Phil Kessel, Sidney Crosby, and the Pittsburgh Penguins will do battle against Clayton Keller, Alex Galchenyuk, and the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena in an East-West showdown. Fox Sports Arizona will showcase the game, and the opening face-off is at 9 p.m. ET on Friday, January 18.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Arizona Coyotes Odds
The Penguins (-150) are the favorite over the Coyotes (+130) and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -120 for the over and +100 for the under.
Pittsburgh is 25-21 straight up (SU) and has lost 9.5 units for moneyline bettors this year. 22 of its outings have gone over the total, while 19 have gone under and just five have pushed. The Pens are 12-11 SU on the road in 2018-19.
Pittsburgh has converted on 25.4 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that’s good enough for sixth-best in the league. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked third overall, and it’s successfully killed off 85.0 percent of all penalties..
With a .921 save percentage and 26.9 saves per game, Casey DeSmith (12-15-4) has been the best option in goal for Pittsburgh this season. If it decides to give him a rest, however, Pittsburgh could roll with Matt Murray (13-8-1 record, .911 save percentage, 2.91 goals against average).
On the other side of the rink, Arizona is 21-25 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 0.1 units this season. Through 46 regular season matches, 23 of its games have gone under the total, while 22 have gone over and just one has pushed. It’s 9-14 SU at home this season.
The Coyotes have converted on just 18.2 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 second overall, and it’s successfully killed off 88.2 percent of all opponent power plays.
Darcy Kuemper (28.0 saves per game) has been the top selection in goal for the Coyotes. Kuemper has nine wins, 14 losses, and three overtime losses to his name and has recorded a .914 save percentage and 2.68 goals against average this season.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Arizona Coyotes Free Picks
Pick: SU Winner – Penguins, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- The Penguins are 1-2 in games decided by a shootout this season while the Coyotes are 2-1 in shootouts.
- For both of these clubs, the over has hit in three of their last five outings.
- Nine of Pittsburgh’s last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 6-3 in those games.
- This game features two of the more aggressive teams in the league. Pittsburgh skaters have accounted for the second-most hits in the league (28.6 per game) and the Coyotes have recorded the 10th-most (22.9).
