Pittsburgh Penguins vs Detroit Red Wings Betting Pick & Prediction 12/31/24
Planning on watching today’s Penguins and Red Wings game? Catch the action at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI, as the Red Wings hosts this showdown at 8:00 ET on ESPN+. The over/under for this game is set at 6.5 goals, and the Red Wings are the -1.5 goal favorites against the Penguins in a Eastern conference matchup.
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS VS DETROIT RED WINGS BETTING PICK
The Pick: Detroit Red Wings -1.5
This game will be played at Little Caesars Arena at 8:00 ET on Tuesday, December 31st.
WHY BET THE DETROIT RED WINGS:
- The Red Wings enter this game as 1.5-goal favorites and in our projections and we anticipate them winning by a score of 4-3.
- Take the Red Wings on the moneyline
- On the spread, we like Penguins (+1.5)
Can the Penguins Pull Off a Road Win?
With a 3-1 win over the Canadiens, the Penguins moved above .500, bringing their record to 17-16-5. As -1.5 goal favorites, Pittsburgh covered the puck line, and the total of 4 goals fell short of the 6.5 set before the game.
Sidney Crosby led the way with two goals, and Blake Lizotte added an empty-netter to seal the victory. The Penguins kept the Canadiens scoreless until the 3rd period, when Christian Dvorak found the net for Montreal.
Sidney Crosby opened the scoring for the Penguins, netting his 4th goal of the season just 4:03 into the first period. He added his 5th on a power play at 1:20 in the second. Blake Lizotte sealed the game with an empty-netter, his 2nd goal of the season, at 19:15 in the third period.
The Penguins took 24 shots on goal and recorded 14 giveaways. They finished with 4 assists, including Kris Letang’s 3rd and Erik Karlsson’s 7th on Crosby’s second goal. Lars Eller picked up his 3rd assist on Lizotte’s empty-netter.
The Penguins’ defense will look to build on a strong performance, where they allowed only one goal to the Canadiens. Alex Nedeljkovic finished with 25 saves and a 96.2% save percentage, while the defense recorded 5 takeaways and 19 hits. The only goal they allowed came 5:32 into the 3rd period.
Does Detroit Stand a Chance at Home?
Detroit improved to 14-18-4 with a 2-1 win over the Sabres. The Red Wings, favored by -1.5 goals, failed to cover the puck line. The total was set at 6.5 goals, but the combined score of 3 fell well short.
The Red Wings fell behind in the first period, but Dylan Larkin’s two goals in the second period turned things around. Both of Larkin’s goals came on the power play.
Dylan Larkin was the lone goal scorer for the Red Wings in their 2-1 win over the Sabres, netting his 6th and 7th goals of the season. Both goals came on power plays in the second period, at 12:11 and 5:22.
Detroit took 23 shots on goal but had 15 giveaways. Alex DeBrincat recorded his 4th assist of the season, while Lucas Raymond added his 10th. The first period ended scoreless for the Red Wings before Larkin’s two goals in the second.
Defensively, the Red Wings gave up the first goal at 11:39 in the first period, but they locked things down after that, not allowing another goal. Cam Talbot made 31 saves with a 96.9% save percentage, and the defense added 4 takeaways and 11 hits.