Two of the NHL’s best teams on the power play, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Florida Panthers collide at the BB&T Center. This Eastern Conference matchup will get underway at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, February 7, and it is being shown live on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Florida Panthers Odds
This matchup’s moneyline and Over/Under odds have not been posted by oddsmakers yet.
Pittsburgh is 28-25 straight up (SU) and has lost 12.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. 25 of its matches have gone over the total, while 23 have gone under and just five have pushed. As the away team in 2018-19, the Pens are 13-13 SU.
Pittsburgh has converted on 24.2 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s good enough for eighth-best in the league. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked eighth overall, and it has successfully killed off 82.2 percent of its penalties.
For the team as a whole, Pittsburgh has been called for penalties just 3.3 times per game in the 2018-19 season, 3.2 per game over its last five matchups total, and 2.8 per game over its last five on the road. The team’s been forced to stave off opponent power plays just 8.0 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Averaging 27.2 saves per game with a .918 save percentage, Casey DeSmith (13-16-4) has been the primary option in goal for Pittsburgh this season. If Pittsburgh decides to rest him, however, head coach Mike Sullivan may turn to Matt Murray (15-11-1 record, .909 save percentage, 2.97 goals against average).
The visiting Penguins have relied heavily on Sidney Crosby and Phil Kessel this year. Crosby (61 points) has tallied 23 goals and 38 assists, and has recorded two or more points in 20 different games. Kessel has 21 goals and 36 assists to his creditand has notched at least one point in 34 games.
Florida is 21-30 straight up (SU) and has lost 14.6 units for moneyline bettors thus far. 26 of its games have gone over the total, while 19 have gone under and just six have pushed. It’s 11-13 SU at home this season.
Florida currently touts the third-strongest power-play unit in the NHL, as it has converted on 27.0 percent of its extra-man opportunities this year. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 11th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 81.1 percent of all penalties.
The Panthers have been penalized only 3.5 times per game this season, and 1.8 per game over their last five at home. The team has had to defend opponent power plays just 5.4 minutes per game over their last five outings.
James Reimer has denied 23.8 shots per game as the top selection in goal for Florida. Reimer has 11 wins, 18 losses, and five OT losses to his credit and has maintained a subpar .901 save percentage and 3.07 goals against average this year.
The Panthers offense will be led by Aleksander Barkov (19 goals, 31 assists) and Jonathan Huberdeau (13 goals, 37 assists).
Pittsburgh Penguins at Florida Panthers Betting Predictions
Pick: SU Winner – Penguins, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- The under has hit in three of Florida’s last five outings.
- This game features two clubs that fire the puck on goal a lot. Pittsburgh has taken the league’s ninth-most shots on goal (32.6) while Florida has attempted the fifth-most (33.4).
- The Panthers are 12-16 when the team serves fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 11-22 in games where they’re in the box for fewer than 10 penalty minutes, total.
- Florida is 2-4 in games decided by a shootout this season while Pittsburgh is 1-2 in shootouts.
- Florida skaters have created 10.6 takeaways per game over its last five home games, an improvement over its season average of 8.7 takeaways per game (ranked 8th).
- Pittsburgh is ranked 12th in the NHL this season with 8.2 takeaways per game. That figure has trended down, however, as the team has averaged 6.3 takeaways over its last 10 games and 5.2 takeaways over its last five.
