The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Tampa Bay Lightning meet Thursday in NHL action from the Benchmark International Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Lightning vs. Penguins Prediction.
Pittsburgh Penguins Recap
The Pittsburgh Penguins come into this game looking to add on to their 5-1 win over Detroit last time out to sit at 38-21-16 this season. After this game, the Penguins will head home for a back-to-back with the Florida Panthers.
Penguins Win Back-To-Back Games
Sidney Crosby leads Pittsburgh in scoring with 67 points, including 28 goals and 39 assists, while Evgeni Malkin has 53 points with 15 goals and 38 assists. Anthony Mantha has 58 points with 30 goals and 28 assists. Erik Karlsson has 47 assists, while Bryan Rust has 61 points with 27 goals and 34 assists. Arturs Silovs has gone 17-10-8 with a 2.99 GAA and an .891 save percentage in goal for the Penguins so far this season, while Stuart Skinner is 11-7-5 with a 2.90 GAA and an .888 save percentage this year. Sergei Murashov is 1-1-2 with a 2.56 GAA and an .897 save percentage in goal for Pittsburgh this season.
Why the Pittsburgh Penguins will win
- The Penguins have won four of their last five games as road underdogs.
- The Lightning have lost four of their last five games as home favorites against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- The Penguins have covered the puck line in each of their last eight games as road underdogs against Eastern Conference opponents.
- The Lightning have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last four games as favorites against Metropolitan Division opponents.
Pittsburgh Penguins Player Prop Facts
- Kris Letang has recorded an assist in each of the Penguins’ last seven Thursday games against the Lightning.
- Rickard Rakell has scored at least one goal in four of the Penguins’ last five games.
- Parker Wotherspoon has recorded a positive plus-minus rating in each of his last four appearances—the equal-longest active streak in the league.
Tampa Bay Lightning Recap
The Tampa Bay Lightning come into this game looking to bounce back from their 4-1 loss at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens last time out to sit at 46-22-6 this season. After this game, Tampa Bay will take on the Boston Bruins at home.
Lightning Have Two-Game Win Streak Snapped
Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning in scoring with 121 points, including 40 goals and 81 assists while Brandon Hagel has 73 points with 35 goals and 38 assists and Jake Guentzel has 81 points with 36 goals and 45 assists. Anthony Cirelli has 49 points with 20 goals and 29 assists. Darren Raddysh has also added 66 points with 20 goals and 46 assists on the year. Andrei Vasilevskiy has gone 35-13-4 with a 2.32 GAA and a .912 save percentage, while Jonas Johansson is 11-9-2 with a 3.21 GAA and an . 886 save percentage this season.
Why the Tampa Bay Lightning will win
- The Penguins have lost seven of their last eight games following a home win.
- The Lightning have won each of their last four games following a loss.
- The Lightning have covered the puck line in each of their last four games following a loss.
Tampa Bay Lightning Player Prop Facts
- Jake Guentzel has scored a goal in seven of the Lightning’s last eight games.
- Ryan McDonagh has recorded at least one assist in each of his last four appearances against the Penguins.
- Nikita Kucherov ranks 1st in the league for multi-assist games (24) this season.
Total Goals Facts
- Each of the Penguins’ last seven road games has gone OVER the total goals line.
- Seventeen of the Lightning’s last 20 games against the Penguins following a loss have gone OVER the total goals line.
Lightning vs Penguins Prediction
I’m on the over in this game. I think there’s going to be some goals in this game, as the Penguins have found themselves in some shootouts as of late, and these two teams have played in some high-scoring head-to-head matchups. I think we’re headed for more goals here; give me the over.