A pair of teams that’ve positioned themselves squarely in the playoff hunt, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Arizona Coyotes collide at Gila River Arena. The match gets started at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, January 12, and you can catch this East-West matchup live on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Arizona Coyotes Odds
Pittsburgh is 27-17 straight up (SU) and has earned 5.7 units for moneyline bettors this season. Through 44 regular season contests, 22 of its games have gone under the total, while 21 have gone over and just one has pushed. As a road team this season, the Pens are 11-9 SU.
Pittsburgh has converted on 17.9 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s right around league average. Its penalty kill is ranked 15th overall, and the team’s successfully killed off 80.9 percent of its penalties.
For the team as a whole, Pittsburgh has been penalized just 3.1 times per game this season, and 4.0 per game over its last five on the road. The team has had to defend opponent power plays 9.4 minutes per game over their last five road outings.
Averaging 24.5 saves per game with a .896 save percentage, Matt Murray (14-11-4) has been the best option in goal for Pittsburgh this year. If head coach Mike Sullivan decides to rest him, however, Pittsburgh might go with Tristan Jarry (14-7-1 record, .934 save percentage, 2.04 goals against average).
The visiting Penguins have relied on Jake Guentzel and Evgeni Malkin heavily this season. Guentzel has 43 points via 20 goals and 23 assists, and has recorded multiple points in nine different games. Malkin has 13 goals and 29 assists to his credit, and has notched at least one point in 23 games.
On the other side of the ice, Arizona is 25-22 straight up (SU) and has earned 0.1 units for moneyline bettors this season. 26 of its outings have gone under the total, while 20 have gone over and just one has pushed. The team’s 11-11 SU at home this year.
Arizona has converted on 20.3 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked third overall, and it’s successfully killed off 83.8 percent of all penalties.
The Coyotes have been penalized only 3.1 times per game this season, 2.8 per game over their past five match ups total, and 3.6 per game over their last five at home. The team has had to stave off opponent power plays just 6.3 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Darcy Kuemper (28.7 saves per game) has been the top choice in the crease for Arizona. Kuemper has 15 wins, 10 losses, and two OT losses and has recorded a .929 save percentage and a solid 2.17 goals against average this year.
Nick Schmaltz (seven goals, 28 assists) will lead the offensive attack for the Coyotes.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Arizona Coyotes Free Picks
Pick: SU Winner – Penguins, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- For both of these clubs, the over has hit in three of their last five games.
- Pittsburgh has managed 27.4 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Arizona is averaging 31.6 shots per game over its last five at home.
- The Penguins are 14-8 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 18-13 in games where they’re in the penalty box for fewer than 10 total minutes.
- Arizona (5-2 in shootouts) has more experience this season in games decided by shootout. Pittsburgh, on the other hand,is undefeated in two shootouts this year.
- Arizona skaters have created 7.0 takeaways per game over its last five home games, right in line with its season average of 6.7 takeaways per game (ranked 24th overall).
- Pittsburgh skaters have averaged 7.8 takeaways per game (ranked 15th).
- Pittsburgh could hold the upper hand if this one comes down to the wire. The team’s 10-7 in games decided by one goal, while Arizona is 9-11 in such games.
