The Pittsburgh Penguins, led by Sidney Crosby and Phil Kessel, are prepared to take the ice against Kyle Palmieri, Nico Hischier, and the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center in a divisional tilt. The puck will drop at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, February 19, and it’ll be televised live on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New Jersey Devils Odds
The Penguins (-160) are the favorite over the Devils (+140) and oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 7 goals (-115 for the over, -105 for the under).
Pittsburgh is 31-28 straight up (SU) and has lost 12.8 units for moneyline bettors this year. 28 of its contests have gone over the total, while 26 have gone under and just five have pushed. As a road team this season, the Pens are 14-15 SU.
Pittsburgh has converted on 24.5 percent of its power play chances this season, a figure that places them in the top-5 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 12th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 81.6 percent of its penalties..
Averaging 27.4 saves per game with a .915 save percentage, Casey DeSmith (14-19-5) has been the best option in goal for Pittsburgh this year. If head coach Mike Sullivan chooses to rest him, however, the team may turn to Matt Murray (17-12-1 record, .913 save percentage, 2.93 goals against average).
New Jersey is 23-36 straight up (SU) and has lost 11.7 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 59 regular season outings, 32 of its games have gone over the total, while 25 have gone under and just two have pushed. This year, the team is 15-14 SU as the home team.
The Devils have converted on just 19.4 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked third overall, and it’s successfully killed off 84.2 percent of all opponent power plays.
Keith Kinkaid has stopped 25.9 shots per game as the top netminder in goal for the Devils. Kinkaid has 16 wins, 24 losses, and six overtime losses to his credit and has recorded a fairly-weak .892 save percentage and 3.34 goals against average this year.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New Jersey Devils Betting Predictions
NHL Prediction: SU Winner – Penguins, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- The Penguins are 1-2 in games decided by a shootout this season while the Devils are 1-3 in shootouts.
- For both of these teams, the over has hit in three of their last five outings.
- Over Pittsburgh’s last ten games, five of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 4-1 in those games).
- Pittsburgh skaters have accounted for the league’s most hits per game (29.6).
