KEY POINTS

  • Penguins will visit the Bruins on Thursday
  • The Bruins are favored to win based on odds
  • Sidney Crosby is expected to lead Pittsburgh to its fifth straight win

Sidney Crosby is back in harness, making Pittsburgh a more lethal squad in the NHL. The Penguins were able to hold the fort when their captain missed ice action for over two months. And now that the superstar is back, a league-wide red alert was immediately served.

The Boston Bruins will welcome the Penguins on Thursday night inside the TD Garden as they try to protect home ice against Crosby and the rest of his surging crew.

The sportsbooks are siding with the Bruins in this game, expecting the home team to bounce back from a previous loss on Tuesday.

Bruins:

The Bruins were held without a single goal in Tuesday’s 0-3 stunning loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. To make things worse, Boston could miss the services of top goalie Tuukka Rask after the netminder suffered an apparent injury that forced him to hit the concussion protocol.

Penguins:

Riding a current league-best four-game winning surge, the Penguins look to slip past the Bruins in this game. It was just like another day in the office for Crosby after he showed the same flashes of brilliance in his return on Tuesday, leading Pittsburgh to a 7-3 dominance over Minnesota. He went under the knife in November to treat his core muscle as he had missed 28 games in the process. The 32-year-old will try to pick up where he left off and continue running roughshod of the opposition when he faces the Bruins’ defense on Thursday.

Odds and Trends:

The Bruins are priced -135 while the Penguins are at +115 in the Money Line market. The total goals projection is priced pick'em at O/U 6.

The Bruins are 8-1 in their last 9 when their opponent scores 5 goals or more in their previous game and 9-4 in their last 13 in the fourth game of a 4-in-6 situation.

The Penguins are 4-0 in their last 4 games as an underdog and 8-0 in their last 8 vs. a team with a winning record.

Over is 4-0 in Bruins last 4 when their opponent scores 5 goals or more in their previous game and 5-0 in Penguins last 5 vs. a team with a winning record.

Under is 12-3-2 in Bruins last 17 vs. Eastern Conference and 10-2 in Penguins last 12 Thursday games.

Prediction:

Money line: Penguins

Total: Over

Sidney Crosby Pittsburgh Penguins
Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins looks on as he skates against the Ottawa Senators in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Canadian Tire Centre on May 23, 2017 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Getty Images