Two of the most heavily-penalized clubs in the league, the Anaheim Ducks and the Pittsburgh Penguins take the ice at PPG Paints Arena for an East-West matchup. The matchup will get underway at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 23, and you will be able to watch it live on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh.
Anaheim Ducks at Pittsburgh Penguins Odds
Pittsburgh comes into the matchup as the substantial favorite with a moneyline of -185. The line for Anaheim sits at +160 and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The line for betting that total stands at -120 for the over and +100 for the under.
Losing -6.0 units for moneyline bettors, the Penguins are 18-18 straight up (SU) overall thus far. That early-season winning percentage is a regression from the 50-32 record that the team managed during the 2016-17 season campaign. Of the team’s 36 games this season, 19 have gone over the total, while 15 have gone under and just two have pushed. The team’s 11-6 SU at home this season.
Pittsburgh enters the matchup with the third-strongest power-play unit in the NHL, as it’s found the net on 24.8 percent of their extra-man opportunities this season. On the other hand, its penalty kill is rated 19th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 80.6 percent of all penalties.
As a collective unit, Pittsburgh has been penalized 4.5 times per game overall this season, 4.4 per game over its past five games total, and 4.0 per game over its last five home outings. The team has had to kill penalties for 9.6 minutes per contest over its last five home games.
Boasting a .908 save percentage and 26.4 saves per game, Matt Murray (14-11-1) has been the top goalkeeper for the Penguins this season. If the Pens choose to give him a breather, however, the team may turn to Tristan Jarry (5-5-5 record, .919 save percentage, 2.49 goals against average).
Phil Kessel and Sidney Crosby will each be focal points for the Penguins. Kessel (39 points) has tallied 15 goals and 24 assists and has recorded two or more points on eight separate occasions this year. Crosby has 14 goals and 20 assists to his credit and has recorded a point in 21 contests.
On the other side of the rink, Anaheim is 15-21 straight up (SU) and has lost 4.2 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 36 regular season matches, 22 of its games have gone under the total, while 13 have gone over and just one has pushed. Anaheim’s 7-11 SU as an away team this season.
Anaheim has converted on just 17.0 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that’s ranked 23rd in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 13th overall and it’s successfully killed off 82.4 percent of all penalties.
Anaheim’s skaters have been penalized 4.6 times per game this season, and 2.6 per game over their last five road outings. The team has had to stave off opponent power plays just 7.9 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
John Gibson (.920 save percentage and 2.88 goals against average) has been the main option in goal for Anaheim. Gibson is averaging 30.9 saves per game and has 10 wins, 17 losses, and five OT losses to his credit.
Adam Henrique (eight goals, 14 assists) has been one of the top facilitators on offense for the visiting Ducks.
Anaheim Ducks vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Picks
Predictions: SU Winner – Penguins, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes
The under has hit in three of Pittsburgh’s last five games.
Anaheim has managed 30.4 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Pittsburgh is averaging 38.6 shots per game over its last five home outings.
The Ducks are 2-7 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 8-10 in games where they’re in the penalty box for fewer than 10 total minutes.
Two of Anaheim’s last ten games have gone to a shootout. The team is 0-2 in those games and 2-4 overall in shootouts this season.
Pittsburgh has managed 7.8 takeaways per game over its last five home games, an improvement over its season average of 6.3 takeaways per game (ranked 24th in the NHL).
Anaheim has averaged 8.2 takeaways per game over its last five road games, an improvement over its season average of 6.3 takeaways per game (ranked 22nd in the NHL).
