Evgeni Malkin, Jake Guentzel, and the Pittsburgh Penguins will face off against David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand, and the Boston Bruins at TD Garden for an Eastern Conference tilt. The opening face-off takes place at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 16, and you’ll be able to see it live on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Boston Bruins Odds
Pittsburgh (+120) is entering this one as the underdog to Boston (-140), and the Over/Under (O/U) has been placed at an even 6 goals (-115 for the over, -105 for the under).
Pittsburgh is 29-17 straight up (SU) and has netted 7.7 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 46 regular season contests, 23 of its games have gone over the total, while 22 have gone under and just one has pushed. As the away team this season, the Pens are 12-9 SU.
Pittsburgh has converted on 19.8 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 15th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 81.0 percent of its penalties..
Sporting a .930 save percentage and 27.3 saves per game, Tristan Jarry (16-7-1) has been the top option in goal for Pittsburgh this season. If Pittsburgh chooses to rest him, however, they might go with Matt Murray (14-11-4), who has a .896 save percentage and 2.91 goals against average this year.
Despite posting a record of 27-21 straight up (SU), moneyline bettors have lost 7.3 units by betting on Boston this season. 24 of its contests have gone under the total, while 21 have gone over and just three have pushed. It’s 15-11 SU at home this year.
The Bruins have converted on 27.3 percent of their power play chances this year, a mark that’s good enough for fourth-best in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked sixth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 83.1 percent of all opponent power plays.
Tuukka Rask has stopped 27.4 shots per game as the top netminder in goal for the Bruins. Rask has 17 wins, 11 losses, and six OT losses and has recorded a .925 save percentage and 2.27 goals against average this year.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Boston Bruins Free Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Penguins, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
The Bruins are 0-7 in games that go to shootout. The Penguins are 3-0 in shootouts.
For both of these clubs, the total has gone over in three of their last five games.
Pittsburgh has attempted 32.9 shots per game overall this season (the second-most in the NHL), and 28.4 in its last five road outings.
Five of Pittsburgh’s last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 4-1 in those games.
This game features two of the more aggressive teams in the league. Pittsburgh skaters have accounted for the league’s third-most hits per game (28.5) and the Bruins have tallied the seventh-most (24.0).
