Pittsburgh Penguins at St. Louis Blues NHL Picks & Predictions 12/29/2018

Saturday, December 29, 2018

Enterprise Center

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Pittsburgh Penguins travel to Enterprise Center to play the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, December 29, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Penguins at -115 and the Blues at +104.

Pittsburgh has a record of 19-12-6 this season. They are 3rd in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 124 goals and given up 112 goals for a point differential of +12. For the season they have an ATS record of 19-18-0 and an over/under record of 16-16-0. St. Louis is 15-16-4 this season. They are 6th in the Central Division. They have scored 100 goals and surrendered 115 for a goal differential of -15. Their record against the spread is 15-20-0 while their over/under record is 16-17-0.

Valuable Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 19-18-0 straight up this year

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 16-16-0 against the over/under this season

Important St. Louis Blues Betting Trends

The St. Louis Blues are 15-20-0 straight up this year

The St. Louis Blues are 16-17-0 against the over/under this season

Key Pittsburgh Penguins Injuries

12/28/18 D Jamie Oleksiak Concussion is questionable Saturday vs St. Louis
10/15/18 D Justin Schultz Lower Body is out indefinitely

Key St. Louis Blues Injuries

12/27/18 C Robby Fabbri Shoulder is questionable Saturday vs Pittsburgh
12/14/18 D Alex Pietrangelo Hand IR (12/14)
11/19/18 D Carl Gunnarsson Upper Body is out indefinitely
10/04/18 LW Erik Foley Concussion is out indefinitely

Player Spotlight

Evgeni Malkin has accumulated 39 total points this season for the Penguins. He has 11 goals this year with 90 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 12%. He has a total of 28 assists on the season and averages 18.8 minutes played per game. Phil Kessel averages 18.2 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 16% by scoring 16 goals on 102 shots. He has 24 assists, giving him a total of 40 points on the season. Casey DeSmith has 11 wins and 6 losses this season in net for the Penguins. He has 700 shots against him and he's given up 52 goals. He's made 648 saves for a save percentage of 93%.

Player Spotlight

Vladimir Tarasenko has scored 22 total points this year for the Blues. He has 11 goals this season with 129 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 9%. He has a total of 11 assists on the season and averages 18.3 minutes played per game. Ryan O'Reilly averages 20.5 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 15% by scoring 14 goals on 94 shots. He has 19 assists, giving him a total of 33 points on the season. Jake Allen has 13 wins and 10 losses this year in goal for the Blues. He has 812 shots against him and he's surrendered 79 goals. He's made 733 saves for a save percentage of 90%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Penguins have 44 total points this season, which ranks them 12th in the NHL. They are 8th in the league in goals scored with 124 while they've given up 112 goals, ranking them 17th overall. They have had 104 power play opportunities and have scored 24 goals on those chances for a percentage of 23%. That is 9th in the NHL. The Penguins have allowed 107 power play opportunities and have given up 17 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 84%, putting them 3rd in the league when short-handed. They average 33 shots per game and as a team shoot 10.21% for the season. They allow 33 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 91%. That puts them 10th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Blues are 27th in the NHL with a total of 34 points this year. They have 23 power play goals on 107 opportunities for a percentage of 21%. That ranks them 14th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 120 power play opportunities and have given up 22 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 82%. That is 11th in the NHL. As a team, the Blues are 27th in the league with 100 goals scored while they've given up 115 goals, which is 12th overall. They average 30 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 9.49%. As a team they give up 31 shots per game and have a save percentage of 89%. That is 27th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Pittsburgh is 17th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 49.9%, as they've attempted 2,165 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,175 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 50.1% as they have 1,636 attempts while they have given up 1,631 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 17th in the league. The Penguins start possessions in the offensive zone 48% of the time, which is 26th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 52% for the season. That is 6th overall in the NHL. They have 1,140 face-off wins compared to 1,119 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 50.5%. That ranks them 13th in the league. On defense Pittsburgh has 1,108 hits and they have blocked 544 shots from the opposition, putting them 10th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Blues are 22nd in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 48.4% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 51.6% for the season, which is 9th in the NHL. They have 1,112 face-off wins compared to 1,018 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 52.2%. That is 3rd in the league. On defense St. Louis has 717 hits and they have blocked 542 shots from the opposition, which is 12th in the league. St. Louis is 23rd in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 48.5% as they've attempted 1,885 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,002 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 49.3% ranks 19th as they have 1,417 attempts while they have given up 1,460 shots on the defensive end.

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

Tony's Pick: Take Pittsburgh -115

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Tony Sink