Florida Panthers at Pittsburgh Penguins NHL Picks & Predictions 1/8/2019

Tuesday, January 8, 2019

PPG Paints Arena

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Florida Panthers travel to PPG Paints Arena to play the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday, January 8, 2019. The opening line for this game has the Panthers at +160 and the Penguins at -195.

Florida has a record of 17-16-7 this season. They are 6th in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 130 goals and given up 142 goals for a point differential of -12. For the season they have an ATS record of 17-23-0 and an over/under record of 23-14-0. Pittsburgh is 23-13-6 this season. They are 2nd in the Metropolitan Division. They have scored 147 goals and surrendered 122 for a goal differential of +25. Their record against the spread is 23-18-0 while their over/under record is 18-18-0.

Valuable Florida Panthers Betting Trends

The Florida Panthers are 17-23-0 straight up this year

The Florida Panthers are 23-14-0 against the over/under this season

Important Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 23-18-0 straight up this year

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 18-18-0 against the over/under this season

Key Florida Panthers Injuries

12/13/18 C Vincent Trocheck Ankle is out indefinitely
10/23/18 C Derek MacKenzie Shoulder is out indefinitely
01/07/19 C Nick Bjugstad Upper Body is questionable Tuesday vs Pittsburgh

Key Pittsburgh Penguins Injuries

10/15/18 D Justin Schultz Lower Body is out indefinitely

Player Spotlight

Aleksander Barkov has accumulated 42 total points this season for the Panthers. He has 16 goals this year with 103 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 16%. He has a total of 26 assists on the season and averages 23.2 minutes played per game. Evgeni Dadonov averages 19.1 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 14% by scoring 17 goals on 118 shots. He has 18 assists, giving him a total of 35 points on the season. Roberto Luongo has 8 wins and 8 losses this season in net for the Panthers. He has 550 shots against him and he's given up 57 goals. He's made 493 saves for a save percentage of 90%.

Player Spotlight

Sidney Crosby has scored 51 total points this year for the Penguins. He has 19 goals this season with 111 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 17%. He has a total of 32 assists on the season and averages 20.5 minutes played per game. Phil Kessel averages 18 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 15% by scoring 17 goals on 115 shots. He has 30 assists, giving him a total of 47 points on the season. Matt Murray has 11 wins and 5 losses this year in goal for the Penguins. He has 552 shots against him and he's surrendered 48 goals. He's made 504 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Panthers have 41 total points this season, which ranks them 22nd in the NHL. They are 14th in the league in goals scored with 130 while they've given up 142 goals, ranking them 6th overall. They have had 144 power play opportunities and have scored 40 goals on those chances for a percentage of 28%. That is 3rd in the NHL. The Panthers have allowed 120 power play opportunities and have given up 25 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 79%, putting them 18th in the league when short-handed. They average 34 shots per game and as a team shoot 9.52% for the season. They allow 31 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 89%. That puts them 30th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Penguins are 10th in the NHL with a total of 52 points this year. They have 31 power play goals on 117 opportunities for a percentage of 26%. That ranks them 6th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 116 power play opportunities and have given up 19 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 84%. That is 5th in the NHL. As a team, the Penguins are 5th in the league with 147 goals scored while they've given up 122 goals, which is 19th overall. They average 33 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 10.75%. As a team they give up 33 shots per game and have a save percentage of 91%. That is 7th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Florida is 8th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 51.7%, as they've attempted 2,381 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,227 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 51.8% as they have 1,825 attempts while they have given up 1,695 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 8th in the league. The Panthers start possessions in the offensive zone 51.4% of the time, which is 12th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 48.6% for the season. That is 20th overall in the NHL. They have 1,245 face-off wins compared to 1,300 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 48.9%. That ranks them 20th in the league. On defense Florida has 851 hits and they have blocked 532 shots from the opposition, putting them 29th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Penguins are 28th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 47.2% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 52.8% for the season, which is 2nd in the NHL. They have 1,287 face-off wins compared to 1,278 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 50.2%. That is 13th in the league. On defense Pittsburgh has 1,222 hits and they have blocked 637 shots from the opposition, which is 6th in the league. Pittsburgh is 19th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 49.1% as they've attempted 2,409 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,496 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 49.6% ranks 18th as they have 1,829 attempts while they have given up 1,859 shots on the defensive end.

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

Tony's Pick: Take Pittsburgh -195

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