Boston Bruins vs. Nashville Predators Free Preview 1/7/20

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The Boston Bruins, spearheaded by David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand, are prepared to take the ice against Roman Josi, Filip Forsberg, and the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena in an East-West showdown. The action will get underway at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 7, and you are able to see the game live on New England Sports Network.

Boston Bruins at Nashville Predators Odds

Boston (-115) is currently the favorite over Nashville (-105), and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at an even 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -120 for the under and +100 for the over.

Boston is 24-19 straight up (SU) and has lost 7.7 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 43 regular season outings, 22 of its games have gone under the total, while 18 have gone over and just three have pushed. The Bruins are 10-8 SU as a road team in 2019-20.

Boston currently has the third-strongest power-play unit in the NHL, as it’s converted on 27.3 percent of its extra-man opportunities this year. Additionally, its penalty kill is ranked second overall, and it’s successfully killed off a whopping 85.8 percent of its penalties..

Sporting a .923 save percentage and 28.0 saves per game, Tuukka Rask (15-10-6) has been the primary option in goal for Boston this year. If head coach Bruce Cassidy chooses to rest him, however, the team could turn to Jaroslav Halak (9-9-5 record, .928 save percentage, 2.25 goals against average).

On the other bench, Nashville is 19-22 straight up (SU) and has lost 12.9 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 41 regular season matches, 26 of its games have gone over the total, while 15 have gone under and none have pushed. This year, the team is 10-11 SU as the home team.

The Predators have converted on just 16.8 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s ranked 24th in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 29th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 74.2 percent of all opponent power plays.

Pekka Rinne has denied 23.3 shots per game as the top option in goal for the Predators. Rinne has 14 wins, 11 losses, and three OT losses and has maintained a mediocre 2.98 goals against average and a subpar .896 save percentage this season.

Boston Bruins vs. Nashville Predators Betting Predictions

NHL Pick: SU Winner – Predators, O/U – Under

Betting Notes

  • The Bruins are 0-6 in games decided by a shootout this season while the Predators are 1-3 in shootouts.
  • For both of these teams, the game went over the total in four of their last five matchups.
  • Boston has managed 31.6 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Nashville has been attempting 36.0 shots per game over its last five home outings.
  • Over Boston’s last ten games, four of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 3-1 in those games).
  • Boston skaters have accounted for the league’s seventh-most hits per game (23.9), but that number’s down to just 18.0 hits over their last five away games.