Pittsburgh Penguins at Nashville Predators NHL Picks 3/21/2019

Thursday, March 21, 2019

Bridgestone Arena

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Pittsburgh Penguins travel to Bridgestone Arena to play the Nashville Predators on Thursday, March 21, 2019. The opening line for this game has the Penguins at +120 and the Predators at -145.

Pittsburgh has a record of 39-24-11 this season. They are 3rd in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 250 goals and given up 220 goals for a point differential of +30. For the season they have an ATS record of 39-34-0 and an over/under record of 33-34-0. Nashville is 42-27-5 this season. They are 2nd in the Central Division. They have scored 218 goals and surrendered 194 for a goal differential of +24. Their record against the spread is 41-32-0 while their over/under record is 31-39-0.

Valuable Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 39-34-0 straight up this year

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 33-34-0 against the over/under this season

Important Nashville Predators Betting Trends

The Nashville Predators are 41-32-0 straight up this year

The Nashville Predators are 31-39-0 against the over/under this season

Key Pittsburgh Penguins Injuries

03/17/19 C Evgeni Malkin Upper Body is out indefinitely
03/15/19 C Zach Aston-Reese Lower Body is out indefinitely
02/27/19 D Chad Ruhwedel Upper Body is out indefinitely
02/12/19 D Olli Maatta Upper Body IR (02/12)

Key Nashville Predators Injuries

03/18/19 LW Austin Watson Suspension Served is questionable Thursday vs Pittsburgh
03/05/19 D Dan Hamhuis Lower Body IR (03/05)
01/18/19 LW Zac Rinaldo Lower Body IR (01/18)
01/07/19 RW Miikka Salomaki Upper Body is out indefinitely

Player Spotlight

Phil Kessel has accumulated 73 total points this season for the Penguins. He has 24 goals this year with 196 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 12%. He has a total of 49 assists on the season and averages 18.1 minutes played per game. Sidney Crosby averages 20.9 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 16% by scoring 33 goals on 201 shots. He has 60 assists, giving him a total of 93 points on the season. Matt Murray has 24 wins and 12 losses this season in net for the Penguins. He has 1,346 shots against him and he's given up 112 goals. He's made 1,234 saves for a save percentage of 92%.

Player Spotlight

Mattias Ekholm has scored 42 total points this year for the Predators. He has 8 goals this season with 134 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 6%. He has a total of 34 assists on the season and averages 23.4 minutes played per game. Roman Josi averages 25.2 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 6% by scoring 15 goals on 253 shots. He has 40 assists, giving him a total of 55 points on the season. Pekka Rinne has 26 wins and 18 losses this year in goal for the Predators. He has 1,369 shots against him and he's surrendered 117 goals. He's made 1,252 saves for a save percentage of 92%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Penguins have 89 total points this season, which ranks them 9th in the NHL. They are 5th in the league in goals scored with 250 while they've given up 220 goals, ranking them 15th overall. They have had 207 power play opportunities and have scored 52 goals on those chances for a percentage of 25%. That is 5th in the NHL. The Penguins have allowed 206 power play opportunities and have given up 40 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 81%, putting them 15th in the league when short-handed. They average 33 shots per game and as a team shoot 10.26% for the season. They allow 34 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 91%. That puts them 6th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Predators are 10th in the NHL with a total of 89 points this year. They have 31 power play goals on 239 opportunities for a percentage of 13%. That ranks them 30th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 228 power play opportunities and have given up 43 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 81%. That is 11th in the NHL. As a team, the Predators are 15th in the league with 218 goals scored while they've given up 194 goals, which is 27th overall. They average 33 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 8.98%. As a team they give up 30 shots per game and have a save percentage of 91%. That is 7th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Pittsburgh is 17th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 49.1%, as they've attempted 4,286 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 4,445 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 49.5% as they have 3,252 attempts while they have given up 3,322 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 18th in the league. The Penguins start possessions in the offensive zone 49.1% of the time, which is 20th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 50.9% for the season. That is 12th overall in the NHL. They have 2,223 face-off wins compared to 2,214 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 50.1%. That ranks them 15th in the league. On defense Pittsburgh has 2,148 hits and they have blocked 1,123 shots from the opposition, putting them 7th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Predators are 8th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 52.7% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 47.3% for the season, which is 24th in the NHL. They have 2,308 face-off wins compared to 2,171 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 51.5%. That is 7th in the league. On defense Nashville has 1,361 hits and they have blocked 974 shots from the opposition, which is 24th in the league. Nashville is 6th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 52.6% as they've attempted 4,444 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 3,999 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 52.6% ranks 6th as they have 3,354 attempts while they have given up 3,025 shots on the defensive end.

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

Tony's Pick: Take Pittsburgh +120

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