The Pittsburgh Penguins will play the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia. Pittsburgh has won two games in a row, while Vancouver has lost four of their last five. Let’s take a look at the betting matchup and the Penguins vs Canucks prediction.
Penguins Preview
The Pittsburgh Penguins are 26-21-8 this season after they defeated the Flyers by a score of 7-6 in their last game. Pittsburgh blew a 4-2 lead in the second period, but they were able to score three times in the third period for the win. The Penguins out shot Philadelphia by a total of 32-21 and went 2-4 on the power play in the game. Pittsburgh defeated Montreal by a score of 4-1 in the game prior to Philadelphia, but lost to the Islanders and Kings before that. The Penguins are scoring 2.98 goals per game and they are allowing 2.71 goals against per game, while going 14.7% on the power play and 82.3% on the penalty kill. Sidney Crosby has led Pittsburgh with 32 goals, 28 assists, and 196 shots on goal. The projected starting goalie for Pittsburgh is Tristan Jarry, who is 16-17-4 this season with a 2.56 goals against average and a .911 save percentage.
Canucks Preview
The Vancouver Canucks are 38-16-6 this year after they defeated the Bruins in overtime by a score of 3-2 in their last game. Vancouver trailed 2-0 in the third period, but they scored twice in the third to force overtime and picked up the win. The Canucks out shot Boston by a total of 39-22 and went 1-2 on the power play in the game. Vancouver had lost their previous four games against Seattle, Colorado, Minnesota, and Winnipeg. The Canucks are scoring 3.63 goals per game and they are allowing 2.73 goals against per game, while going 22.8% on the power play and 78.9% on the penalty kill. J.T. Miller has led Vancouver with 29 goals, 50 assists, and 135 shots on goal. The projected starting goalie for Vancouver is Thatcher Demko, who is 31-12-1 this year with a 2.47 goals against average and a .917 save percentage.
Vancouver Canucks Team Facts
- The Canucks have won each of their last eight games after coming off overtime.
- The Canucks have failed to cover the puck line in seven of their last eight games as favorites following an overtime win.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2′ market has hit in each of the Canucks’ last nine games as favorites.
- The home team has won the third period in each of the Canucks’ last four games.
Pittsburgh Penguins Team Facts
- The Penguins have won each of their last three games as underdogs against Pacific Division opponents.
- The Penguins have covered the puck line in eight of their last nine games as underdogs.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in four of the Penguins’ last five games as underdogs.
- The Penguins have lost the second period in four of their last five games as underdogs following a home win.
Penguins vs Canucks Betting Prediction
Vancouver comes into this game struggling over their last five games, but they were able to snap their losing streak with a nice third period comeback against Boston last time out. The Canucks are 20-5-2 at home, while Pittsburgh is 11-11-4 on the road. The Penguins have won two games in a row, but they will need to play much better defense than they did against the Flyers in their last game. Vancouver is one of the highest scoring teams in the NHL and I think their last win against Boston is going to spark them a little bit. Take the Canucks here.