KEY POINTS

  • Pittsburgh lost to Boston on Thursday
  • Penguins will look to bounce back immediately in Detroit
  • Red Wings are underdogs at home

The party’s over for Pittsburgh after Boston ended their four-game winning streak via a 4-1 domination on Thursday. But the chance to rebound and rebuild a fresh victory run will come instantly as the Penguins are scheduled to get right back in ice action on Friday when they visit the Red Wings in Detroit.

The NHL Vegas Odds are counting on the Penguins’ bounce back genes as they are pegged as favorites on the road in their clash against the grief-stricken Red Wings.

Red Wings:

Dylan Larkin sustains his label as the bright spot of his struggling squad. The Red Wings center has scored in each of his last seven games as he zeroes in Tyler Bertuzzi’s team-best 34 points.

Bertuzzi, who is also the club’s leader in goals with 16, has gone empty in his last two outings. If he fails to break out of his slump, players like Filip Hronek and Robby Fabbri will be tasked to step up. Hronek has shown his readiness whenever called upon to contribute offensively as he remains a conundrum on the defensive end.

Penguins:

The Penguins cooled off on Thursday in Boston. Sidney Crosby scored again in his second game since returning from a sports hernia surgery. He scored just 24 seconds into the match, but that turned out to be Pittsburgh’s first and only goal of the game as the Bruins went on a rampage since.

Despite the loss, the Penguins stay at the second spot of the Metropolitan Division while holding the third-most points in the Eastern Conference with 63.

Odds and Trends:

The Penguins are favorites as visitors with a -220 money line price. The Red Wings are at +180. The total line is almost a toss-up at O/U 6 goals.

The Red Wings are 4-9 in their last 13 games as a home underdog and 28-65 in their last 93 games as an underdog.

The Penguins are 4-0 in their last 4 Friday games and 5-0 in their last 5 road games.

Over is 5-1 in Red Wings last 6 vs. Metropolitan and 4-0 in Penguins last 4 overall.

Under is 4-0 in Red Wings last 4 games playing on 2 days rest.

Prediction:

Moneyline: Penguins

Total: Over

Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins have won the Stanley Cup for the first time in seven years. Getty