The Pittsburgh Penguins, fueled by Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust, are set to take the ice against Auston Matthews, Mitchell Marner, and the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena in an Eastern Conference matchup. AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh will air the game, which gets going at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, February 20.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Odds
Pittsburgh is 37-21 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 11.3 units this year. 29 of its outings have gone under the total, while 27 have gone over and just two have pushed. The Pens are 15-12 SU as a road team in 2019-20.
Pittsburgh has converted on 21.9 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s good enough for ninth-best in the league. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked eighth overall, and it has successfully killed off 82.9 percent of all penalties..
With a .931 save percentage and 27.9 saves per game, Tristan Jarry (20-9-1) has been the primary option in goal for Pittsburgh this year. If Pittsburgh decides to rest him, however, head coach Mike Sullivan may turn to Matt Murray (18-13-5), who has a .904 save percentage and 2.76 goals against average this year.
Toronto is 31-30 straight up (SU) and has lost 10.6 units for moneyline bettors this year. 35 of its games have gone over the total, while 24 have gone under and just two have pushed. The team’s 15-15 SU at home this season.
The Maple Leafs have converted on 24.0 percent of their power play chances this season, a mark that places it in the top-5 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 26th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 76.6 percent of all opponent power plays.
Frederik Andersen (27.4 saves per game) has been the top netminder in the crease for the Maple Leafs. Andersen has 24 wins, 21 losses, and six overtime losses to his credit and has recorded a mediocre 2.97 goals against average and a fairly-weak .906 save percentage this season.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Toronto Maple Leafs Free Picks
NHL Pick: SU Winner – Penguins, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
Five of Toronto’s last ten outings have been decided by two or more goals, and the team is 1-4 overall in those games.
The Penguins are 17-9 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 26-14 when they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
Pittsburgh is 3-0 in games decided by a shootout this season while Toronto is 1-4 in shootouts.
Pittsburgh may hold the upper hand if this one comes down to the wire. The team’s an impressive 16-8 in games decided by one goal, while Toronto is 8-13 in such games.
The under has hit in three of Toronto’s last five outings.
Pittsburgh has averaged 6.8 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 9.3 giveaways per game (the 12th-fewest in the league).
Toronto has averaged 14.8 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 11.6 giveaways per game (ranked 24th).
Pittsburgh skaters have accounted for the league’s third-most hits per game (28.2), but that number’s down to just 25.2 hits over their last five away games.