NHL Odds: Bruins Betting Underdogs In Road Tilt With Penguins
The Boston Bruins will be aiming for a fourth straight win as they open a tough stretch of three games in four nights Friday with a visit to Pittsburgh as +125 underdogs on the NHL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Boston continued its lengthy dominance of the Arizona Coyotes with a 4-3 victory Tuesday and now takes its first three-game win streak since the first week of the season into Friday night’s Bruins vs. Penguins betting matchup at PPG Paints Arena.
The Bruins kicked off their current hot streak last Saturday with a 6-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs as +115 underdogs and followed up with a narrow 2-1 win in Ottawa over the Senators as -160 chalk.
However, the club has struggled in contests away from TD Garden this season. Boston dropped three straight prior to this week’s win over the Maple Leafs and has tallied consecutive wins just once while putting together a 6-7-4 road record.
The Bruins also have enjoyed little success in recent visits to Pittsburgh, losing three straight, capped by a 6-5 defeat as +102 underdogs back in January, in their last trip to Steeltown. But Boston will encounter a Penguins squad enduring struggles of their own this season.
The Penguins return home as -145 home favorites after dropping a 6-3 decision in Chicago on Wednesday as -180 chalk. With the defeat to the Blackhawks, the Penguins now have dropped four of their past seven overall. However, Pittsburgh has shown signs of rebounding from early-season woes on home ice, postings wins in four of its past five while outscoring opponents by a wide 23-12 margin.
That offensive outburst has contributed to a 4-2-1 run for the OVER in the Penguins’ past seven home contests. The OVER also has prevailed in each of the Bruins’ past four road matchups with the Penguins at sports betting sites.
Following Friday’s contest, the Bruins return home to battle the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday before traveling north to face the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night.
The Bruins recorded a decisive 4-0 win over the Sabres as -135 chalk in a visit to Western New York on Oct. 4, but have dropped two straight home decisions to Buffalo, which will arrive in town looking to end a three-game road slide.
Boston has enjoyed regular success when facing the Canadiens at the Bell Centre, posting four straight wins including a 3-2 victory as a -110 bet Nov. 24, and has limited Montreal to two or fewer goals in six of their past eight overall meetings.
