Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel, and the Pittsburgh Penguins are set to do battle against Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center in an East-West matchup. The first puck will drop at 9:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, November 28, and fans at home can witness it live on NBC Sports Network.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Colorado Avalanche Odds
This contest’s moneyline and Over/Under odds have not been posted by bookmakers yet.
Colorado is 14-10 straight-up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 2.0 units this season. That winning percentage, ranked fifth in the NHL in this young season, is fairly close to the 43-39 record the team posted during last year’s regular season campaign. Of its 24 games this season, 12 have gone over the total, while 11 have gone under and none have pushed. Thus far, the team’s 5-4 SU at home.
The Avalanche currently have the best power-play unit in the NHL, as the team has converted on 32.1 percent of their extra-man chances this season. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 14th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 81.1 percent of all penalties.
Averaging 29.4 saves per game with a .927 save percentage, Semyon Varlamov (9-7-2) has been the primary goalkeeper for the Avs this season. Varlamov did just play last night, however, so head coach Jared Bednar might opt to give him a rest and instead turn to Philipp Grubauer (5-3-3 record, .907 save percentage, 3.07 goals against average).
On the other hand, Pittsburgh is 10-13 straight up (SU) and has lost 12.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. A total of 10 of its matches have gone under the total, while eight have gone over and four have pushed. As the away team , the Penguins are 5-6 SU.
The Penguins have converted on 24.6 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s good enough for eighth-best in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked ninth overall and it’s successfully killed off 82.4 percent of all opponent power plays.
Casey DeSmith (24.5 saves per game) has been the primary option in the net for Pittsburgh. DeSmith has six wins, nine losses, and three overtime losses to his credit, and has registered a .924 save percentage and 2.41 goals against average this year.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Colorado Avalanche Free Picks
Free NHL Pick: SU Winner – Avalanche, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- For both of these clubs, the over has hit in three of their past five matches.
- Six of Colorado’s last ten games have been decided by two or more goals. The team is 4-2 overall in those games.
- Pittsburgh skaters have dished out the league’s second-most hits per game (30.4), but that number’s down to just 26.8 hits over their last five away games.
