Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, and the Tampa Bay Lightning will do battle against Bryan Rust, Evgeni Malkin, and the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena in an Eastern Conference showdown. The action will get started at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, February 11, and you’ll be able to watch the game live on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh.
Tampa Bay Lightning at Pittsburgh Penguins Odds
Tampa Bay is 36-20 straight up (SU) and has earned 2.7 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 56 regular season contests, 28 of its games have gone over the total, while 24 have gone under and just three have pushed. The Bolts are 18-11 SU on the road in 2019-20.
Tampa Bay has converted on 23.8 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that places them in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked second overall, and the team’s successfully killed off a whopping 84.3 percent of its penalties..
Averaging 27.9 saves per game with a .918 save percentage, Andrei Vasilevskiy (29-12-3) has been the top option in goal for Tampa Bay this year. If head coach Jon Cooper decides to rest him, however, the team could go with Curtis McElhinney (7-8-2 record, .913 save percentage, 2.75 goals against average).
Over on the other bench, Pittsburgh is 34-20 straight up (SU) and has earned 9.6 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 54 regular season matches, 27 of its games have gone under the total, while 26 have gone over and just one has pushed. This season, the team is 19-8 SU as the home team.
The Penguins have converted on just 19.7 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked sixth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 83.0 percent of all penalties.
Tristan Jarry has stopped 27.4 shots per game as the primary choice in goal for the Penguins. Jarry has 18 wins, nine losses, and one OT loss to his credit and has maintained a .929 save percentage and a solid 2.18 goals against average this year.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Free Picks
Free Prediction: SU Winner – Penguins, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
The Penguins are 3-0 in games decided by shootout. The Lightning are 2-0 in shootouts.
The total has gone under in three of Pittsburgh’s last five outings.
Six of Tampa Bay’s last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 6-0 in those games.
This game features two of the more aggressive defenses in the league. Tampa Bay skaters have accounted for the 10th-most hits in the league (23.1 per game) while the Penguins have recorded the third-most (28.3).