Pittsburgh Penguins vs Florida Panthers Prediction, Preview and Odds - 12/08/2023

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Friday, December 8, 2023

Venue:  Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, FL

Where to Watch:  NHL Network

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Penguins +124, Panthers -148; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Penguins +124, Panthers -148; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Penguins +124, Panthers -148; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

Pittsburgh Penguins:  11-11-3 (7th place, Metropolitan Division)

Florida Panthers:  15-8-2 (2nd place, Atlantic Division)

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Pittsburgh Penguins:  3-4-3 last 10

Florida Panthers:  5-4-1 last 10

The Penguins are entering this game with 25 points, an 11-11-3 record overall, and they are 6-5-2 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning in their last game, losing that one on the road 3-1. Jake Guentzel scored 1 goal for them in that game. Sidney Crosby led the team in assists with 1 while Jake Guentzel led the team in shots on net in that game with 5. Tristan Jarry was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 3 goals on 27 shots with 24 saves and a .889 save percentage. Their offense has scored 74 goals this season averaging 3 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 66 goals against them allowing 2.6 goals per game.

The Panthers are entering this game with 32 points, a 15-8-2 record overall, and they are 8-4-0 in their home games this regular season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Dallas Stars in their last game, winning that one at home 5-4. Evan Rodrigues led the team in goals with 2 while Sam Reinhart, Aleksander Barkov, and Carter Verhaeghe each scored 1 goal for them in that game. Evan Rodrigues, Sam Reinhart, and Niko Mikkola each led the team in assists with 2 while Carter Verhaeghe led the team in shots on net in that game with 6. Sergei Bobrovsky was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 4 goals on 33 shots with 29 saves and a .879 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 77 goals this season averaging 3.1 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 66 goals against them allowing 2.6 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Panthers listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Panthers have looked really good this season with their 15-8-2 record overall which has them near the top of their division and fighting for the lead. They have also looked a lot better in their home games with their 8-4-0 home record and this is a trend that goes back to last season too with their success on home ice. Meanwhile, the Penguins haven't looked good this season with their 11-11-3 record overall which has them near the bottom of their division. They haven't looked good in their games lately either as they have been in the middle of a slump, losing to the Lightning in their last game too. They are also just 6-5-2 in their road games this season. The Panthers have been on a roll lately and just won their last game against the Stars in a high scoring game as their offense has been rolling too. Look for the Panthers to continue that play here on home ice against the inferior Penguins. The best way to place a bet here is on the Panthers to win this game. 

Penguins Panthers Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Friday, December 8, 2023 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Panthers 4 Penguins 1.

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Pittsburgh Penguins: 100-96 (-35.1 units) on the moneyline in all games. 11-16 (-12.2 units) on the moneyline off a road blowout loss by 3 goals or more. 16-8 UNDER in all games. 34-14 UNDER after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game.

Florida Panthers: 132-88 (+9.6 units) on the moneyline in all games. 52-28 (+16 units) on the moneyline after allowing 3 goals or more 2 straight games. 76-46 (+9.3 units) on the moneyline after playing a game where 7 or more total goals were scored. 5-1 UNDER after playing 2 consecutive home games.

Pittsburgh Penguins:  B. Rust (RW) Ques Fri - Upper Body. N. Acciari (C) Ques Fri - Lower Body. P. Joseph (D) Mid Dec - Lower Body. M. Nieto (LW) Out indefinitely - Lower Body. R. Rakell (RW) Out indefinitely - Upper Body. C. Ruhwedel (D) Out indefinitely - Lower Body.

Florida Panthers:  J. Mahura (D) Prob Fri - Lower Body.

“They scored two goals (last week) and we start playing our game. Tonight they scored three goals and we start to play our game. We need to control more of the game.” - Evgeni Malkin after their loss against the Lightning in their last game. 

“We'll talk about the four points. I just liked all the other stuff that he did. He was physical. He was on pucks. He defended real hard.” - Paul Maurice on Evan Rodrigues after his team’s win against the Stars in their last game.

LW Guentzel, Jake

C Crosby, Sidney

RW Smith, Reilly

LD Graves, Ryan

RD Letang, Kris

G Jarry, Tristan

LW Rodrigues, Evan

C Barkov, Aleksander

RW Reinhart, Sam

LD Forsling, Gustav

RD Ekblad, Aaron

G Bobrovsky, Sergei

Points: J. Guentzel (29)

Goals: S. Crosby (15)

Assists: J. Guentzel (19)

GAA: A. Nedeljkovic (2.18)

Points: S. Reinhart (32)

Goals: S. Reinhart (17)

Assists: A. Barkov (16)

GAA: A.Stolarz (2.34)

Coaches:

Pittsburgh Penguins: Mike Sullivan (9th season)

Florida Panthers: Paul Maurice (2nd season)