The Pittsburgh Penguins will be looking for their sixth straight victory when they take on the Boston Bruins on Monday. Boston defeated Pittsburgh the last time these teams met, back on January 28, 4-1.
Here you can find the best picks, news, and stats for this East Division battle at the PPG Paints Arena. Pittsburgh is the favorite at -121. This according to PointsBet Sportsbook, which puts the odds for Boston at +100 as the underdog.
Boston is going to be a little thin on defense, as four defensemen are out. That includes Jeremy Lauzon and Brandon Carlo. Goaltender Tuukka Rask is listed as questionable for this game. He has missed the last three contests with a back injury. Pittsburgh has three defensemen out as well, but two are listed as questionable – Juuso Riikola and John Marino.
Boston Shutout by Rangers
Boston (14-7-4) was shut out by the New York Rangers on Saturday, 4-0. Jaraslav Halak allowed four goals on 33 shots. Boston mustered just 18 shots on net.
Boston is 21st in goals scored at 2.72 per contest. However, they are eighth overall in shots per game at 30.9 per contest. The Bruins have been solid on the power play at 23.9%, 12th overall. Boston is led in scoring by Brad Marchand with 31 points. He leads the team in goals (12) and assists (19). David Pastrnak is tied for the team lead in goals with 12.
The Bruins have been outstanding defensively. They are allowing 2.32 goals per game, fourth overall, and 26.6 shots per contest, second in the NHL. They have the top penalty-killing unit in hockey at 89.4%. With Rask out, it will be Halak between the pipes. He is 6-3-2 with a 2.07 GAA and a .922 save percentage.
DeSmith Corrals Sabres
Pittsburgh (17-9-1) earned their fifth straight victory with a 3-0 win over Buffalo on Saturday. Casey DeSmith stopped all 24 shots he faced. Three different players scored goals for the Penguins, including Sidney Crosby.
Pittsburgh is averaging 3.19 goals per game, 11th overall. The power play has not been very good, 23rd in the league at 18.4%. Pittsburgh is led by Crosby with 26 points. He also leads in goals (10) and assists (16). Crosby currently has a six-game point streak (eight points).
Pittsburgh is allowing 2.93 goals per game. They are 23rd in penalty killing at 75.0%. Tristan Jarry is 11-7-1 in 19 starts with a 3.00 GAA and a .901 save percentage.
Trends:
Boston:
- 1-4 in their last five games on the road.
Pittsburgh:
- 5-0 in their last five games.
- 5-1 in their last six games against teams with a winning record.
Boston is not playing very well in March while Pittsburgh is on fire. I am a firm believer in going with a team until another can prove they can beat them, especially when that team is on an extended winning streak like five in a row. Adding to the momentum is the fact that the Bruins have lost the last six meetings between these teams in Pittsburgh. It looks like a no-brainer to be honest.
Pick: Take Pittsburgh at -121.
The Total:
No total has been set for this game, but you can count on something like 5.5. These teams have gone over in six of the last seven meetings in Pittsburgh. If 5.5 is the total, you want to go over. Pittsburgh has gone over that number in six of their seven games in March.
Pick: Over