Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Boston Bruins Prediction, Preview, and Odds
The Pittsburgh Penguins are gearing up for an Eastern Conference showdown against the Boston Bruins on Thursday evening in TD Garden. The Penguins (18-14-4, 40 points) are seventh in the Metropolitan Division and are coming off a 4-3 home loss on Tuesday against the Washington Capitals. The Bruins (23-7-6, 52 points) are leading the Atlantic Division and are on a four-game winning streak after a 4-1 road win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday. This is the first of three games against one another so it will be interesting to see how they play against each other here.
Penguins Trying to Get Going
The Pittsburgh Penguins have to improve throughout this season as they are struggling to get going with some points. Left winger Jake Guentzel has been the most effective player on this team as he has 42 points (17 goals, 25 assists) and has scored seven points in his last four games. As a team, they are a struggling offensive team as they are 24th in the NHL with 110 total goals scored. They have been less than ideal on the power play as they are 16-of-115 (13.91 percent) so far this season.
Tristan Jarry is expected to be in the net for the Pittsburgh Penguins for this game. He has done decently well as he is 11-11-2 inside of the net with 2.58 goals allowed per game and a .912 save percentage. He struggled in his most recent game against the Washington Capitals as he allowed three goals on seven shots in a little more than 13 minutes of action. As a whole, the defense is dominating as they are sixth in the NHL with 97 total goals allowed thus far. They are a better than average defense throughout the season killing penalties as they have killed 93-of-113 (82.30) percent of opposing power plays.
Injury Report for Pittsburgh
Defenseman John Ludvig: Undisclosed (OUT)
Left winger Matt Nieto: Lower Body (OUT)
Beantown Beatdown
The Boston Bruins are clicking this season and picking up where they left off last year. Their offense needs to improve though as they are sitting in 15th place with 118 total goals up to this point. Right winger David Pastrnak is leading the team as he has recorded 50 points (22 goals, 28 assists) and recorded seven points in his last five games played. In his last game against the Blue Jackets, he did not record any points on two shots in 20:09 on the ice. They are converting extremely well on the power play as they scored on 30-of-109 (27.52 percent) of them thus far.
Jeremy Swayman has played very well so far this season and is expected to be in the net for this game. He currently is 11-2-4 with a .928 save percentage and 2.22 goals allowed per game. He played decently well last time out against the Detroit Red Wings as he gave up three goals on 30 shot attempts. The team has been doing exceptionally well as they are one of the best in hockey with just 92 total goals allowed, which is third in the league. The Bruins are dominant as they killed 116-of-135 (85.93 percent) of the power play opportunities against them up to this point.
Injury Report for Boston
Defenseman Derek Forbort: Lower Body (OUT)
Left winger Milan Lucic: Ankle (OUT)
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Full-Game Side Bet
Rating:
There is a reason the Penguins are 8-7-3 on the road while the Bruins are dominant at home with an 11-2-3 record inside TD Garden. The major difference is on the power play for these teams as Pittsburgh is down at 26th place with a 13.9 power play percentage as a team while Boston is dominating at fourth in the league wth a 27.5 power play percentage up to this point. Both defenses have been doing well as of late but there is a difference still as the Penguins are allowing 2.4 goals in their previous five games while the Bruins are giving up 1.8 goals in their last four games. All in all, go with the Boston Bruins to win this game at home.
Prediction: Boston Bruins -152
Full-Game Total Pick
Rating:
These offenses as of late have shown they can find the back of the net as Pittsburgh is averaging 4.3 goals in their last four games while Boston is scoring 4.0 goals in their previous five games. A big reason why is the fact these teams are putting pressure on the opposing goaltenders as the Penguins are fifth in the league with 33.0 shots on goal per game while the Bruins are closer to league average at 17th with 30.6 shot attempts per game. Go with OVER 6.5 GOALS in this game as it makes the most sense here.
Prediction: OVER 6.5
After playing sports throughout most of middle school, high school, and college, Arthur has been writing about sports for nearly a decade. With years of experience, he has had a very good career in the betting world. Arthur has brought his talent to StatSalt and Winners & Whiners and he has been an integral part of our team. Make sure you follow along with Arthur each and every day. You won't be disappointed.
