Penguins vs Bruins Odds, Picks, and Prediction for Saturday Afternoon Clash

• The Pittsburgh Penguins ship up to Boston to face the Bruins from TD Garden at 12:30pm ET
• Casey DeSmith is projected to start against Jeremy Swayman
• Read below for the Penguins vs Bruins odds, prediction, and best NHL betting pick for Saturday

After difficult stretches for both teams the past couple of weeks, the Pittsburgh Penguins face the Boston Bruins on Saturday, April 16th.

Puck drop is set for 12:30pm ET at the TD Garden. The game will be broadcast on NESN and NHL Network. The Pittsburgh Penguins are listed at +105 odds, with Boston at -125 in the Penguins vs Bruins odds. The Saturday NHL odds set Pittsburgh covering the puckline at -240.

Can the Penguins weather the injuries and suspension then steal a game in Boston? Let’s see what the best NHL pick is for this afternoon tilt.

Penguins vs Bruins Odds 

Odds as of April 15th at Caesars Sportsbook

Pennsylvania online sports betting markets set the Over at 6.0 (-115) in the Predators vs Penguins odds on Sunday afternoon.

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Penguins Battling To Avoid Wild Card Spot

So, the Pittsburgh Penguins are battling injuries and issues at the wrong time. They currently lead the Washington Capitals by five points but Washington does have two games in hand.

At this time, Pittsburgh is currently 21 games over .500. After going 4-5-1 in their last 10, they are now 43-22-11 on the season and are in the rear view of the division race while battling the Capitals to stay above them.

Like the Bruins, the Penguins do not have an issue when it comes to the NHL playoff bracket. They have clinched a playoff spot over the New York Islanders, who will be eliminated officially soon enough.

🐧🏒CLINCHED!💛🖤 Jake Guentzel scored twice, Sidney Crosby also had a goal and the Pittsburgh Penguins earned a playoff berth for the 16th straight season with a 6-3 victory over the New York Islanders on Thursday night.https://t.co/fKOI3hiQmw

— 6 News (@WJACTV) April 15, 2022

Unfortunately, Pittsburgh keeps facing mounting obstacles. Evgeni Malkin is still suspended for a couple more games after he cross-checked Mark Borowiecki. Again, Pittsburgh did manage to defeat the New York Islanders without him by a score of 6-3 on Thursday.

While Pittsburgh and the defense have been shaky at times, Pittsburgh has another problem.

Tristan Jarry injured, won’t play in Boston on Saturday.

The Bruins’ starting goalie is also injured, so it will be a battle of the backups tomorrow in Boston. https://t.co/u7e2ot2it9

— PensBurgh (@Pensburgh) April 15, 2022

Tristan Jarry had the form of a potential Vezina Trophy candidate early on but had dropped four of his last five decisions before the injury while giving up 17 goals. Their latest downturn has knocked them all but out of the Metropolitan Division Odds.

Finally, the NHL odds range from +105 to +110. Also, 38% of the betting percentage is on the Pittsburgh moneyline (at +105) and 42% ATS.

Bruins Look to Snap Losing Streak

A three-game downturn has tilted the Bruins’ Stanley Cup odds up to +1600. They began 2021-22 at +1400 to win the Stanley Cup. With consecutive home losses to St. Louis and Ottawa, Boston is facing some mounting concerns of their own.

Since Linus Ullmark is out due to injury, it looks like the Jeremy Swagman show has resumed for the Bruins in the Saturday matinee.

🎥 Jeremy Swayman on Linus Ullmark being day-to-day: "Mindset stays the same. I want to play every night and make sure I’m giving this team a chance to win every night. Obviously I hope he has a speedy recovery. I know he will." pic.twitter.com/ktmniPCuOC

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) April 15, 2022

Boston is also struggling. On Thursday, they gave up three unanswered goals to the Ottawa Senators. The defense and goaltending yielded a couple more goals on the penalty kill, while the offense has not been able to deliver timely goals.

Penguins vs Bruins Recent Results

Penguins vs Bruins Pick

The Penguins and Bruins will be an intriguing day matchup as the backup goaltenders are projected to start. Casey DeSmith and Jeremy Swayman will give this game a little kick as Swayman has given up 19 goals in his last five appearances.

Pittsburgh has 97 points while Boston has 95. The difference is Boston is in fourth in the Atlantic while Pittsburgh remains third in the Metropolitan.

If the Stanley Cup Playoffs began today:

East
Panthers vs. Capitals
Hurricanes vs. Bruins
Maple Leafs vs. Lightning
Rangers vs. Penguins

West
Avalanche vs. Stars
Flames vs. Predators
Wild vs. Blues
Oilers vs. Kings

— Jon Lane (@JonLaneNHL) April 14, 2022

At least, both teams are rested. Though there still expects to be quite a few scoring opportunities, both Pittsburgh and Boston will try to play some tight, physical hockey.

Expect both goalies to be tested quite a bit in this afternoon clash. The over is going to likely stay at 6.0 but given both teams’ issues keeping pucks out of their net, the chances for a push or over to hit are elevated.

The approach with this afternoon weekend contest is to think small. Wager modestly as a one-goal game seems likely.

Picks: OVER 6 goals (-105), Boston Moneyline (-125)