On Thursday night in the NHL Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins try to stop the surging Boston Bruins in a big Eastern Conference game.
These teams find themselves on completely opposite sides of the Eastern Conference, with Boston holding the second spot in the Conference and Pittsburgh trying to claw their way up from the bottom.
Can they make any ground against one of the league's best?
To get you prepped for all of the action to come, we have provided our expert Bruins vs. Penguins prediction and analysis.
Bruins vs. Penguins betting picks and predictions
Bruins ML (-110)
Once again, the Bruins have been highly impressive in a season where they were not expected to do much. Their influx of young talent, with an excellent mix of veteran talent, has really created a strong on-ice product.
Pittsburgh's lineup does have many nice pieces, but there is no question that they are an aging group.
The name brand of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson can only take them so far, which has been evident this season.
The big three in Boston in David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy and Jeremy Swayman provide an elite anchor on all fronts of the game that most teams have trouble with. Where the real strength comes is their depth, with eight forwards having 9+ points.
Pittsburgh's offense hasn't been completely terrible (3.20 goals per game), but not many teams have found success consistently beating Boston's defenses.
A larger red flag in this matchup is Pittsburgh's inability to keep the puck out of their net. They've got the eighth-highest goals against average (3.40 goals against per game) and the sixth-lowest collective save percentage of (.882%).
Home ice advantage will not be enough for this Penguins team, as their opponents are just on a completely different level talent-wise and depth-wise.
Under 6.5 (-110)
The Bruins have shown many elite traits this season, but none more than their defensive ability. Boston currently sits with the fourth-lowest goals against average (2.38), which equates to the second-lowest total of goals against (38).
Goaltending has been on another level, with Swayman and Michael DiPietro proving to be one of the league's dynamic duos.
Collectively, they have a league-leading combined save percentage (.917), which comes from a good combination of appearances from both.
Pittsburgh does not have an offensively capable team to run up the scoreboard against Boston. They lean heavily on a small group of players to carry the load, which Boston should be able to handle.
Their 3.20 goals per game and an 18.2% power play will not be enough to get the job done offensively, but I don't necessarily see Boston running up the scoreboard either.
The Bruins offense has been somewhat quiet as of late, scoring less than 2.50 goals per game over their last four games. A small sample size, but it might take them some time to heat up again offensively.
David Pastrnak to score (+140)
Pastrnak has been the straw that stirs the drink for Boston for quite some time. Not only that, but he has been one of the NHL's top scorers, potting 35+ goals in seven of his 12 campaigns prior to this one.
This season, Pastrnak unsurprisingly leads the Bruins in goals (8) and power play goals (3), but this year he has not had to carry them whatsoever.
The forward group he leads has all chipped in in their own way, with four other players having 5+ goals.
Any given night, Pastrnak is still usually the biggest threat on the ice to score and, with 3.56 shots per game, he is still extremely hungry.
He has 24 more shots than the next player on the team and averages over one full minute more than the next forward.
Pittsburgh has been extremely inconsistent and loose defensively, paving the way for Pastrnak to find the back of the net and the dynamic scorer is certainly due, with just one goal over his last four games.
Read more betting picks and predictions for the NHL on site.
Bruins vs. Penguins odds
Boston Bruins | +135 |
Pittsburgh Penguins | -160 |
Puck Line | PIT Penguins -1.5 |
Total | O/U 6.5 |
Bruins vs. Penguins player props
Anytime goalscorer
David Pastrnak (BOS Bruins) | +140 |
Sidney Crosby (PIT Penguins) | +185 |
Rickard Rakell (PIT Penguins) | +190 |
Morgan Geekie (BOS Bruins) | +210 |
Pavel Zacha (BOS Bruins) | +230 |
Elias Lindholm (BOS Bruins) | +250 |
Read the latest NHL ice hockey news on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
