The Nashville Predators face off with the Pittsburgh Penguins Thursday night! Check out our NHL odds series as we hand out a Predators-Penguins prediction and pick. We will also let you know how to watch the game.
Nashville would not be in the playoffs if the season ended today. However, with 82 points on the year, they sit just three points back of the Winnipeg Jets. The Predators are 5-4-1 in their last ten games, but they will need to play a little better than that if they want to overtake the Jets for the second wild card spot. Nashville may have started that better play Tuesday night in Boston. They came away with a hard fought 2-1 win over the Bruins. Cody Glass and Cole Smith were able to find the back of the net while Juuse Saros had 35 saves on the night.
The Penguins are just barely holding on to that second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. With 82 points, Pittsburgh sits just one point ahead of the Florida Panthers. Pittsburgh has allowed Florida to gain some ground lately by winning just four of their last 10 games. In their last game, the Penguins had four different players score goals, but their goaltending play was bad. Casey DeSmith allowed six goals on just 24 shots in the 7-4 loss to the Detroit Red Wings Tuesday night.
These two teams met a little over a month ago. Pittsburgh won that game 3-1 by scoring three unanswered goals in the third period.
Here are the Predators-Penguins NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Odds: Predators-Penguins Odds
Nashville Predators: +1.5 (-140)
Pittsburgh Penguins: -1.5 (+116)
Over: 6.5 (-104)
Under: 6.5 (-118)
How To Watch Predators vs. Penguins
TV: AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, Ball Sports South
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 7 PM ET/4 PM PT
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Predators Could Cover The Spread
The Predators will win this game by having a strong game in the net. Juuse Saros is expected to start in this one and he is having a very respectable year. He is tied for the seventh best record as a goaltender, he is top 20 in goals allowed per game and top 10 in save percentage. In the month of March, Saros is allowing just 2.69 goals per game. He just held the best team in the NHL to one goal on their home ice, so he comes into this game with a lot of confidence. Another strong game from Saros will bring the Predators one win closer to stealing a playoff spot.
Nashville is not a team known for their goal scoring, but they will have a good opportunity to score against the Penguins. Pittsburgh is allowing 3.6 goals per game in their last ten. They allowed seven goals to the Red Wings who score less than three goals per game. Nashville just needs to get to that three goal mark. Three goals is not unrealistic by any means. When the Predators do that, they have a record of 25-7-3. They will be in the best position to cover the spread if they find a way to score three goals.
Why The Penguins Could Cover The Spread
The Penguins need to score to win as they will not win if this a low scoring game. Sidney Crosby has just two points in his last six games. He is also the second leading goal scorer in Pittsburgh, but has just three goals in his last ten games. The Penguins need Crosby to step up and be a better playmaker in this game.
Tristan Jarry is expected to start in net for Pittsburgh. He is the best goaltender on the team with a .908 save percentage and a record of 21-10-6. He has allowed just 2.98 goals per game as well. The Predators are not the strongest offensive team, so Jarry has a great chance to lead the Penguins to a win. Nashville has scored just 2.5 goals per game in their last ten games. If Jarry can have a good game, the Penguins should win this game by a few goals.
Final Predators-Penguins Prediction & Pick
The Penguins might win this game, but it will be hard fought. The Predators know what is at stake, and they are coming off a huge road win. The Predators will keep this one close.
Final Predators-Penguins Prediction & Pick: Predators +1.5 (-140), Under 6.5 (-118)
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