NHL Odds: Bruins Favored Over Penguins In Thursday Night Tilt In Boston
The Boston Bruins will be looking to extend their home winning streak against the Pittsburgh Penguins to five games when they host the defending Stanley Cup champions on Thursday as -135 favorites on the NHL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Boston has dominated the Penguins at TD Garden, going 6-0-1 in their last seven meetings going into Thursday night’s Penguins vs. Bruins betting matchup at the venue.
Recent dates with Pittsburgh have tended to be close contests. Boston dropped a 6-5 overtime decision to the Penguins as a +102 underdog when these two teams last met at PPG Paints Arena on Jan. 7 and now has seen four of its past five tilts with Pittsburgh settled by a single goal.
High scoring also has been the norm in recent clashes with the Penguins. The Bruins and Penguins have combined to score an average of 7.42 goals per game over their past seven matchups, spawning a 7-0-0 run for the OVER for totals bettors.
The OVER also has regularly paid out for the Bruins in recent weeks, going 7-3-0 in their past 10 outings. However, that run has coincided with a bout of inconsistency that has left Boston with just five wins in its past nine outings.
The Bruins opened a six-game homestand Tuesday with a 4-3 overtime win over the Carolina Hurricanes as -183 favorites, ending a two-game slide and marking the first time the club has scored more than three goals in six outings.
Despite the Bruins’ recent struggles, they remain just a single point back of the Toronto Maple Leafs for second place in the Atlantic Division standings, with five games in hand, and have held steady on the Stanley Cup odds, closely trailing the favorites at +800.
The Penguins travel to Boston as +116 underdogs after recording consecutive defeats for the first time since late December, including Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils as -190 home favorites. While the Penguins have won 16 of 22 overall, they have produced mixed results on the road, going 4-4-1 over their past nine, but have claimed outright victory in four of six as road underdogs.
Following Thursday night’s contest, the Bruins prepare for visits from two Original Six rivals, with the Montreal Canadiens arriving in town Saturday, followed by a date with the Detroit Red Wings next Tuesday.
The Bruins have taken five straight from both Montreal and Detroit, limiting the Canadiens to just one total goal, and the Red Wings to two total goals, in each of those clubs’ past two visits to TD Garden.
