Gila River Arena will be hosting an enticing showdown as the Pittsburgh Penguins come into town to face the Arizona Coyotes. It’s the final time that these two clubs will meet in the regular season. This East-West matchup will get going at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, January 12 and it will be broadcasted live on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Arizona Coyotes Odds
Pittsburgh is 27-17 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 5.7 units this year. Through 44 regular season matches, 22 of its games have gone under the total, while 21 have gone over and just one has pushed. This 2019-20 Penguins team is 11-9 SU on the road.
Pittsburgh has converted on 17.9 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 15th in the league, and it’s successfully killed off 80.9 percent of all penalties.
Pittsburgh, as a collective unit, has been called for penalties just 3.1 times per game overall this season, and 4.0 per game over its last five on the road. The team’s had to kill penalties 9.4 minutes per contest over their last five road games.
Sporting a .896 save percentage and 24.5 saves per game, Matt Murray (14-11-4) has been the primary option in goal for Pittsburgh this year. If it decides to give him a rest, however, the team could roll with Tristan Jarry (14-7-1 record, .934 save percentage, 2.04 goals against average).
Jake Guentzel and Evgeni Malkin will both be relied on to facilitate things for the visiting Penguins. Guentzel has 43 points via 20 goals and 23 assists, and has recorded multiple points in nine different games. Malkin has 13 goals and 29 assists to his name (and has logged at least one point in 23 games).
Arizona is 25-22 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 0.1 units this year. Through 47 regular season outings, 26 of its games have gone under the total, while 20 have gone over and just one has pushed. It’s 11-11 SU as the home team this season.
Arizona has converted on 20.3 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked third overall, and it’s successfully killed off 83.8 percent of all opponent power plays.
The Coyotes have been penalized only 3.1 times per game this season, 2.8 per game over their last five contests total, and 3.6 per game over their last five at home. The team’s had to stave off opponent power plays just 6.3 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Darcy Kuemper has denied 28.7 shots per game as the primary option in the crease for Arizona. Kuemper has 15 wins, 10 losses, and two overtime losses and has recorded a .929 save percentage and a solid 2.17 goals against average this season.
Nick Schmaltz (seven goals, 28 assists) will lead the offensive attack for the Coyotes.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Arizona Coyotes Free Picks
NHL Tip: SU Winner – Penguins, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
For both of these clubs, the over has hit in three of their last five outings.
Pittsburgh has managed 27.4 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Arizona is averaging 31.6 shots per game over its last five at home.
The Penguins are 14-8 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 18-13 when they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
Arizona (5-2 in shootouts this season) has more experience in games decided by shootout. Pittsburgh, however, emerged victorious in both of its shootouts this year.
Arizona has forced 7.0 takeaways per game over its last five home games, right in line with its season average of 6.7 takeaways per game (ranked 24th).
Pittsburgh has created 7.8 takeaways per game (ranked 15th).
Pittsburgh may hold an advantage if this one comes down to the wire. The team’s 10-7 in games decided by one goal, while Arizona is 9-11 in such games.
