The Pittsburgh Penguins will get back No. 1 goaltender Matt Murray on Friday night when they host the Boston Bruins in the marquee matchup on Friday’s hockey schedule. The Pens are solid home NHL Betting favorites…because they are always favored at home.
Evgeni Malkin had a night to forget on Wednesday as he was minus-4. It was also his third straight game off the scoresheet. He has just a goal and three points in his last eight contests. “He’s so important to this team,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said of Malkin. “His line is so important to this team. We’re trying to find ways to get them going a little bit.”
Matt Cullen (lower body) returned to the Penguins’ lineup on Wednesday. Cullen had a plus-one rating in 10:14 minutes of ice time. It was his first game since Nov. 17.
Casey DeSmith allowed four goals on 27 shots. DeSmith has a 9-5-4 record with a 2.43 goals-against-average and a .921 save percentage this season. With Matt Murray healthy, DeSmith slides into a No. 2 role. Murray was activated Wednesday after being sidelined since mid-November with a lower-body injury and served as the No. 2.
The two-time Stanley Cup winner Murray practiced with his teammates on Tuesday for the first time since going on injured reserve last month. The 24-year-old has struggled this season when able to play. He is 4-5-1 with a 4.08 goals-against average in 11 appearances but declined to use the injury as an excuse for his shaky performance. Murray will start Friday.
How to Bet Bruins at Penguins NHL Betting Lines & Game Info
“”Look up and down their lineup they have a lot of supers stars. For us, we have to come in with that mentality of coming in really hungry and be prepared to play some defense.”
🎥 @DonatoRyan on the challenge that the #NHLBruins will face when they play the Penguins on Friday: pic.twitter.com/NuREDnUhAe — Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) 13 de diciembre de 2018
- When: Friday, 7 PM ET
- Where: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh
- TV: NHL Center Ice
- Live Stream: NHL.tv
- Radio: TuneIn
- NHL Betting Lines: Pittsburgh Penguins -140 / Boston Bruins +127 (Total 6)
Season Series
Boston leads 1-0, winning 2-1 in overtime at home on Nov. 23. Joakim Nordstrom tipped in a pass from Torey Krug 1:57 into overtime. Jake DeBrusk also scored and Jaroslav Halak made 36 saves for the Bruins. David Pastrnak had an assist on the overtime goal, getting to a loose puck after the Penguins got caught on an extended shift in the OT and feeding Krug with a cross-ice pass. Tristan Jarry had 35 saves for the Penguins, getting his first start of the season one day after being recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL. Evgeni Malkin scored the only goal for Pittsburgh. The Bruins were without captain D Zdeno Chara (lower body) and alternate captain C Patrice Bergeron (rib).Why Bet on Boston?
The Bruins won a third straight game on Tuesday, 4-3 over Arizona. All four goals were in the second period after Boston was down 2-0. Brad Marchand scored two goals and assisted on another. Marchand scored goals 1:59 apart, with the second holding up as the winner. The 30-year-old winger is now up to 10 goals and 32 points in 31 games. David Pastrnak scored a goal and added two assists. He got his 21st marker of the season to the tie the game at 2-2 and then he helped set up two goals by Marchand. Pastrnak has two goals and six assists over a four-game point streak. David Krejci contributed three assists. Krejci has two goals and five assists during a four-game point streak. David Backes was OK after a scary incident on Tuesday night when he was clipped in the face by the state of Arizona’s Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Backes left the ice near the end of the first period, but he returned for the start of the second period and played the rest of the game. Tuukka Rask stopped 30 of 33 shots in the win, his fourth in the past six games. He’s 8-6-2 with a 2.53 goals-against-average and a .917 save percentage. The Coyotes have not beaten Boston since the teams played in Prague to open the 2010-11 season. Winger Jake DeBrusk is going through the concussion protocol. He has missed the Bruins’ last three games. Coach Bruce Cassidy said this week that top forward Patrice Bergeron has been skating on his own. Bergeron hasn’t played since Nov. 16 after he suffered a rib and sternoclavicular injury. Zdeno Chara also has resumed skating. The future Hall of Famer has been sidelined since Nov. 14 due to an MCL injury.Team Stats
Offense- Goals: 2.74
- Shots: 31.68
- PP/PK Percentage: 26.26
- Goals: 2.55
- Shots: 31.87
- PP/PK Percentage: 23.40
Why Bet on Pittsburgh?
The Penguins played horribly Wednesday in a 6-3 loss in Chicago, which had lost eight in a row. The Penguins actually had been building some momentum in the previous three weeks, going 6-2-2 in their last 10 games, tightening up on defense and showing a semblance of the strong possession game. Marcus Kruger snapped a 3-all tie when he beat Casey DeSmith from the front of the crease 3:49 into the third period. Bryan Rust scored three times for Pittsburgh in his second career hat trick. The 26-year-old forward, who entered with one goal in 29 games this season, missed on several other prime chances. He has four goals and 10 points in 30 games this season.
Evgeni Malkin had a night to forget on Wednesday as he was minus-4. It was also his third straight game off the scoresheet. He has just a goal and three points in his last eight contests. “He’s so important to this team,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said of Malkin. “His line is so important to this team. We’re trying to find ways to get them going a little bit.”
Matt Cullen (lower body) returned to the Penguins’ lineup on Wednesday. Cullen had a plus-one rating in 10:14 minutes of ice time. It was his first game since Nov. 17.
Casey DeSmith allowed four goals on 27 shots. DeSmith has a 9-5-4 record with a 2.43 goals-against-average and a .921 save percentage this season. With Matt Murray healthy, DeSmith slides into a No. 2 role. Murray was activated Wednesday after being sidelined since mid-November with a lower-body injury and served as the No. 2.
The two-time Stanley Cup winner Murray practiced with his teammates on Tuesday for the first time since going on injured reserve last month. The 24-year-old has struggled this season when able to play. He is 4-5-1 with a 4.08 goals-against average in 11 appearances but declined to use the injury as an excuse for his shaky performance. Murray will start Friday.
Team Stats
Offense- Goals: 3.37
- Shots: 32.70
- PP/PK Percentage: 22.62
- Goals: 3.27
- Shots: 31.80
- PP/PK Percentage: 17.05
Bruins at Penguins NHL Betting Trends
- Over is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings in Pittsburgh
- Home team is 8-0 in the last 8 meetings
- Over is 8-1 in the last 9 meetings
- Bruins are 4-1 in the last 5 meetings
- Boston is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
- Boston is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games on the road
- The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Boston’s last 8 games on the road
- Pittsburgh is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Boston
- Pittsburgh is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Boston
- The total has gone OVER in 8 of Pittsburgh’s last 9 games when playing Boston
