The Pittsburgh Penguins, led by Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel, are prepared to take the ice against Mikko Rantanen, Nathan MacKinnon, and the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center in an East-West tilt. The action will get started at 9:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, November 28, and you’ll be able to witness it live on NBC Sports Network.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Colorado Avalanche Odds
Earning moneyline bettors 2.0 units, Colorado is 14-10 straight up (SU) overall this year. That winning percentage, ranked fifth in the league in this young season, is fairly close to the 43-39 record the team posted during last year’s regular season campaign. Of the team’s 24 games this season, 12 have gone over the total, while 11 have gone under and none have pushed. Thus far, the team’s 5-4 SU at home.
The Avalanche currently tout the strongest power-play unit in the NHL, as they’ve converted on 32.1 percent of their extra-man opportunities this year. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 14th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 81.1 percent of all penalties.
With a .927 save percentage and 29.4 saves per game, Semyon Varlamov (9-7-2) has been the principal goalkeeper for Colorado this season. Varlamov did just play last night, however, so Colorado might opt to give him a breather and turn to Philipp Grubauer instead (5-3-3 record, .907 save percentage, 3.07 goals against average).
Over on the other bench, Pittsburgh is 10-13 straight up (SU) and has lost 12.3 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year. Through 23 regular season outings, 10 of its games have gone under the total, while eight have gone over and four have pushed. As a road team so far, the Penguins are 5-6 SU.
The Penguins have converted on 24.6 percent of their power play chances this year, a mark that places it in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked ninth overall and it’s successfully killed off 82.4 percent of all penalties.
Casey DeSmith (24.5 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for Pittsburgh. DeSmith owns a 6-9-3 record, and has registered a .924 save percentage and 2.41 goals against average this year.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Colorado Avalanche Betting Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Avalanche, O/U – Over
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Notes
Betting Trends
Six of Colorado’s last ten contests have been decided by two or more goals. The team is 4-2 overall in those games.
The extra-man advantage may prove to be extremely important in the outcome of this matchup. The Penguins are 3-6 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 8-8 when they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Avalanche are 6-2 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 9-4 when they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
For both of these clubs, the game went over the total in three of their past five matchups.
Pittsburgh skaters have averaged 8.4 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 9.8 giveaways per game (ranked 16th overall).
Colorado skaters have averaged 7.2 giveaways over its last five home games, right in line with its season average of 7.0 giveaways per game (the 4th-fewest in the NHL).
Pittsburgh skaters have accounted for the second-most hits in the league (30.4 per game), but that number’s down to just 26.8 hits over their last five away games.
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