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Today I’m going to take an in-depth look at the Pittsburgh Penguins vs Boston Bruins game taking place tonight as well as a few other hockey tips for you.
Going into tonight, the Pittsburgh Penguins are on fire. They’re on a 6 game winning streak. 4 of them are at home with two games on the road. The story of the Penguins during this run is their offense. The Penguins offense has been on fire with victories like 6-2 over the Dallas Stars, 8-5 over the Ottawa Senators and most recently, 7-0 over the Arizona Coyotes.
This Penguins run has seen them move top of the Metropolitan Division and 2nd in the East, behind the Pittsburgh Penguins. They have the second most goals scored in the league.
They’re playing the Boston Bruins. The Bruins are 8th in the East and they generally struggle where goals are concerned. Their goaltending has helped them however but they’re a complete .500 team in terms of stats. 7-7-0 at home, 71 goals scored and 71 goals against. What’s been helping them is some impressive road victories – such as the one the other night against Montreal – which has seen them with a 9-5-2 record away.
Going into tonight, the Boston Bruins are +150 underdogs and the Pittsburgh Penguins are -160 favourites. The over/under line is set at +100.
I’d recommend taking the Boston Bruins to win tonight.
The Boston Bruins historically match up well against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Sometimes it seems silly to factor in a game from 3 years ago but as part of a streak, we’ve seen time and time again that historical stats should be a factor. Not the decider by any means – but if two teams go over 5.5 goals 80% of the time over their last 10 games, there’s usually a reason for that. The Bruins in their last 10 have an impressive 8-1-1 record against the Pengins.
One factor there is simply that the Bruins up their game against the Penguins. We see that a lot in the NHL. On top of that the Bruins are just a tight matchup for the Penguins. They know how to stifle them and their offense and the Penguins have really struggled against Boston be it at home or on the road.
This bet is assuming Rask is in net. Rask has been immense this season. He also has a very good record against the Penguins with a .933 save percentage and 8 wins. That’s one of his better records honestly and the Penguins are going to have trouble against him tonight.
The Bruins offense gets a lot of crap but they’re still the 2nd best team at shots on goal in the league. Sometimes it’s just about a little luck and they’ll be sure to put the Pens under pressure tonight. They’ll look to dominate the faceoffs as they usually do, frustrate the Penguins and the odds make it worth the play.
Other Game Thoughts:
I’ve been conflicted all day but I think I’m taking Avalanche in regulation against the Flyers. Crazy bet I know considering the Flyers are on a roll. However I still rate the Avs(maybe I’m just a sucker), and with Landeskog back plus Pickard out to prove himself after that Habs game I think the Avs can steal this one.
I’m taking Over 5 in the Flames vs Lightning game. I’m a bit concerned both teams start cautiously but I think they can at least push that one if not go over.
Nothing in the Sharks/Sens game.
