Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA – Photo by Icon sport
Penguins vs Bruins: Boston is a tough place for the Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins will visit the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Thursday. The Bruins have bounced back after a rough finish of the year and are still the team with the best record in the NHL.
Can the Penguins save the season?
The Pittsburgh Penguins are 11th in the Eastern Conference with an 18-14-4 record. They have won seven of the last 10 games, but are going to Boston after a 4-3 loss to the Capitals. The Penguins are third in the league in save percentage with 91.7. They are tied for the top spot in the league with five shutouts. Pittsburgh scores exactly three goals per game, which ranks them 19th in the league. Jake Guentzel leads the Penguins with 42 points.
The Bruins have won the last four
The Boston Bruins are on top of the Eastern Conference with a 23-7-6 record. After losing four straight games for the first time in two seasons, the Bruins regrouped and have won the last four contests. They are coming off a 4-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Bruins have the best save percentage in the NHL of 92.2%. They are ranked fourth in the league, allowing 2.56 goals per game, and are also fourth with 27.5 power-play conversion. David Pastrnak is tied for fifth place in the league with 50 points so far in the season.
Betting Trends
The Penguins have gone over the total goal line in 6 of their last 9 games overall, in 4 of their last 5 road games, and in 5 of their last 7 games against Eastern Conference opponents.
Player to watch
Bruins’ center Charlie Coyle is having a solid season having 13 goals and 14 assists. The 31-year-old veteran has had a point in each of the last four appearances for the Bruins including a two-goal performance in the Bruins’ 4-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres.
Injury Reports
Milan Lucic is out for the Bruins while Matt Nieto is out for the Penguins.
Prediction and Conclusion
The Bruins have bounced back after a difficult week to end the year and are currently on a four-game winning streak. Boston has been a difficult place for the Penguins in the past seasons, as the Bruins have won 13 of the last 15 games at TD Garden. Still, Pittsburgh needs to improve in the second part of the season, and this game may be the turning point. The Penguins have nothing to lose in this one and will go all in. They know how to be aggressive and attack, which will bring many opportunities on both ends. The total goal line is set at 6, so this game will most likely go over.
