David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand, and the Boston Bruins will face off against Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel, and the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena for an Eastern Conference tilt. This one gets underway at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, December 14 and it can be seen live on New England Sports Network.
Boston Bruins at Pittsburgh Penguins Odds
The Penguins (-150) are being chosen as the favorites over the Bruins (+130) and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -120 for the over and +100 for the under.
Boston is 17-14 straight up (SU) and has lost 1.4 units for bettors taking the moneyline thus far. Through 31 regular season contests, 20 of its games have gone under the total, while 10 have gone over and just one has pushed. The Bruins are 6-11 SU on the road in 2018-19.
Boston has converted on 26.3 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that places them in the top-10 among NHL teams. Its penalty kill is ranked 25th in the league, and the team’s successfully killed off only 76.6 percent of all penalties..
Boasting a .930 save percentage and 28.9 saves per game, Jaroslav Halak (9-8-2) has been the best option in goal for Boston this season. If it chooses to give him a rest, however, Boston could turn to Tuukka Rask (8-8-2 record, .916 save percentage, 2.53 goals against average).
Over on the other bench, Pittsburgh is 13-17 straight up (SU) and has lost 14.8 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 30 regular season outings, 13 of its games have gone over the total, while another 13 have gone under and just four have pushed. It’s 7-8 SU as the home team this season.
The Penguins have converted on just 22.6 percent of their power play chances this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked ninth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 83.0 percent of all penalties.
Casey DeSmith (25.1 saves per game) has been the primary netminder in goal for the Penguins. DeSmith has nine wins, 12 losses, and four overtime losses and has maintained a .921 save percentage and 2.43 goals against average this year.
Boston Bruins at Pittsburgh Penguins Free Picks
NHL Tip: SU Winner \u2013 Bruins, O/U \u2013 Under
Betting Trends
- For both of these teams, the over has hit in three of their past five matchups.
- Four of Boston’s last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 1-3 in those games.
- The Pens this season have registered the second-most hits per game in the NHL (30.0), but the club has averaged 35.6 over their past five games as the home team.
