Penguins vs Red Wings Odds & Picks – Best Bet for Saturday Afternoon Hockey

• The Penguins are in dire need of a victory against the Red Wings on Saturday, April 8th
• Pittsburgh sits 1 point back of the final Wild Card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference
• Check out the Penguins vs Red Wings odds below, plus our best bet and prediction

They don’t get much bigger than this. With just three games left in the regular season, the Penguins sit a single point back of both the Islanders and Panthers, who own the two Wild Card playoff spots in the NHL playoff bracket.

On Saturday, April 8th, Pittsburgh visits Detroit as they continue their quest to extend the longest active playoff streak in North American sports. After every team had Good Friday for Easter weekend off, the puck drop for this one goes at 1:00 pm ET in a game that will be broadcast nationally on ABC.

We provide the Penguins vs Red Wings odds below, as well as offer up our best bet and pick for a contest that is crucial to Pittsburgh’s playoff hopes.

Penguins vs Red Wings Odds

In desperate need of a win, the Penguins are -170 moneyline favorites to beat Detroit for the first time this season. The total stands at 6.5 goals. Although the Red Wings have been on an offensive tear of late, Pittsburgh will likely do their best to keep this a low-affair contest.

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Odds as of April 7th at Caesars Sportsbook.

Penguins Can Only Blame Themselves if They Miss Playoffs

This Penguins team needs only to look in the mirror if they want to make sense of the situation they’re in. On March 13th, they sat alone in 7th in the Eastern Conference, two points up on the Islanders and five ahead of the Panthers with games in hand on both squads.

Since then, it’s been a precipitous fall down the standings, going 5-8-0 during that span. They are now on the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture and will need help if they are to lock down their 17th consecutive postseason appearance.

IF the standings end up as is, the NHL's three longest active playoff streaks will end.

Penguins 16 seasons
Capitals 8 seasons
Predators 8 seasons

— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) April 5, 2023

Although they’re playing a Red Wings squad whose season is basically over, the Pens have really struggled away from home as of late. They are just 1-6 straight up on the road in their last seven games as visitors and will need to fix that issue if they want to keep playing deep into the month of April.

Red Wings Offense Firing on all Cylinders

Steve Yzerman’s squad has made a significant improvement over last season. With 80 points this campaign, they’ve already gained more points than the 74 they accumulated last season and appear on their way to being a serious competitor for a playoff spot as soon as next year.

Another Michigan native goal on Tigers night! pic.twitter.com/bI2ZEIfixn

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) April 6, 2023

However, since they’re just playing out the string, it appears that the team is playing particularly loose and that has led to goals in abundance. Detroit has scored 16 times in their last three affairs, although they are coming off a porous defensive performance where they lost 7-6 to Buffalo in shootout.

Just 11 days ago, they found the back of the net seven times in a 7-4 win over the Pens. Although Pittsburgh dominated Detroit last season, the Red Wings have taken both contests between the two this year.

Penguins vs Red Wings Recent Results

These teams have also combined to smash the over in each of their last four contests, combining to average 10.5 goals per game in those outings.

Penguins vs Red Wings Pick and Prediction

Given Pittsburgh has everything to play for while the Red Wings are just waiting to hit the links, the Penguins are obvious favorites in the NHL odds, although a loose team is always a dangerous one to contend with.

Pittsburgh defeated the Wild 4-1 Thursday night and although recent affairs between these teams have been very high scoring, we think the Pens will keep chances to a minimum this time around.

Penguins vs Red Wings Same-Game Parlay Picks

For so many years, Sidney Crosby was one of the favorites in the Hart Trophy odds, not just because of his point totals, but because of his ability to come up big in crucial contests like this one.

Goalless in his last seven games and pointless in two, the Penguins will likely need their captain to step up big if they’re going to leap the Isles or Panthers and capture one of the two final playoff spots in the East. If there’s anybody I’m not betting against, it’s Sid. Our prediction is the Penguins make a statement in this one.

Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins -1.5 (+140)