Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, and the Arizona Coyotes will face off against Jake Guentzel, Evgeni Malkin, and the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena in a cross-country showdown. The game gets going at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, December 6, and you’ll be able to watch the game live on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh.
Arizona Coyotes vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Odds
The Penguins (-170) are being picked as the solid favorites over the Coyotes (+150), and oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-110 over, -110 under).
Arizona is 17-13 straight up (SU) and has netted 2.3 units for moneyline bettors this season. Through 30 regular season outings, 17 of its games have gone under the total, while 11 have gone over and just one has pushed. As an away team in 2019-20, the Coyotes are 10-6 SU.
Arizona has converted on 20.7 percent of its power play chances this season, a figure that places them in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 15th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 81.4 percent of all penalties..
With a .937 save percentage and 29.1 saves per game, Darcy Kuemper (12-8-2) has been the primary option in goal for Arizona this season. Kuemper played last night, however, so the team may decide to rest him and go with Antti Raanta instead (5-5-2 record, .924 save percentage, 2.66 goals against average).
On the other side of the ice, Pittsburgh is 15-13 straight up (SU) and has lost 1.6 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 28 regular season contests, 14 of its games have gone under the total, while 13 have gone over and just one has pushed. It’s 11-5 SU at home this year.
The Penguins have converted on just 15.7 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s ranked 24th in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 13th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 82.7 percent of all opponent power plays.
Matt Murray (23.9 saves per game) has been the top option in goal for the Penguins. Murray has 10 wins, 10 losses, and four OT losses to his name and has recorded a pedestrian 2.84 goals against average and a fairly-weak .897 save percentage this season.
Arizona Coyotes vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Picks
NHL Prediction: SU Winner – Penguins, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- The Coyotes (4-2 in shootouts this season) has more experience in games decided by shootout. The Penguins fell short in its lone shootout this season.
- For both of these clubs, the total has gone over in three of their past five matches.
- Arizona has managed 26.0 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Pittsburgh is averaging 36.6 shots per game over its last five at home.
- Over Arizona’s last ten games, six of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 4-2 in those games).
- The Pens this season have registered the second-most hits per game in the NHL (28.8), but that number has climbed to 33.2 over their last five home games.
