Liontips
Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia: NHL Match Prediction
Pittsburgh will return to their home arena on December 24 after an away series, where they will try to please their fans with an excellent game. Philadelphia stands in the way of the Penguins, who continue to earn points with great difficulty. Which bets should they choose? You will find the answer in our forecast
Command Analysis
Pittsburgh Penguins
USACurrent form
Pittsburgh returned to their home arena after a short away series, but played only one game on their ice. The team met with Los Angeles and was one step away from defeat, but still managed to snatch a hard-fought victory in overtime with a score of 3:2. Goalie Nedeljkovic made a big contribution to the success, reflecting 94% of the shots. Then the Penguins went on the road again, where they fought Nashville and, thanks to the magnificent implementation of moments in the attack, again won in overtime (5:4). This time, Crosby and Rust distinguished themselves, each having four points.
It seemed that the Penguins had finally come to their senses and would be able to continue playing in the same spirit, but this did not happen. On the road to New Jersey, the team was unable to realize its attacking potential at all, suffering a dry defeat with a score of 0:3. Pittsburgh seemed to have forgotten about the attack, and in just three periods made 12 shots at the Devils' goal, which, of course, was not enough. The team still cannot return to its previous condition, when it beat all competitors on its way, and the club main problem remains its terrible defense. Despite this, it still has excellent chances to take a place in the playoff zone, the gap from which is only three points.
Disqualifications and injuries
Pittsburgh doesn't have any serious problems with its roster. Only Pettersson and St. Ivany will be out of the game.
Interesting trends for betting
- Pittsburgh is allowing an average of 3.7 goals per game.
Poor defensive play prevents the team from consistently earning points.
- The Penguins are averaging seven penalty minutes per game.
Philadelphia Flyers
USACurrent form
Philadelphia could not achieve the desired result over the course of three matches, all of which ended in regulation time. The team played away, where it was unable to impose a decent fight on Minnesota (1:4), and also suffered a defeat from Detroit (4:6). Goalie Ersson showed a terrible game twice, reflecting only 81% of shots in both matches. It seemed that, having returned to the home arena, the team would be able to cling to at least one point, but this did not happen. In the match with Los Angeles, they had to suffer a rout with a score of 3:7. Kolosov stood in Ersson’s place from the start of the match, but he performed even worse than his teammate. And in general, the defensive line looked too weak and allowed the Kings to freely enter the zone and make shots time after time.
The club was able to rehabilitate itself in front of the fans in a duel with an opponent of its level, in the person of Columbus. The Flyers showed an excellent game in attack, thanks to which they made a comeback, tying the score just two minutes before the final whistle. As a result, it came to overtime, where they managed to snatch a victory with a final score of 5:4. The most productive was forward Tippett, who scored a goal and made a hat trick of assists. It is worth noting that at the moment the club is in tenth place in the Eastern Conference table, and the gap from the playoff zone is only four points.
Disqualifications and injuries
Ellis will definitely not be able to play in the upcoming match. Deslauriers is also in the infirmary, but he may still have time to recover and remains questionable for now.
Interesting trends for betting
- Philadelphia is allowing an average of 3.61 goals per game.
The Hooligans have been experiencing defensive problems throughout the season.
- The Flyers converted just 15% of their power play attempts.
It is also worth noting the enormous difficulties in realizing numerical superiority.
Trends
Bet First Goal: Pittsburgh
In five of the six head-to-head games, Pittsburgh opened the scoring
1.82Goal in each period bet – yes
In four of the six head-to-head matches, the teams scored a goal in each period.
1.45Tip and bets
Pittsburgh is the clear favorite in the upcoming match, for several reasons. Firstly, the team looks a little better than Philadelphia this season. Secondly, the Penguins will play at home, where they have almost never lost lately. The Flyers have not been doing well on the road, so we suggest not taking risks and betting on the home team.
Our prediction is a Pittsburgh victory with a handicap of (0) at 1.73
Bet on total
Both teams have been suffering from weak defense throughout the regular season. It is hard to believe that the clubs will be able to improve their defense, which means they will bet on the attacking line, which will make the match productive.
Forecast - total over six goals for 1.78
Bet on the outcome of the first period
Pittsburgh, due to its superiority over its opponent, will play first number and is quite capable of creating serious problems for Philadelphia from the very beginning of the match. We believe that home walls will help the Penguins earn an advantage at the start.
Prediction: Pittsburgh wins in the first period with a handicap of (0) for 1.73
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