Pittsburgh Penguins - Boston Bruins predictions and free betting tips [14/04/2024]

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins will face off tomorrow morning as part of the NHL regular season.

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins, sporting a current record of 37-30-12 with 86 points are under pressure, yet still hold playoff hopes. On Friday, they clinched a tight victory over Detroit with a scoreline of 6:5 in overtime, elevating them to the 8th spot in the Eastern Conference. The win was brought home thanks to the decisive contribution of Erik Karlsson, assisted by Sidney Crosby who continues a phenomenal season with 89 points, encompassing 41 goals and 48 assists. Crosby also reached a significant milestone, breaking into the NHL's top 10 players with 1591 points. With only three games left and the potential to solidify a postseason berth, the Penguins are in a delicate situation. Their goaltender, Alex Nedeljkovic, who took over the main goaltending duties from Tristan Jarry, concedes an average of 2.89 goals per game with a save percentage of 90.3 in the current season. His role will be vital in the upcoming matches against formidable opponents. 
Their last match against Detroit underscored the team's defensive issues, having coughed up a two-goal advantage in the third period while also illustrating their capacity for theatrical comebacks. They will seek to enhance their power-play efficiency, currently standing at 14.2%, and tighten up their defence, which allows an average of 2.98 goals per game. Upcoming are key rival matches that would determine their fate in this season. Each game will test their resilience and adaptability under the pressure of the final scramble for a playoff spot.

Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins, with a statistic of 46-18-15 and 107 points, continue to be a Stanley Cup contender this season. However, their recent performances underline the need for improvement before moving into playoff action. The team has lost their past three matches, including a 1:4 defeat suffered at the hands of Carolina, which has dented their advantageous position in the Atlantic division and left the President's Trophy within the grasp of doubt. Following the end of a four-match winning streak and several missteps, the Bruins are deliberating their top goaltender for the playoffs. Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman – with stats of 2.55 goals against average and 91.7 save percentage and 2.56 goals against average and 91.5 save percentage respectively – both contenders for the role. 
In attack, David Pastrnak leads the team with 47 goals and 60 assists, amassing 107 points this season. Another key figure in the team is Pat Maroon who, returning post-back surgery, is looking to make his debut in the game against Pittsburgh. Maroon is sought to bolster the team's performance in the closing matches of the regular season and during the playoffs, replacing James van Riemsdyk. The team is striving to fine-tune its play, especially with a power play success rate of 22.3%. Looking ahead, the Bruins aim to use the upcoming matches to prep for the playoffs, understanding that each match carries importance in their quest to secure home advantage at the kickoff of the postseason.

Head to Head

On 9th March 2024, Boston locked horns with Pittsburgh and came out on top with a 5:1 scoreline. On 5th January, Pittsburgh claimed a win with a score of 6:5. Earlier in the year on 2nd January, Boston, playing as visitors at Pittsburgh, achieved a 4:3 victory. Back in November 2022, a 2:1 scoreline in favour of the hosts was logged in Boston. One of the most memorable matches took place on November 2nd, 2022 when Boston nosed out Pittsburgh 6:5 in overtime.

Match prediction for Boston Bruins - Pittsburgh Penguins

The teams tend to generate high scoring results in their face-off encounters, with the Penguins clocking in 10 goals in their last match. Betting on TO, Boston's offence is fully capable of drilling Nedeljkovic with 4-5 goals again, but Pittsburgh has been on fire in the last few rounds.