Phil Kessel, Sidney Crosby, and the Pittsburgh Penguins will face off against Ryan O’Reilly, David Perron, and the St. Louis Blues at the Enterprise Center in an East-West tilt. The first puck will drop at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 29, and it can be viewed live on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. St. Louis Blues Odds
The Penguins (-125) are the favorite over the Blues (+105), and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at an even 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -125 over, +105 under.
Pittsburgh is 19-18 straight up (SU) and has lost 10.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 37 regular season contests, 16 of its games have gone over the total, while another 16 have gone under and just five have pushed. The Pens are 8-9 SU on the road in 2018-19.
Pittsburgh has converted on 23.1 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that’s good enough for ninth-best in the NHL. Its penalty kill is ranked third overall, and it has successfully killed off 84.1 percent of all penalties..
Sporting a .926 save percentage and 27.0 saves per game, Casey DeSmith (11-13-4) has been the primary option in goal for Pittsburgh this year. If it chooses to give him a rest, however, Pittsburgh could turn to Matt Murray (8-7-1 record, .902 save percentage, 3.30 goals against average).
Over on the other bench, St. Louis is 15-20 straight up (SU) and has lost 5.7 units for moneyline bettors thus far. 17 of its contests have gone under the total, while 16 have gone over and just two have pushed. It’s 9-11 SU as the home team this season.
The Blues have converted on just 21.7 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 12th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 81.8 percent of all opponent power plays.
Jake Allen (25.3 saves per game) has been the top selection in goal for the Blues. Allen has 13 wins, 16 losses, and four overtime losses to his name and has recorded a mediocre 3.01 goals against average and a subpar .903 save percentage this season.
Pittsburgh Penguins at St. Louis Blues Free Picks
Free Prediction: SU Winner – Blues, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- For both of these teams, the total has gone under in three of their last five outings.
- Pittsburgh skaters have accounted for the league’s most hits per game (29.9), but the team’s averaged just 24.4 hits over their last five away games.
