaromeIginla at some point before this year’s trade deadline. Iginla has been the face of the franchise for over a decade, but his career is winding down and Calgary has no shot at winning the Stanley Cup. To help Iginla to finally get his ring, the Flames traded him to the Penguins in what can only be defined as a class move by the organization. Iginla will play this season and maybe one more with the Penguins and he will have his shot at that Stanley Cup championship he so desperately craves.
The New York Islanders want to do as much as possible to make Iginla feel uncomfortable in his new home. Even the football betting experts can see how much of a difference goaltender Evgeni Nabokov has made to the New York Islanders. It is enough to make Islanders fans wonder what will happen to former starting goaltender and current team pariah Rick DiPietro. But Nabokov is no spring chicken, so the Islanders will have to figure out a long-term plan in goal that will not involve Nabokov. In the meantime, the goalie makes the Islanders competitive enough for the Penguins to take seriously.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The online sports books have been extremely impressed with the moves that the Penguins have made so far this season. The team needed stability in net, so it brought in veteran goaltender Tomas Vokoun and that has inspired Marc-Andre Fleury to play better. The team needed a more defensive-minded forward and that is what spurred the trade for Iginla. JaromeIgnila will fit in perfectly with a Pittsburgh Penguins team that already knows how to win hockey games. It will be interesting to see how far Pittsburgh goes with its new acquisition.
New York Islanders
The 5dimes sports experts figure that there is just enough young scoring talent on this New York Islanders team to make the team dangerous. The addition of Nabokov helped to fill a void that was painfully obvious for years with New York. The Islanders still need some discipline on defense, which will be a huge challenge in this game against the Penguins. But this is a team that could be building itself into a winner. All it needs is a couple of stay at home defensemen and a goalie that can be with the team for the long term.
The Bottom Line
The New York Islanders are certainly not going to roll over for anyone anymore. But the Pittsburgh Penguins just added a piece to its team that it really needed. This is a Penguins’ team that is now going to have to be considered the odds-on favorite to win it all in the NHL, despite the early success of the Chicago Blackhawks.
Click here for more on the Penguins and its chances at winning the Stanley Cup.
Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins
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