A special Black Friday night in the NHL features a matchup between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Boston Bruins. Welcome to NHL predictions here on Last Word on Hockey! Each day, we examine upcoming games, providing predictions and analyzing head-to-head matchups. In today’s prediction article, Sidney Crosby and the Penguins visit TD Garden to face David Pastrnak and the Bruins. Be sure to check out all of our NHL predictions for all the games on Last Word on Hockey!
NHL Predictions
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Boston Bruins
Time: 6:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST); 3:30 p.m.
TV: Sportsnet; TVAS; TNT
With the NHL season in full swing, the Pittsburgh Penguins are looking to build some momentum. With an 8-12-4 record, it’ll require a herculean effort to turn their season around. Meanwhile, the Bruins are fighting against Father Time, with an 11-10-3 record, placing them third in the Atlantic Division.
The Penguins’ Story
Pittsburgh has experienced a disappointing start to the season. Their .417 points percentage is the fourth-worst in the entire league. Crosby leads the group with 23 points in 24 games. Behind him, Evgeni Malkin has continued his solid offensive play with 21 points in 24 games. Defenceman Erik Karlsson has begun gaining momentum, following a three-point night against the Vancouver Canucks, he has five points in his last five games.
The Penguins as a group however face significant defensive struggles. They’ve allowed the most goals in the entire league, while having an NHL worst goal-differential of -33. While weapons like Crosby and Malkin are doing their job, there is simply a lack of talent behind the stars capable of contributing. Goaltending continues to be a concern as well. Although Tristan Jarry got the win against Vancouver, it was by the skin of his teeth. He posted an .862 save percentage, allowing the Canucks to bring the game from 5-1 to 5-4 by the end. With the Penguins playing a back-to-back, expect Jarry and back-up Alex Nedeljkovic to split starts.
The Bruins’ Story
The Boston Bruins are a team fighting against time. Gone are the days of Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron leading Beantown. In their stead, forwards Brad Marchand and Pastrnak as well as defenceman Charlie McAvoy lead this new iteration of the Bruins. Pastrnak leads Boston with 22 points in 24 games. This is a disappointing stat line relative to Pastrnak’s skill, as he’s shown the capability to be a top-five winger in the league. Boston captainMarchand has scored 17 points in 24 games, as he’s also looking to find his groove this season.
Goaltending-wise, franchise starter Jeremy Swayman has struggled to find his game to start the year. Swayman held out as an RFA this summer and missed training camp. While his performance is disappointing with a .888 save percentage, Swayman will likely bounce back sooner rather than later.
Prediction
Although Boston has been a step below their usual standards, they still take the edge over a spiralling Penguins team that was ever so slightly able to evade blowing a 5-1 lead to the Canucks. Expect forwards like Pastrnak and Elias Lindholm to push on the Penguin’s defence to find the cracks.
Prediction: Bruins win 3-1
Prop Bets of the Night
As the face of the Bruins, David Pastrnak has a chip on his shoulder. Expect him to push hard for a goal in this game. At a +110, FanDuel’s Any Time Goal Scorer bet is a good one.
Main photo by: Philip G. Pavely-Imagn Images
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