Pittsburgh Penguins at Tampa Bay Lightning Picks, Predictions & Odds 2/6/20

Published by John Ford February 6, 2020 Categorie(s): Hockey, NHL, Pittsburgh Penguins, Sports Betting, Tampa Bay Lightning

In tonight’s National Hockey League (NHL) action, we see two of the best performing teams in the Eastern Conference go at it with the Pittsburgh Penguins at Tampa Bay Lightning. The Penguins come into the game on a two-game winning streak and a 4-3 hard-fought win over division leaders, the Washington Capitals. The win was one of many over big teams in the Eastern Conference in recent weeks; however, this will be their second game in a row on the road. Travel fatigue usually starts to settle in by the second game, so will this be a problem for the Penguins tonight?

The Tampa Bay Lightning enters the matchup on a four-game winning streak. This will be their second game at home following six games on the road. Their last match saw them pick up a 4-2 win against the struggling Vegas Golden Knights. The team seems to be returning to their form of last season, where they pretty much seemed unbeatable at one point. Will the Lightning be able to keep their winning streak going against tougher opposition?

Pittsburgh Penguins at Tampa Bay Lightning Predictions

Before we get into our predictions, let’s have a good look at some Penguins and Lightning stats:

The Pittsburgh Penguins have got an overall record of 33-14-5. With a record of 14-9-2, they generally play better at home than on the road, which doesn’t bode well for this game. They posted a record of 8-2-0 in their last 10 games. In their previous game, they recorded a win against the Washington Capitals, which at the very least may mean that they are in good form at the moment.
Tristan Jarry is projected to be starting goaltender for the Penguins tonight. Jarry has a pretty good record so far with an overall record at 17-8-1, a goals against average of 2.19 and a save percentage of .928. In his last game, he recorded a win against the Philadelphia Flyers in which he allowed three goals.
The Tampa Bay Lightning have posted an overall record of 33-15-5, which is just a single loss more than the Penguins. Although they have picked up more wins on the road, their home record is that much worse at 16-7-2. In their last 10, they have gone 7-2-1. As mentioned above, they enter the game on a four-game winning streak. Their previous win saw them pick up a 4-2 win against the Vegas Golden Knights, cementing the idea that it is hard to beat Tampa Bay at home.
Andrei Vasilevskiy is projected to be named starting goaltender for the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight. Vasilevskiy has posted a record of 27-9-3 on the ice, making him responsible for most of the Lightning’s wins this season. He has posted a goals against average of 2.53 and a save percentage of .917. His last game saw him let in two goals against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Offensively, the Tampa Bay Lightning ranks above the Pittsburgh Penguins in every key metric with the exception of shots on goal, where the Penguins are better. One key highlight to note in this area overall is that the Lightning ranks first for Shooting percentage.
Defensively, the Pittsburgh Penguins have got the Lightning beat in every metric penalty kill percentage. One key area to highlight here is that the Penguins currently rank fifth in the league for average shots on goal allowed.

So, with all of that out of the way, here are our predictions for Pittsburgh Penguins at Tampa Bay Lightning:

Moneyline – go for the Lightning on this one. Although we’ll admit that the Penguins have a fair chance of taking it, on paper, there are a few aspects of the game that are pushing us in favor of the Lightning. Namely, the fact that they are playing at home, it is the Penguins’ second game on the road and the fact that goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy is such a workhorse.