The Detroit Red Wings (14-42-4) visit the Pittsburgh Penguins (35-15-6) for a Sunday matinee (12:30 p.m. ET) at PPG Paints Arena.. We analyze the Red Wings-Penguins odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips around this matchup.
Red Wings at Penguins: Projected starting goalies
Jimmy Howard vs. Matt Murray
Howard has some ugly numbers on the season, and it begins with his 2-21-1 record on the season. His 3.98 GAA is last in the league by more than a half-goal. His .889 save percentage is also last in the NHL. He is coming off of a promising showing, though, as he stopped 42 of 43 shots in the 2-0 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets Feb. 7. He also stopped 35 of 37 shots in the 2-1 overtime loss to the Pens Jan. 17.
Murray owns a 2.82 GAA and .902 SV on the season. The 6-foot-4 25-year-old has been solid at home (.917 SV) this season and quite good everywhere of late. He’s logged a .927 SV over his last five starts, and that stretch began with stopping 28 of 29 against the Red Wings (Jan. 17). Murray has been a strong finisher over his career, hoisting his best numbers in February, March and April.
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Red Wings at Penguins: Odds, picks and betting tips
Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated Sunday at 9:30 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Pittsburgh 4, Detroit 1
Moneyline (ML)
Pittsburgh is 17-4-1 on one-day rest. Detroit is 2-6-1 on two days’ rest, and the Red Wigs are just 5-24-1 away from home. Comparing goal margins to won-loss records points to Detroit actually being too far out over its skis with even 14 wins. The same look indicates the Penguins may be better than their current 35 wins.
So, a PITTSBURGH -385 line isn’t that far off. But let’s skip the straight-up moneyline for a better risk/reward play on the puck line.
Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
Recent puck-possession trends have not been strong, and Pittsburgh has won by multiple goals just once in the last month. That “once” was a 4-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Friday night. The Pens are 2-0 against Detroit this season. Both wins (by scores of 5-3 and 2-1) have come with the Red Wings on home ice.
The price is right here. WILL BACK PITTSBURGH -1.5 (-134).
Over/Under (O/U)
Detroit allows 4.1 goals per game on the road, but the Wings’ recent trends are peppered with unders. The under is also 5-1 over the Pens’ last six games against a foe coming off a game scoring two goals or less. And then there is the Pittsburgh offense, which has more to give than recent rates of scoring would indicate.
LAY OFF THE OVER 5.5 (-150) in a game that could well be high-scoring on one side and low-scoring on the other.
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