Pittsburgh Penguins at Tampa Bay Lightning Expert NHL Picks Against the Spread 2/9/2019

Saturday, February 9, 2019

Amalie Arena

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Pittsburgh Penguins travel to Amalie Arena to play the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday, February 9, 2019. The opening line for this game has the Penguins at +145 and the Lightning at -180.

Pittsburgh has a record of 28-19-7 this season. They are 4th in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 185 goals and given up 167 goals for a point differential of +18. For the season they have an ATS record of 28-25-0 and an over/under record of 25-23-0. Tampa Bay is 39-11-4 this season. They are 1st in the Atlantic Division. They have scored 207 goals and surrendered 150 for a goal differential of +57. Their record against the spread is 39-14-0 while their over/under record is 27-24-0.

Valuable Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 28-25-0 straight up this year

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 25-23-0 against the over/under this season

Important Tampa Bay Lightning Betting Trends

The Tampa Bay Lightning are 39-14-0 straight up this year

The Tampa Bay Lightning are 27-24-0 against the over/under this season

Key Pittsburgh Penguins Injuries

02/08/19 D Justin Schultz Lower Body is upgraded to questionable Saturday vs Tampa Bay
02/07/19 C Evgeni Malkin Upper Body is questionable Saturday vs Tampa Bay
02/07/19 GO Matt Murray Upper Body is questionable Saturday vs Tampa Bay

Key Tampa Bay Lightning Injuries

No key injuries to report

Player Spotlight

Phil Kessel has accumulated 57 total points this season for the Penguins. He has 21 goals this year with 138 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 15%. He has a total of 36 assists on the season and averages 18.2 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 15% by scoring 23 goals on 151 shots. He has 38 assists, giving him a total of 61 points on the season. Matt Murray has 15 wins and 9 losses this season in net for the Penguins. He has 806 shots against him and he's given up 73 goals. He's made 733 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Player Spotlight

Brayden Point has scored 66 total points this year for the Lightning. He has 31 goals this season with 138 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 23%. He has a total of 35 assists on the season and averages 18.7 minutes played per game. Nikita Kucherov averages 19.5 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 15% by scoring 22 goals on 147 shots. He has 59 assists, giving him a total of 81 points on the season. Andrei Vasilevskiy has 21 wins and 7 losses this year in goal for the Lightning. He has 1,062 shots against him and he's surrendered 77 goals. He's made 985 saves for a save percentage of 93%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Penguins have 63 total points this season, which ranks them 12th in the NHL. They are 6th in the league in goals scored with 185 while they've given up 167 goals, ranking them 14th overall. They have had 152 power play opportunities and have scored 36 goals on those chances for a percentage of 24%. That is 7th in the NHL. The Penguins have allowed 149 power play opportunities and have given up 27 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 82%, putting them 10th in the league when short-handed. They average 33 shots per game and as a team shoot 10.53% 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 Lightning are 1st in the NHL with a total of 82 points this year. They have 51 power play goals on 177 opportunities for a percentage of 29%. That ranks them 1st in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 175 power play opportunities and have given up 27 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 85%. That is 2nd in the NHL. As a team, the Lightning are 1st in the league with 207 goals scored while they've given up 150 goals, which is 26th overall. They average 33 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 11.72%. As a team they give up 32 shots per game and have a save percentage of 92%. That is 4th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Pittsburgh is 18th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 49.3%, as they've attempted 3,138 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 3,229 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 49.8% as they have 2,378 attempts while they have given up 2,401 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 18th in the league. The Penguins start possessions in the offensive zone 47.8% of the time, which is 27th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 52.2% for the season. That is 5th overall in the NHL. They have 1,629 face-off wins compared to 1,623 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 50.1%. That ranks them 15th in the league. On defense Pittsburgh has 1,583 hits and they have blocked 828 shots from the opposition, putting them 6th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Lightning are 19th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 50.1% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 49.9% for the season, which is 13th in the NHL. They have 1,645 face-off wins compared to 1,597 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 50.7%. That is 11th in the league. On defense Tampa Bay has 1,378 hits and they have blocked 751 shots from the opposition, which is 18th in the league. Tampa Bay is 11th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 50.7% as they've attempted 3,178 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 3,096 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 50.8% ranks 12th as they have 2,419 attempts while they have given up 2,345 shots on the defensive end.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Tampa Bay -180

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