The Boston Bruins will be looking to capture both ends of their current home-and-home series with Pittsburgh when they visit the Penguins on Friday as -120 betting favorites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The Bruins improved to 3-1 in their last four games with Wednesday’s 3-0 win over Pittsburgh, which also moved them into a second-place tie in the Atlantic Division standings with the Detroit Red Wings.
Goaltender Tuukka Rask backstopped the Bruins to his fourth shutout of the season, and second in under two weeks, turning aside 34 shots in the win over Pittsburgh.
Rask has been nearly unbeatable, surrendering just two goals over his last four starts, and is expected to get the call once again in Friday night’s Bruins-Penguins betting matchup at Consol Energy Centre.
With just one regulation loss in their last 13 outings, the Bruins have also started to garner attention at the sportsbooks, where their NHL futures betting stock is on the rise.
After tumbling to 50/1 on the Stanley Cup odds following an uninspiring 6-7 start, the club now enters the weekend on the rise, joining the Penguins, New York Islanders, and Nashville Predators at a respectable 25/1.
The Bruins’ impressive 10-2-2 road record has been the difference this season, with only the Calgary Flames, Dallas Stars, and San Jose Sharks recording more road victories to date.
Conversely, it has been a brutal first half for Pittsburgh, which ride a three-game losing streak into Friday’s tilt, going just 3-8 in its past 11 games. The Penguins’ dismal performance, which has seen them drop uncharacteristically to 28th in the NHL in team scoring, reached a breaking point last week with the firing of coach Mike Johnston.
The second-year bench boss was replaced last weekend by former Bruins coach Mike Sullivan, but the club has yet to respond, scoring just one goal in two games with Sullivan at the helm.
Complicating matters is the absence of star goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who remains sidelined with a concussion, leading to speculation that Penguins top prospect Matt Murray will be between the pipes on Friday night.
The Penguins’ current woes provide Boston with a golden opportunity to extend their recent head-to-head dominance, winning nine of the last 11 meetings between the two clubs, including four of five on the road.
Thumbnail photo via Perry Nelson/USA TODAY Sports Images
