When the Pittsburgh Penguins travel to Western Canada on Tuesday night to play the first-place Calgary Flames, they will attempt to end their two-game losing streak. You can follow all the betting action on the best Pennsylvania sportsbooks.
Despite having the second-worst goal differential in the Eastern Conference (minus 7) and sitting in fifth place in the Metropolitan Division, Pittsburgh has been inconsistent throughout their 3–4 start. The Penguins’ 6-3 setback in Winnipeg on Sunday is the third straight game they have lost by three goals.
However, the Flames won’t offer any relief as they lead the Pacific Division with a 4-0-1 record after five games. Under the goalkeeper duo of Dan Vladar and Dustin Wolf, Calgary is averaging four goals per game while only giving up 2.40 goals per game, which is the sixth-best total in the NHL.
Go West young Pens
Despite their poor start, there is no reason to think that the Penguins won’t be contending for a wild-card place in the Eastern Conference. With 11 points in six games, star center Evgeni Malkin is still having a great season, and the Penguins are tied for second place in the NHL in goals (24).
However, traveling to Western Canada is a challenge, particularly for a team like Pittsburgh that is losing goals. Due to a combination of poor goaltending (.871 save %, 27th) and high-danger chances against (108, highest in the NHL), the Pens are now bottom in the NHL in goals against (31) and 30th in goals-against per game (4.43).
However, goalie Tristan Jarry was benched by Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan, which allowed Alex Nedeljkovic (0-1,.861 save %, 5.05 goals-against average) to make a lot of starts.
Thanks to Malkin, captain Sidney Crosby, and seasoned journeyman center Lars Eller, Pittsburgh has yet to be defeated by its awful goaltending. Eller leads Pittsburgh in goals (4), while Crosby and Eller are tied for second place on the Penguins with six points.
However, if Wolf is in goal, can Pittsburgh’s offense score against the frugal Flames, who have only allowed 12 goals in five games? The third-year goalie is now ranked 11th in terms of goals-saved above average in all circumstances, having allowed only four goals in two games.
Penguins vs Flames odds
Although the Flames are off to a great start and have a 2-0-0 record at home, they are only a tiny -115 moneyline favorite at FanDuel Sportsbook. A winning betting on Pittsburgh to defeat Calgary will yield $0.96 profit per dollar bet because the Penguins are a -104 moneyline underdog.
In hockey betting, the puck line, also known as the spread, is extremely high, as is usually the case when betting on a match between similar opponents. The Flames are 3-2 against the puck line in their last five games, making them a strong choice as a +210 underdog to cover -1.5 goals.
One of our overtime heroes is Sidney Crosby!image.twitter.com/3JueoKyW4p
Given that each of their four losses had been by a margin of at least two goals, the Penguins are -260 to cover +1.5, which makes sense as a parlay leg but is a foolish wager on its own.
The Penguins’ tendency to give up goals but also their propensity to score makes the Over/Underis 6.5 appealing. However, Calgary isn’t letting up many goals, thus the Over might have odds of -105 and the Under -115.
Burn it down
The Penguins are undefeated against teams that did not qualify for the 16-team field the previous season, but they are 0–4 against teams that qualified for the playoffs the previous season.
Calgary qualifies as the latter because it just finished fifth in the Pacific Division with 81 points in Ryan Huska’s first season as a backup. The Vegas Golden Knights, the second wild card in the Western Conference, were 17 points ahead of the Flames, who ended tied for 11th place.
However, in forward Jonathan Huberdeau’s third season in Alberta, the Flames are enjoying a comeback season so far. Twelve different Flames players have at least one goal, and fifteen different guys have at least one point. Huberdeau leads Calgary in goals (3) and is tied for the team lead in points (6).
The Penguins also have seven players with at least two goals, excluding Crosby, who only has one, and 16 players with a point.
Although these teams don’t play each other very often, the Penguins’ greatest career figures versus Calgary include Crosby (13 goals, 13 assists), Malkin (nine goals, 12 assists), and former Western Conference holdovers Eller, Jesse Puljujarvi, and Erik Karlsson. With eight goals and 14 points versus Calgary, Puljujarvi—who began his career with the rival Edmonton Oilers—has by far the most against any opponent.
Penguins vs Flames betting
For a player who has eight goals in 25 games against the Flames and has two multi-goal performances in the last four, Eller’s anytime goal total of +490 is fantastic value. The odds for Puljujarvi are significantly greater at +650.
Naturally, the Penguins with the lowest chances of scoring a goal are Crosby (+150) and Malkin (+190). Another interesting option at +240 is Crosby’s linemate Bryan Rust, who has only one goal and one assist.
Huberdeau is a strong choice at +300 if you’re seeking to bet on a Flames player because he played the majority of his career with the Florida Panthers and has seven goals in 29 games against Pittsburgh.
Penguins vs Flames prediction
Pittsburgh could do considerably better on Tuesday night as they had the day off before traveling west to the Canadian Rockies. It is probable that the Penguins will also score a lot of goals, possibly hitting three or four.
However, there is real concern about the Penguins’ ability to keep the puck out of their net. You would have to bet for Calgary to win in a shootout, possibly in OT, given the Flames’ recent play.