The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Boston Bruins kick off their respective schedules in the second half of the season facing against each other this Tuesday night at TD Garden. The Penguins are looking for their way out of a slump, while the Bruins want to win consecutively for the first time in a while. The Bruins are currently in the wild card picture over in the Eastern Conference, so a win tonight against the Penguins, currently third in the Metropolitan Division, could turn out to be a crucial one. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NHL odds series, which includes our Penguins-Bruins prediction, odds, and pick we have laid out below.

Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Penguins-Bruins odds:

NHL odds: Penguins-Bruins Odds

Penguins: +1.5(-235)

Bruins: -1.5(+186)

Over: 5.5 (-122)

Under: 5.5 (+100)

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Why the Penguins Could Cover the Spread 

The Penguins (27-11-3-5) are hoping that the All-Star break has gotten rid of the team's malaise. Pittsburgh entered the break on a four-game losing streak following a 4-3 overtime loss at home to the Washington Capitals on Feb. 1. All those losses happened at Pittsburgh's ice, so perhaps a change of scenery will be a big positive for the Pens, who have won nine of their last 11 games as the road team. The losses are especially frustrating for the Penguins because they have been clicking on the power play. 

They have scored nine power goals on 17 attempts on the man advantage over their last five games.  Even against Boston's solid penalty kill, what the Penguins' special teams have shown lately makes it hard to bet against them not doing anything when given the chance. The top line of Jake Guentzel, Sidney Crosby, and Bryan Rust has racked up a total of 18 power play points over the last five Penguins game. Overall last month, Rust paced the entire NHL with 1.91 points per game to go with 10 power play goals.  The Penguins are 4-0 in their last four contests after taking three full days of rest. They have also covered the puck line in 13 of 22 games away from Pittsburgh this season, so far.

The Penguins will likely have Tristan Jarry in front of the net tonight. He is 12-4-2 with a 2.03 GAA and .926 SV% with three shutouts in 18 road starts this campaign.

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Why the Bruins Could Cover the Spread

Boston (26-14-2-1) is looking for consistency when it takes on the Penguins at home later tonight. Before the All-Star break, the Bruins survived the challenge of the Seattle Kraken at home on Feb. 1, to score a 3-2 victory. The Bruins are 2-2-1 in their last five games but have not won back to back in that stretch.  They will also be greeting the second half of the season at home. That’s a good sign for Boston, as the team has won eight of their last 11 games at TD Garden. As mentioned earlier, Boston owns a stout penalty kill, and if there’s a team that could silence the Penguins’ power play, that could be the Bruins. 

For one, Boston owns a 26.4 penalty kill percentage, which has also taken a boost after shutting down all of the Kraken’s six power play opportunities. Over their last six games, the Bruins, 15-8-1 at home, have snuffed 24 of their opponents’ 27 power plays.

The Penguins have been notorious of late for their slow starts, burying just two goals in their last six games. If they can’t score early and gets their power play shut down by Boston, this could be an easy win for the home team.  Jeremy Swayman is expected to mind the net for the Bruins this Tuesday. He is 8-6 this season with a 2.31 GAA and a .916 SV& across 17 total games played (16 starts).

Final Penguins-Bruins Prediction & Pick

Both teams are well-rested after a much-needed break. The Pens and the Bruins are going to go at it in this game, each showing increased efforts than usual in an attempt to start the second half on a positive note. The Penguins may have lost a bunch of games of late, but it’s not for a lack of goals. The Bruins, on the other hand, must be salivating over the prospect of facing Pittsburgh’s defense that has given up 11 goals in three games. 

Final Penguins-Bruins Pick: Over 5.5 (-122)