TD Garden will play host to an intriguing tilt as the Boston Bruins prepare to face the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins. AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh will air this Eastern Conference matchup, which gets going at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 16.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Boston Bruins Odds
Boston (-140) is the favorite over Pittsburgh (+120) and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at an even 6 goals. If gamblers want to put some action on the game’s total, they’ll be looking at odds of -115 money on the over and -105 on the under.
Pittsburgh is 29-17 straight up (SU) and has earned 7.7 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 46 regular season outings, 23 of its games have gone over the total, while 22 have gone under and just one has pushed. The Pens are 12-9 SU as an away team in 2019-20.
Pittsburgh has converted on 19.8 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 15th overall, and the team’s successfully killed off 81.0 percent of all penalties.
For the team as a whole, Pittsburgh has been penalized just 3.1 times per game this season, and 4.2 per game over its last five on the road. The team’s been forced to stave off opponent power plays just 8.0 minutes per game over their last five outings.
With a .930 save percentage and 27.3 saves per game, Tristan Jarry (16-7-1) has been the primary option in goal for Pittsburgh this year. If head coach Mike Sullivan chooses to rest him, however, Pittsburgh may roll with Matt Murray (14-11-4 record, .896 save percentage, 2.91 goals against average).
Evgeni Malkin and Jake Guentzel will both spearhead the attack for the visiting Penguins. Malkin has 47 points on 15 goals and 32 assists, and has recorded multiple points in 13 different games. Guentzel has 20 goals and 23 assists to his credit (and has notched a point in 27 games).
Despite posting a record of 27-21 straight up (SU), moneyline bettors have lost 7.3 units by wagering on Boston this season. Through 48 regular season outings, 24 of its games have gone under the total, while 21 have gone over and just three have pushed. It’s 15-11 SU at home this season.
Boston has converted on 27.3 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that places it in the top-5 among NHL teams. 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.
The Bruins have been penalized 3.6 times per game this season, 3.8 per game over their past five match ups total, and 3.2 per game over their last five home outings. The team’s been forced to stave off opponent power plays just 7.1 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Tuukka Rask (27.4 saves per game) has been the top choice in goal for Boston. Rask has 17 wins, 11 losses, and six overtime losses to his name and has recorded a 2.27 goals against average and a .925 save percentage this year.
David Pastrnak (36 goals, 30 assists) will lead the attack for the Bruins.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Boston Bruins Betting Predictions
Free NHL Pick: SU Winner – Penguins, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- For both of these clubs, the game went over the total in three of their last five outings.
- Pittsburgh’s attempted 32.9 shots per game overall this season (the second-most in the NHL), and 31.0 in its last 10 outings.
- The Penguins are 15-8 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 19-13 in games where they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
- Boston is 0-7 in games decided by a shootout this season while Pittsburgh is 3-0 in shootouts.
- Boston is ranked 13th with 7.9 takeaways per game. That figure has trended down lately, however, as it has created 6.8 takeaways over its last 10 games and 5.8 takeaways over its last five.
- Pittsburgh has averaged 3.5 goals per game overall this year, but is averaging 4.8 per contest over the team’s four-game winning streak.
- Pittsburgh skaters have managed 7.4 takeaways per game over its last five road games, right in line with its season average of 7.6 takeaways per game (ranked 17th overall).
- Pittsburgh may have an advantage if it’s a tight one late. The team’s 11-7 in one-goal games, while Boston is 10-15 in such games.
