Penguins Take Four-Game Win Streak to Boston as +115 Underdogs on January 16

• Pittsburgh Penguins have won of 15 of 19 contests
• Penguins are winless in seven straight visits to Boston
• Bruins have struggled at TD Garden since hot start, falling to defeat in seven of 10 home dates

The Pittsburgh Penguins will be looking to continue their steady climb up the Metropolitan Division standings on Thursday night when they visit the Boston Bruins as +115 underdogs in the Penguins vs Bruins odds.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs Boston Bruins Odds

Odds taken on Jan. 16

Penguins Buoyed by Crosby’s Return

Pittsburgh is coming off a decisive 7-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, extending the club’s current win streak to four games going into Thursday’s clash at TD Garden. The Penguins were buoyed by the return of Sidney Crosby in Tuesday’s win as -170 home chalk. The Penguins captain looked in midseason form in his first game action after two months of being sidelined with an abdominal injury.

Sidney Crosby isn't wasting any time getting back on the board in his return. pic.twitter.com/WXmzyvZpts

— NHL (@NHL) January 15, 2020

Crosby powered the attack with a goal and three assists as Pittsburgh continued a stretch of steady play that has produced wins in 15 of the past 19 contests, and pulled the club to within four points of the division-leading Washington Capitals, with a game in hand.

Pittsburgh Making Gains on NHL Futures

The Penguins’ recent surge has given the team a lift in the NHL futures. After picking up wins in just six of 14 games in the month of November, the Penguins saw their Stanley Cup odds dip as far as +3000 in the final days of the month. However, with the club’s recent surge, Pittsburgh has vaulted to a short +1100 bet in the Stanley Cup odds, and to a +215 second-favorite to finish atop the Metropolitan Division.

NHL Metropolitan Division Standings as of 1/15/20:
1st:@Capitals 31-11-5
2nd:@penguins 29-12-5
3rd:@NYIslanders 28-13-4
4th:@Canes 27-17-2
5th:@NHLFlyers 25-16-6
6th:@BlueJacketsNHL 23-16-8
7th:@NYRangers 22-19-4
8th:@NJDevils 17-22-7

— Nathan Ormond (@nascar24cool) January 16, 2020

Pittsburgh has enjoyed a steady run despite being plagued by injuries. In addition to being without Crosby, the Penguins have also had to make do without forwards Jake Guentzel and Nick Bjugstad, and rearguards Justin Schultz and Brian Dumoulin, who all remain sidelined indefinitely with injury.

The rash of injuries has not dampened the Penguins offense, which has averaged a steady 3.58 goals per game over their past 19 contests, and just under five goals per game over their four-game win streak.

The rash of injuries has not dampened the Penguins offense, which has averaged a steady 3.58 goals per game over their past 19 contests, and just under five goals per game over their four-game win streak. That has resulted in a steady 4-0 run for the “Over” in puck totals betting. Pittsburgh’s steady production has also helped the team reverse a dismal start on the road this season. Since falling to defeat in eight of their first 12 contests away from PPG Paints Arena, the Penguins have tallied wins in eight of nine on the road, with the “Over” prevailing in six of those outings.

Bruins Own Pittsburgh on Home Ice

The Penguins have enjoyed steady success of late, but still have work to do to rewrite a dismal narrative in road dates in Boston. Pegged as -135 favorites, the Bruins enter Thursday night’s matchup riding a seven-game win streak against Pittsburgh on home ice, capped by a 6-4 victory as -160 chalk back on November 4.

The Bruins had their No. 1 goalie knocked out of the game and then never responded enough on the ice or on the scoreboard in a 3-0 loss to Columbus. The Bruins are never going to win the Cup until they toughen up and fight for each other pic.twitter.com/as9jzTD5b1

— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) January 15, 2020

While that victory came amid Boston’s red-hot 11-1-2 start to the season, the club has struggled to maintain consistency ever since, bouncing between lengthy winning and losing streaks, including a current two-game slide. The Bruins return home after suffering their first shutout loss of the season,  a 3-0 defeat in Columbus as -140 favorites on Tuesday night, and have earned wins in just three of their past 10 home dates.

Streaky Play, Secondary Scoring Remain Concerns

Secondary scoring remains a massive concern for the Bruins, who have seen over 47% of their scoring coming from the top line of David Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron, and Brad Marchand. Pastrnak currently leads the NHL with 36 goals, and sports short average odds of +400 to win this season’s Hart Trophy. However, the Czech star has scored just once in his past three appearances against Pittsburgh, and the Bruins have lost nine of their past 12 games in which he has not found the back of the net.

David Pastrnak finishes off a beautiful goal to double the Boston lead!#NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/PNVrktBkAO

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) January 14, 2020

The Bruins maintain a six-point lead over second-place Tampa Bay in the Atlantic Division, and sport short -170 odds to claim the division crown. But with goaltender Tuukka Rask now sidelined by a concussion, and Boston struggling to snap out of their recent streaky play, the Penguins look primed to finally earn a long-awaited win in Beantown.

Picks: Penguins +110; Over 6.0 (-110)