Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Florida Panthers Prediction, NHL Odds
The Panthers hobble home after getting outclassed in Saturday’s 6-3 loss in Washington that marked their fourth defeat during their recent road trip but remain deadlocked with Toronto atop the divisional standings with just 12 games remaining in the regular season. The Penguins have kept their flickering playoff hopes alive with wins in five of their past six, capped by Friday’s 6-3 victory over the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets but have fallen to defeat in four of their past five road contests.
The Panthers return home perched as lofty -275 favourites on the Sunday NHL odds. The Penguins trail as +225 underdogs and the total is listed at 6.0.
Penguins vs. Panthers NHL Betting Odds
These clubs have met on two previous occasions this season, with each picking up a home victory, capped by the Panthers’ 3-2 win on January 3. Overall, the Panthers have topped Pittsburgh in four of their pas five meetings including three straight on home ice in which they limited the Pens to just four total goals.
However, the Penguins have rediscovered their scoring touch during their current 5-1-0 run, potting 4.33 goals per game but have scored just seven total goals while losing four of five on the road and currently lead only the Buffalo Sabres in the Eastern Conference with just 11 total road wins this season.
The Panthers struggled to generate offence during their just completed road trip, averaging just two goals per game and now face the challenge of snapping a three-game losing streak when playing in the second half of back-to-back games. In addition, the Panthers have failed to score more than two goals in each of their past five when playing the second of back-to-back games.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins have stormed out of the gate during their recent surge, scoring seven total first-period goals over their past three contests, but have a shown a tendency to wear down while allowing an average of two goals per game after 40 minutes over their past six outings. The club has benefited from distributed scoring, with seven different shooters tallying the team’s eight total goals in the past two games.
Sidney Crosby remains the catalyst up front. With his two-point night versus Columbus, Crosby now has six goals and four assists during a six-game point streak and 15 points in 10 games this month. Evgeni Malkin has also upped his production, scoring twice and contributing two helpers over the past six games but has picked up just two points in 10 road appearances.
Florida Panthers
While Panthers shooters have struggled to light the lamp, they have enjoyed a chance to win every team Sergei Bobrovsky guards the crease. Sunday’s expected starter, Bobrovsky turned aside all 25 shots he faced last time out to lead the club to a 1-0 win in Columbus and record his third shutout of the month. Bobrovsky has been particularly steady on home ice, allowing just one total goal in his past three outings and sports a sparkling 1.30 goals against average and .943 save percentage while compiling a 5-2-0 record this month.
Injuries remain a big concern, with Dmitry Kulikov joining Matthew Tkachuk and Brad Marchand in the clinic. However, recent addition Seth Jones has made his presence felt, with the recently acquired rearguard picking up points in each of the past two games.
PIT
FLA