Penguins vs Red Wings Odds & Picks for Saturday Afternoon Hockey

— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) April 5, 2023

Although they’re playing a Red Wings squad whose season is basically over, the Pens have really struggled away from home as of late. They are just 1-6 straight up on the road in their last seven games as visitors and will need to fix that issue if they want to keep playing deep into the month of April.

Red Wings Offense Firing on all Cylinders

Steve Yzerman’s squad has made a significant improvement over last season. With 80 points this campaign, they’ve already gained more points than the 74 they accumulated last season and appear on their way to being a serious competitor for a playoff spot as soon as next year.

However, since they’re just playing out the string, it appears that the team is playing particularly loose and that has led to goals in abundance. Detroit has scored 16 times in their last three affairs, although they are coming off a porous defensive performance where they lost 7-6 to Buffalo in shootout.

Just 11 days ago, they found the back of the net seven times in a 7-4 win over the Pens. Although Pittsburgh dominated Detroit last season, the Red Wings have taken both contests between the two this year.

Penguins vs Red Wings Recent Results

These teams have also combined to smash the over in each of their last four contests, combining to average 10.5 goals per game in those outings.

Penguins vs Red Wings Pick and Prediction

Given Pittsburgh has everything to play for while the Red Wings are just waiting to hit the links, the Penguins are obvious favorites in the NHL odds, although a loose team is always a dangerous one to contend with.

Pittsburgh defeated the Wild 4-1 Thursday night and although recent affairs between these teams have been very high scoring, we think the Pens will keep chances to a minimum this time around.

Penguins vs Red Wings Same-Game Parlay Picks

For so many years, Sidney Crosby was one of the favorites in the Hart Trophy odds, not just because of his point totals, but because of his ability to come up big in crucial contests like this one.

Goalless in his last seven games and pointless in two, the Penguins will likely need their captain to step up big if they’re going to leap the Isles or Panthers and capture one of the two final playoff spots in the East. If there’s anybody I’m not betting against, it’s Sid. Our prediction is the Penguins make a statement in this one.

Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins -1.5 (+140)