The Pittsburgh Penguins (18-14-4) travel to face off against the Boston Bruins (23-7-6) on Thursday, January 4th. This game will be played at TD Garden in Boston. The Bruins are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Penguins are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Capitals. Puck drop is set for 7:00 ET.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs Boston Bruins

The Pittsburgh Penguins Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

In their 36 games, the Penguins have a 18-14-4 record this season. While playing at their home arena, they have a 10-7-1 record, and their record on the road is 8-7-3. Their current record places them 7th in the Eastern Metropolitan division and 11th in the Eastern conference. Pittsburgh comes in with 13 wins with a margin of more than one goal this season and lost 10 games by multiple goals. Their overall puck line performance is 17-19.

After suffering a 4-3 loss at home to the Capitals, the Penguins are looking to bounce back today. Offensively, the Penguins scored one goal in the first period and two times in the second period. Out of Pittsburgh’s three goals, one were scored during power plays. They concluded the game with 35 shots on goal and had 13 giveaways.

Pittsburgh took a loss against the puck line, going into the game as the favorites with a -1.5-point advantage. The teams surpassed the over/under line, which was set at 6 goals, with a combined total of 7 goals.

The Boston Bruins Are Coming Off A Win

Coming into their game vs. Penguins, the Bruins have a 23-7-6 record. They hold a 11-2-3 record when playing at home, and they have gone 12-5-3 on the road. Their current record places them 1st in the Eastern Atlantic division and 1st in the Eastern conference. Looking at Boston’s average scoring margin, it is +.7, which has led to a puck line record of 20-16. When playing at home, their scoring margin is +1.0, and on the road, it is +.5.

Facing the Blue Jackets in their last game, the Bruins won by a score of 4-1. On offense, the Bruins were held scoreless in the first period, but found the net two times in the second period and ended with two goals in the third. Of Boston’s four goals, one were scored while in power play situations. Their game ended with 27 shots on goal and one giveaways.

Coming into the game favored by -1.5, Boston also managed to pick up a victory against the puck line. The game ended below the over/under line of 6.5, with a combined total of 5 goals.

Pittsburgh Offense Breakdown

In terms of their offensive performance, the Penguins are averaging 3 goals per game this season, putting them in the 23rd spot in the NHL. When it comes to shots on goal per game, they are ranked 8th in the league. This season, the Penguins are 11-8 when getting more shots on goal than their opponents. And in games with fewer shots on goal, they have a 6-6 record.

The Penguins have posted an over/under record of 14-19-3 so far this season. During last season, they participated in 33 games that did not exceed the over/under line set at 6. On average, their games had 6.4 goals per game.

Boston Offense Breakdown

The Bruins come into the game scoring an average of 3.2 goals per game, putting them 15th in the NHL. Regarding shots targeted at the goal per game, they are 22nd in the league. Coming into the game, the Bruins have 9-0 record when they have more shots on goal than their opponent. When they have fewer shots on goal, they are 13-6.

The Bruins’ over/under record this season is 17-19-0. For the season, they have had 19 games failing to surpass this game’s over/under line of 6. Overall, their games are averaging 5.8 goals per game.

Pittsburgh Team Defense

The Penguins defense is currently 18th in goals allowed. Opponents are averaging 30.4 shots per game against Pittsburgh. In terms of shutouts, they come into the game ranked 1st with 5 shutouts.

Boston Team Defense

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.

Penguins vs Bruins Trends

• In their last three road games, Pittsburgh has averaged 3 goals per game while allowing 4. The team’s record in this stretch was 1-2 while going 2-1.
• Across their last five home contests, Boston has been good against the puck line posting a mark of 3-2. Their overall mark in these games was 3-2, while averaging 3 goals per game.
• Boston has done well both straight up and vs the puck line when favored to win the game, going 4-1 SU and 4-1 puck line in their last five games.
• Going back to their last ten games as the favorite, the Penguins have a straight up record of 5-5. But, their mark vs the puck line was just 3-7.

Penguins vs Bruins Prediction

When it comes to a moneyline wager, I’m going with the Penguins to defeat the Bruins while playing on the road. Given the current moneyline odds at +128, I’m placing a wager on the Penguins to win outright.

If you’re looking to get a bet down on this matchup, we foresee the Penguins winning the underdog. However, if you’re not as confident in the Penguins straight-up, we’d still recommend placing a bet on them to cover the puck line.

When considering the over/under line, which is currently at 6 goals, we believe that this game will go over that threshold, and we recommend wagering on the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.