NHL Predictions: January 11th, Pittsburgh Penguins at Boston Bruins

The Penguins visit Boston to face the Bruins. Welcome back to NHL Predictions here with Last Word On Hockey! Each day, we provide in-depth analysis, insights, and predictions for games around the NHL. In tonight’s matchup, Pittsburgh and Boston look to gain ground in a tight Stanley Cup Playoff race in the Eastern Conference.

NHL Predictions: Pittsburgh Penguins vs Boston Bruins

Head-to-Head: Bruins 0-0 Penguins

Time: 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)

How to Watch: Sportsnet+, SNE, TVAS, SN-PIT, NESN, ESPN+,

David Pastrnak and the Boston Bruins host Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Penguins Story

The Penguins come into this game off a 2-1 loss to the Calgary Flames. With the loss, the Penguins’ six-game win streak came to an end. The team is still 7-3-0 in their last 10. With a record of 21-13-9 on the season, Pittsburgh is just in and around a Wild Card spot in the East. The Penguins will need to continue putting up points in the second half of the season to put themselves in position for a playoff spot. The Penguins’ top-five power play was unable to score against the Flames yesterday. This is the biggest area the Penguins will need to focus on against the Bruins to ensure they win this game.

New acquisition Yegor Chinakhov had the sole Penguins goal yesterday against Calgary. The assists on the goal came from Evgeni Malkin and rookie Benjamin Kindel. As great as it is that that line seems to be clicking in their short time together, the Penguins do need more contributions from around their lineup as well. With the injury to Bryan Rust, expect Thomas Novak to continue playing on the top line with captain Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell. From the blue line, defenceman Erik Karlsson has looked completely revitalized this season. Although he failed to score a point in the game against the Flames, Karlsson looked dangerous, creating opportunities for the team. With four goals and 33 points in 44 games, Karlsson has been a staple for the Penguins this season. Expect him to be a focal point of the Penguins offence against Boston in this game.

Bruins Story

The Boston Bruins come into this game on the second half of a back-to-back. Yesterday, they played and dominated the New York Rangers, winning the game 10-2, with two different players recording hat tricks in the contest. With the victory, the Bruins are 4-4-2 in their last 10. Their record of 24-19-2 places them just around the Wild Card spots along with the Penguins. The Bruins offence is tied for the third-most goals in the NHL. However, they also have a bottom-10-ranked goals against figure in the league. Something that the Pittsburgh Penguins may take advantage of.

Boston is led in scoring by superstar forward David Pastrnak. Pastrnak has scored 19 goals and 55 points in just 40 games this season. He recorded six assists in the game against the Rangers yesterday. Former second-round pick Marat Khusnutdinov was the star of the game. He recorded four goals and an assist for five points on the night. With this, he has a total of nine goals and 20 points through 40 games this season. Centre Pavel Zacha had himself a game against New York as well, scoring a hat trick during the win. With the hat trick, he has 13 goals and 31 points through 44 games this season. From the blueline, Charlie McAvoy continues to be a star. But with just two goals and 25 points through 33 games this season, McAvoy hasn’t been quite the defenceman he’s capable of being.

The Goaltending Matchup

With Jeremy Swayman starting yesterday against the Rangers, it is fair to assume that Joonas Korpisalo will start against the Penguins today. Korpisalo has a record of 7-8-0 with an .888 save percentage this season. The Bruins will need to isolate their goaltender in order to ensure the Penguins high-octane offence isn’t able to turn this into a drubbing.

In net, expect Stuart Skinner to get the start after Arturs Silovs saw his four-game win streak snapped by the Flames yesterday. Skinner himself is on a three-game win streak, in which he has a save percentage of .949 over this time. 

This is a great time for our disclaimer. Please check social media before locking in your daily fantasy lineups.

NHL Prediction

As good as the Penguins have been recently, day games are certainly a weakness for this team. Their offence looked limp yesterday, and that may continue again today. The Bruins, meanwhile, have won two straight and are looking good. Expect them to get the victory in this game. 

NHL Prediction: Bruins win 3-1

Prop Bet of the Night

The Penguins have been tightening things up defensively and looking to play lower-scoring games as of late. They struggled to score yesterday against the Flames, and this is likely to happen again against the Bruins, as such a popular prop bet of goals under five with odds of +250 is a solid bet. 

Please play responsibly, check for your local rules and age restrictions; some jurisdictions require ages 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER