The Pittsburgh Penguins (18-12-9) tangle with the Detroit Red Wings (24-14-4) in a Saturday matinee. The opening faceoff from Little Caesars Arena will be at noon ET (ABC). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NHL odds around the Penguins vs. Red Wings odds and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Season series: Penguins lead 1-0
Pittsburgh and Detroit are meeting in a second straight game. On Thursday, the -135 Penguins defeated the Red Wings 4-3 (Over 6.5) in overtime. C Sidney Crosby scored 2 goals in the home win. Pittsburgh, which is 4-2 over its last 6 games against Detroit, is 4-1-0 since Dec. 21. The Pens have scored 4.60 goals per game over those last 5 contests.
Detroit, which is 5-1-1 over its last 7 games, leveraged home ice in going 11-3-1 in December. The Wings have won 4 in a row at home; they went 6-1-0 at home in December.
Penguins at Red Wings odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:45 a.m. ET.
Moneyline (ML): Penguins +115 (bet $100 to win $115) | Red Wings -140 (bet $140 to win $100)Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Penguins +1.5 (-210) | Red Wings -1.5 (+170)Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: +100 | U: -120)Penguins at Red Wings projected goalies
Stuart Skinner (12-11-4, 2.91 GAA, .888 SV%) vs. John Gibson (13-8-1, 2.97 GAA, .893 SV%)
Skinner last played Thursday when he stopped 27 of 28 pucks in a 5-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. The 27-year-old was acquired in a Dec. 12 trade with the Edmonton Oilers. His Dec. 30 performance marked his best in 4 games with the Pens.Gibson’s last game was Wednesday (23 saves while allowing 1 goal against the Winnipeg Jets). He owns an .861 SV% at home and a .926 SV% mark on the road.
Penguins at Red Wings picks and predictionsPrediction
Penguins 4, Red Wings 3
Pittsburgh has won 4 of the last 6 series meetings. Over their last 4 games at Detroit, the Penguins are 2-2 with 16 goals scored.
Peg the Red Wings as being too far out over their skis with their point percentage. A scoring profile of 130 goals for and 134 goals against hardly supports the club’s win-loss record.
Overall, the Pens have undervalued 5-on-5 figures. And if Skinner gets the nod, he has a history of fine January starts (.920 SV%) and an excellent career line against the Wings (.920 SV%).
PITTSBURGH (+115) is the value side of this one.
PASS; better value to be had in taking the Penguins straight up.
The last 7 series meetings have seen the Over go 6-1. The Over is 4-1 in Pittsburgh’s last 5 games.
Both clubs have upside in their 5-on-5 offensive production. And both have top-5 power plays. In Thursday’s contest, the Pens scored 1 PP goal and the Wings tallied 2.
TAKE THE OVER 6.5 (+100).
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