Little Caesars Arena is the site for an intriguing showdown as the Pittsburgh Penguins visit Motor City to meet the Detroit Red Wings. The opening face-off is at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, January 17, and you’ll be able to catch this Eastern Conference matchup live on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Detroit Red Wings Odds
Pittsburgh is 29-18 straight up (SU) and has earned 7.7 units for moneyline bettors this season. 23 of its matches have gone over the total, while 22 have gone under and just one has pushed. As an away team this season, the Pens are 12-10 SU.
Pittsburgh has converted on 19.4 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that’s right around league average. Its penalty kill is ranked 14th overall, and the team’s successfully killed off 81.6 percent of all penalties.
Pittsburgh, as a collective unit, has been called for penalties just 3.2 times per game this season, and 4.8 per game over its last five on the road. The team has had to kill penalties 8.6 minutes per game over their last five outings.
Boasting a .929 save percentage and 27.3 saves per game, Tristan Jarry (16-8-1) has been the primary option in goal for Pittsburgh this year. Jarry did just play last night, however, so head coach Mike Sullivan may opt to rest him and turn to Matt Murray instead (14-11-4 record, .896 save percentage, 2.91 goals against average).
Evgeni Malkin and Jake Guentzel will both spearhead the attack for the visiting Penguins. Malkin (47 points) has tallied 15 goals and 32 assists, and has recorded two or more points in 14 different games. Guentzel has 20 goals and 23 assists to his nameand has notched at least one point in 27 games.
Detroit is 12-35 straight up (SU) and has lost 16.1 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 47 regular season matches, 22 of its games have gone over the total, while 20 have gone under and just five have pushed. It’s 8-16 SU at home this season.
Detroit has converted on just 15.0 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that places it in the bottom overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 31st overall, and it’s successfully killed off 73.4 percent of all penalties.
The Red Wings have been penalized 3.6 times per game this season, 3.4 per game over their past five match ups total, and 3.4 per game over their last five home outings. The team’s been forced to kill penalties just 7.3 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Jonathan Bernier has stopped 26.0 shots per game as the top selection in goal for Detroit. Bernier has 10 wins, 18 losses, and two OT losses and has registered a fairly-weak .904 save percentage and 2.99 goals against average this season.
The Wings will be led on offense by Tyler Bertuzzi (16 goals, 18 assists).
Pittsburgh Penguins at Detroit Red Wings Betting Predictions
NHL Pick: SU Winner – Red Wings, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
The over has hit in four of Pittsburgh’s last five games.
Pittsburgh’s attempted 32.8 shots per contest overall this season (the second-most in the NHL), and 29.4 in its last five road outings.
Penalties and power plays could have a key role tonight. The Penguins are 15-8 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 19-13 when they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Red Wings are 6-12 when the team serves fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 8-25 in games where they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
Pittsburgh is 3-0 in games decided by a shootout this season while Detroit is 1-1 in shootouts.
Detroit is ranked 31st overall this season with 4.3 takeaways per game. That figure has trended upward, as it has managed 4.9 takeaways over its last 10 games and 5.0 takeaways over its last five.
Pittsburgh skaters have forced 8.2 takeaways per game over its last five road games, its season average of 7.8 takeaways per game (ranked 15th in the NHL).
Pittsburgh could have an advantage if it’s a tight one late. The team’s 11-7 in one-goal games, while Detroit is 6-8 in such games.
