Bruins vs. Penguins prediction: Take the Over

The Pittsburgh Penguins will begin a massive back-to-back with a Saturday afternoon puck drop against the Boston Bruins, who just clinched the Presidents’ Trophy with their win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night. 

Pittsburgh enters the weekend in the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, but the race is still firmly on, with the New York Islanders three points ahead of the Pens and the Florida Panthers trailing them by just a point.

Pittsburgh has a game in hand on both the Isles and Cats.

Getting two points against the Bruins would be a massive step towards a 17th-straight postseason berth for Sidney Crosby and the Penguins.

Bruins vs. Penguins prediction

(3 p.m. Eastern ABC)

Right away, it needs to be noted that this is a tough spot to back the Bruins.

Boston ticked the last remaining box in the regular season by clinching the Presidents’ Trophy on Thursday, so this could be a bit of a let-down spot as the team starts to gear up for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in a few weeks.

The Bruins are chasing history — they are four wins and 11 points shy of the all-time record in each category — but getting into the playoffs healthy and fresh will be more important to this club.

So while this game in Pittsburgh isn’t meaningless for the B’s, it’s much more of a tune-up for them compared to the Penguins, and we could see some key players scratched for Boston.

Something to keep an eye on as we get closer to puck drop.

As for the Penguins, it’s pretty hard to trust them right now.

Even if Boston is playing depleted and are in a bit of a hangover spot, the Penguins have been maddeningly inconsistent for most of the season.

Pittsburgh’s 18-19-5 record since the holiday break is the 24th-best mark in the NHL in that span and puts the Pens behind teams like Philadelphia, Buffalo, and Vancouver over that timeframe. 

And it’s not just one thing that’s causing issues for Pittsburgh.

The defense is thin and banged up, there is very little depth to speak of up front and the goaltending has been poor down the stretch. 

Tristan Jarry did pitch a shutout for the Penguins on Thursday, but that came against a decimated Nashville Predators team that will never be mistaken for an offensive juggernaut.

A repeat performance against the Bruins — even if the B’s are without some key players — is unlikely.

Betting on the NHL?

As ugly as things look for Pittsburgh in its own zone, the Penguins do deserve some credit for their play going forward.

No team in the NHL has created more high-danger scoring chances or expected goals at 5-on-5 over their last 10 games than the Penguins, who should be able to carry that form against a Bruins team that likely won’t be fully at the races. 

Pittsburgh’s high-octane offense and porous defense, and shaky goaltending should open this game up.

A bet on the over seems a savvy move on Saturday afternoon.