by Chuck Sommers
Tuesday, Feb 08, 2022
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Venue: TD Garden, Boston, MA
Where to watch: ESPN+
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Bruins -130, Penguins +110
BetMGM: Bruins -125, Penguins +105
Caesars: Bruins -135, Penguins +115
Season record
Penguins: 27-11-6
Bruins: 26-14-3
Scott Rickenbach has been killing it the past month in the NHL, going 26-15-3 in the last 30 days and pulling in that net profit of $13,380. With hockey coming out of the All-Star break, you're going to want those kinds of picks to carry you for the rest of the way. Catch Scott's plays available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.
Penguins - Bruins preview and analysis
In their first games back from the All-Star break, I’m liking the Boston Bruins to get things off on the right foot at home against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Bruins went into the break having split their final four games, but capped things with a 3-2 win against the Seattle Kraken at home. David Pastrnak scored two power-play goals, including the game-winner in the third period, to give him 14 goals since the calendar turned to 2022.
“It’s just getting a little bit lucky. I’ve just been working hard,” Pastrnak said. “I haven’t changed much, honestly.”
The Bruins haven’t had that kind of luck that makes them a scary opponent in the Eastern Conference, but they’re getting healthy at the right time and now have some solid understanding in goal with Tuukka Rask now back in the fold, but the veteran is dealing with some injuries, so they’re not completely out of the woods.
Jeremy Swayman is expected to start with Linus Ullmark serving as the backup.
“He won't be practicing this week, so we'll update at the end of the week or early next week," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said of Rask. "He's kind of fighting through some medical issues, I guess, or body issues for his age with the comeback. So, we'll see how it turns out."
The Bruins are 2-3 in their last five, and those losses have seen a large lapse in defense and even in goal. Boston has given up 15 goals in those three losses, with the most recent being six allowed to the Dallas Stars on Jan. 30.
But the Bruins tend to get things rolling in the second half of the season. You can never really count them out for as long as the perfection line of Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, especially with Pastrnak now with a team-best 22 goals.
The reason why I’m staying away from the Penguins is having already be down Evgeni Malkin, who was placed in COVID protocol on Monday. The bulk of the offense goes to Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust, especially with the latter two playing well in the 4-3 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals before the break.
Guentzel, who represented the Penguins in the All-Star Game, had three assists and Rust had two goals in the pity point.
"Winning (was the best part)," Guentzel said of the Metro winning the game. "We get to go home with some money. And it was just a good event and a good weekend overall. Just to be able to meet new people and just to experience Vegas for the All-Star Game was special."
The goaltending normally dictates this, as Tristan Jarry should be getting the nod here, but never underestimate the play of the home team getting things off on the right foot. The Bruins have won eight of their last nine conference games with the over going 7-1-1 in that span. Also, the Penguins have lost 15 of the last 17 meetings in Boston. Give me the home team. Bruins win 4-2
Betting trends
The Penguins are 33-21 after playing consecutive home games.
The Bruins are 61-44 off an under over the past three seasons.
Projected lines
Penguins:
Jake Guentzel -- Sidney Crosby -- Bryan Rust
Brock McGinn -- Jeff Carter -- Evan Rodrigues
Zach Aston-Reese -- Brian Boyle -- Radim Zohorna
Dominik Simon -- Michael Chaput -- Kasperi Kapanen
Brian Dumoulin -- Kris Letang
Marcus Pettersson -- John Marino
Mike Matheson -- Mark Friedman
Tristan Jarry
Jake Guentzel -- Sidney Crosby -- Bryan Rust
Brock McGinn -- Jeff Carter -- Evan Rodrigues
Zach Aston-Reese -- Brian Boyle -- Radim Zohorna
Dominik Simon -- Michael Chaput -- Kasperi Kapanen
Brian Dumoulin -- Kris Letang
Marcus Pettersson -- John Marino
Mike Matheson -- Mark Friedman
Tristan Jarry
Bruins:
Brad Marchand -- Patrice Bergeron -- Craig Smith
Taylor Hall -- Tomas Nosek -- David Pastrnak
Jake DeBrusk -- Charlie Coyle -- Oskar Steen
Anton Blidh -- Erik Haula -- Curtis Lazar
Matt Grzelcyk -- Charlie McAvoy
Mike Reilly -- Brandon Carlo
Derek Forbort -- Urho Vaakanainen
Jeremy Swayman
Brad Marchand -- Patrice Bergeron -- Craig Smith
Taylor Hall -- Tomas Nosek -- David Pastrnak
Jake DeBrusk -- Charlie Coyle -- Oskar Steen
Anton Blidh -- Erik Haula -- Curtis Lazar
Matt Grzelcyk -- Charlie McAvoy
Mike Reilly -- Brandon Carlo
Derek Forbort -- Urho Vaakanainen
Jeremy Swayman
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert hockey picks today. And if you enjoyed this Pittsburgh Penguins - Boston Bruins prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NHL projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
