The Boston Bruins will be looking to sweep their season series with Pittsburgh when they play host to the Penguins on Wednesday night as -125 betting favorites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Boston returns to action in Wednesday night’s Penguins vs. Bruins betting matchup at TD Garden looking to rebound from a 6-4 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday, which spoiled its return home following its longest road trip of the season.
The loss to Columbus dropped the Bruins to 2-3 over their past five games and marks the third time in their past nine games that they have surrendered six or more goals, following a 6-5 loss at Detroit on Feb. 14 and a 9-2 blowout defeat on home ice at the hands of the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 9.
Despite their uneven play, Boston remains in control of the first Eastern Conference Wild Card and sits in fourth place in the Atlantic Division standings, just five points back of the division-leading Florida Panthers.
While most clubs would be looking forward to home cooking following a lengthy road trip, the Bruins might have preferred to stay on the road.
The club posted a respectable 4-2 record on its recent junket, including lopsided victories over the Winnipeg Jets and Dallas Stars, improving its recent record away from TD Garden to 8-2 in its past 10 games.
Conversely, the Bruins have struggled on home ice, going 4-9 in their past 13 and getting outscored by a sizable 53-34 margin over that stretch, according to the OddsShark NHL Database.
A visit from the Pittsburgh Penguins might provide a tonic for the Bruins’ recent home woes. Boston has dominated the Penguins of late, claiming victory in each of its last four meetings, including both ends of a home-and-home series in mid-December in which it outscored Pittsburgh by a 9-2 margin.
Those recent victories came during an early-season swoon by the Penguins, who posted just five wins during a 17-game stretch starting in mid-November. Pittsburgh has since turned things around, winning nine of its past 14 to climb back into the hunt for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Following their date with Pittsburgh, the Bruins travel to Carolina to battle the surprising Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night before returning to Boston for a four-game homestand, which begins with a crucial matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday followed by visits from the powerhouse Chicago Blackhawks and Washington Capitals next week.
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