Betting on today’s Penguins and Bruins game? Catch the action at TD Garden in Boston, MA, as the Bruins hosts this showdown at 7:00 ET on ESPN. The over/under for this Eastern conference contest is set at 6 goals, with the Bruins being the favored team playing at home against the Penguins.

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS VS BOSTON BRUINS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Boston Bruins -1.5

This game will be played at TD Garden at 7:00 ET on Thursday, January 4th.

WHY BET THE BOSTON BRUINS:

  • Even though they are 1.5 goal underdogs, we see the Penguins winning this game by a score of 4-3.
  • We like the Penguins on the moneyline (+128)
  • The Penguins are also our pick on the spread at +1.5

Will the Penguins Defense Show Up in Boston?

This season, the Penguins have a mark of 18-14-4. When going on the road, Pittsburgh has a record of 8-7-3 record, while they are 10-7-1 at their home arena. They are currently positioned 7th in the Eastern Metropolitan division and 11th in the Eastern conference.

In terms of the puck line, Pittsburgh are 17-19. When playing on the road against the puck line, they are 8-10, while their overall home performance is 9-9. This season, Pittsburgh’s games have an average of 5.8 goals per game. The average over/under number for the season is 6.4. The Penguins come in with an over/under performance of 14-19-3.

Pittsburgh has a 1-2 record in their last three road games. In this stretch, they averaged 3 goals per game while allowing 4. The team also performed well vs the puck line at 2-1.

When looking at their offense, the Penguins have an average of 3 goals per game this season, positioning themselves 23rd in the NHL. In terms of shots on goal per game, they are ranked 8th in the league. The Penguins went 11-8 in games where they had more shots than their opponents. However, in games with fewer shots on goal, their record was 6-6.

Pittsburgh’s leading goal scorer is Sidney Crosby. So far this season, he has 21 goals, placing him 8th in the NHL. Crosby also comes into the game with 17 assists.

In terms of defense, the Bruins head into the game ranked 9th in goals allowed. On average, opponents are taking 31.8 shots per game against Boston. So far, they are 12th in shutouts, achieving 2 shutouts.

Goalie Tristan Jarry comes into the game having made 25 starts this season. So far, his record is 11-11 and he has a save percentage of 0.8725490196078431%.

Will Boston Live Up to Expectations at Home?

Through 36 games, the Bruins have achieved an overall record of 23-7-6. When on the road, Boston holds a 12-5-3 record, while they are 11-2-3 when playing at home. In the Eastern Atlantic division, they are currently 1st, and in the Eastern conference, they come into the game sitting 1st.

Regarding the puck line, Boston comes in with a 20-16 record. On the road against the puck line, they are 11-9, while their home record is 9-7. Games involving Boston have an average of 5.8 goals per game this season. Their average over/under line is 5.9. In terms of their over/under performance, the Bruins come in with a record of 17-19-0.

When looking at their past three matchups at home, Boston has an puck line record of 3-0 while averaging 4 per game. The team went 3-0 overall in these games.

When looking at their offense, the Bruins have an average of 3.2 goals per game this season, positioning themselves 15th in the NHL. In terms of shots on goal per game, they are ranked 22nd in the league. This season, the Bruins have a 9-0 record in games where they outshoot their opponent. In games with fewer shots on goal, they hold a 13-6 record.

The leading scorer for Boston’s offense is David Pastrnak. Coming into the game he has 22 goals, ranking 6th in the NHL. In addition to his goal scoring, Pastrnak has 28 assists this season.

Defensively, the Bruins come into the season ranked 9th in goals allowed. Opponents are averging 31.8 shots per game against Boston. For the season, they are ranked 12th in shutouts, coming in with 2 shutouts.

Goalie Jeremy Swayman gets the start and has made 18 starts this season. His record at this point is 11-2, and his save percentage is 0.7352941176470589%.