In what’s already their final head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Vancouver Canucks and the Pittsburgh Penguins take the ice at PPG Paints Arena for a cross-continent showdown. Sportsnet Pacific will broadcast the matchup, and the puck drops at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, November 22.
Vancouver Canucks vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Odds
Pittsburgh enters the matchup as the heavy favorite with a -230 moneyline. The line for Vancouver sits at +190, and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-115 for the over, -105 for the under).
Losing -1.9 units for moneyline bettors, Pittsburgh is 11-11 straight up (SU) overall thus far. That early-season winning percentage is a regression from the 50-32 record that the team posted during the 2016-17 season campaign. Of its 22 games this season, 11 have gone over the total, while another 11 have gone under and none have pushed. This season, the team is 6-2 SU at home.
The Penguins have connected on 22.9 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a mark that places them in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, their penalty kill is rated 27th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 77.3 percent of all penalties.
As a team, the Penguins have been penalized 5.0 times per game overall this season, and 3.6 per game over their last five matchups home outings. The teams had to defend opponent power plays for just 7.8 minutes per game over their last five home outings.
With a .909 save percentage and 26.6 saves per game, Matt Murray (11 wins, seven losses, and one OT loss) has been the primary goalkeeper for the Pens this season. If head coach Mike Sullivan decides to give him a breather, however, Pittsburgh could roll with the winless Antti Niemi (0-3-3 record, .797 save percentage, 7.49 goals against average).
Phil Kessel and Evgeni Malkin will both lead the charge for the Penguins. Kessel (24 points) has tallied eight goals and 16 assists and has recorded multiple points six times this year. Malkin has seven goals and 14 assists to his name and has recorded a point in 14 contests.
On the other side of the ice, Vancouver is 10-11 straight up (SU) and has earned 0.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. A total of 11 of its contests have gone under the total, while nine have gone over and none have pushed. The Canucks are 7-3 SU as an away team this season.
The Canucks have converted on 18.1 percent of their power play chances this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 18th overall and it’s successfully defended 80.0 percent of all opponent power plays.
Vancouver’s players have been penalized 4.1 times per game this season, and 4.8 per game over their last five road outings. The teams had to kill penalties just 8.6 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Jacob Markstrom (26.8 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for Vancouver. Markstrom owns a 6-10-2 record, while registering a .913 save percentage and 2.59 goals against average this year.
Leading the offensive counter for the visiting Canucks will be Brock Boeser (nine goals, 10 assists) and Sven Baertschi (eight goals, eight assists).
Vancouver Canucks at Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Predictions
Predictions: SU Winner – Penguins, O/U – Over
Betting Notes:
- The total has gone under in three of Pittsburgh’s last five outings.
- Vancouver has managed 29.0 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Pittsburgh has been attempting 39.6 shots per game over its last five home outings.
- A majority (70.0 percent) of Vancouver’s wins have come by two or more goals and the team is 7-7 overall in games decided by at least two scores. 3 of Pittsburgh’s wins (27.3 percent) have been decided by two or more goals.
- The Pens this season have handed the 11th-most hits per game (22.3), but the club has averaged 26.2 over their last five home outings.
