Pittsburgh Penguins at Florida Panthers NHL Picks & Predictions 2/24/2018

Saturday, February 24, 2018

BB&T Center

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Pittsburgh Penguins travel to BB&T Center to play the Florida Panthers on Saturday, February 24, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Penguins at -175 and the Panthers at +58.

Pittsburgh has a record of 35-22-4 this season and on the road they have a record of 12-15-3-2. They are 2nd in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 195 goals and given up 180 goals for a point differential of +15. For the season they have an ATS record of 35-26-0 and an over/under record of 32-27-0. Florida has a record of 27-25-6 including 14-9-3-2 at home this season. They are 4th in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 169 goals and surrendered 188 for a goal differential of -19. Their record against the spread is 27-31-0 while their over/under record is 31-27-0.

Valuable Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 35-26-0 straight up this year

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 32-27-0 against the over/under this season

Important Florida Panthers Betting Trends

The Florida Panthers are 27-31-0 straight up this year

The Florida Panthers are 31-27-0 against the over/under this season

Key Pittsburgh Penguins Injuries

02/20/18 D Justin Schultz Illness is upgraded to probable Friday vs Carolina
02/09/18 RW Patric Hornqvist Lower Body IR (02/02)
02/09/18 RW Tom Kuhnhackl Lower Body IR (02/07)

Key Florida Panthers Injuries

No key injuries to report

Player Spotlight

Matt Murray has 22 wins and 12 losses this season in net for the Penguins. He has 1,117 shots against him and he's given up 103 goals. He's made 1,014 saves for a save percentage of 91%. Phil Kessel has accumulated 66 total points this season for the Penguins. He has 24 goals this year with 206 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 12%. He has a total of 42 assists on the season and averages 18.8 minutes played per game. Sidney Crosby averages 20.8 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 11% by scoring 19 goals on 171 shots. He has 47 assists, giving him a total of 66 points on the season.

Player Spotlight

Vincent Trocheck has scored 54 total points this year for the Panthers. He has 23 goals this season with 210 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 11%. He has a total of 31 assists on the season and averages 21.6 minutes played per game. Roberto Luongo has 8 wins and 7 losses this year in goal for the Panthers. He has 611 shots against him and he's surrendered 43 goals. He's made 568 saves for a save percentage of 93%. Jonathan Huberdeau averages 19.6 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 12% by scoring 18 goals on 146 shots. He has 36 assists, giving him a total of 54 points on the season.

Useful Team Statistics

The Penguins have allowed 204 power play opportunities and have given up 36 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 82% this year. That is 9th in the NHL. They average 34 shots per game and as a team shoot 9.38% for the season. They allow 31 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 91%, which is ranked 23rd in the league. The Penguins has 74 total points this season, ranking 10th in the NHL in offense. They are 6th in the league with 195 goals while they've given up 180 goals, which is 16th overall. They have had 200 power play opportunities and scored 53 goals on those chances for a percentage of 27%. That is 1st in the NHL.

Useful Team Statistics

As a team, the Panthers are 22nd with 169 goals scored while they are 9th in the NHL with 188 goals allowed this year. They average 35 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 8.42%. They give up 35 shots per game and have a save percentage of 91%, putting them in 18th place in the league. The Panthers have a total of 60 points this year, which is 23rd in the NHL. They have 36 power play goals on 182 opportunities for a percentage of 20%. That ranks their power play unit 17th. They've allowed 178 power play opportunities and have given up 37 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 79%, which is 22nd overall.

Advanced Statistics

Pittsburgh is 11th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 51.4%, as they've attempted 3,677 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 3,476 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 52.1% as they have 2,810 attempts while they have given up 2,586 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 8th in the league. The Penguins start possessions in the offensive zone 51.2% of the time, which is 15th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 48.8% for the season. That is 19th overall in the NHL. They have 1,918 face-off wins compared to 1,885 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 50.4%. That ranks them 17th in the league. On defense Pittsburgh has 1,486 hits and they have blocked 890 shots from the opposition, putting them 17th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Panthers are 28th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 48.3% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 51.7% for the season, which is 5th in the NHL. They have 1,891 face-off wins compared to 1,822 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 50.9%. That is 11th in the league. On defense Florida has 1,146 hits and they have blocked 801 shots from the opposition, which is 29th in the league. Florida is 15th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 49.9% as they've attempted 3,497 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 3,506 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 50.2% ranks 16th as they have 2,722 attempts while they have given up 2,705 shots on the defensive end.

Who will win tonight's Penguins/Panthers NHL game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take Florida +58

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