The Pittsburgh Penguins are 16-7 in their last 23 postseason home games. The Penguins will try to take advantage of their home ice in Monday’s Stanley Cup Final opener against the Nashville Predators.
Predators vs. Penguins 2017, Stanley Cup Game 1 odds: Pittsburgh opens series as betting favorite
Sidney Crosby and the Penguins have beaten the Predators in eight of their last 10 meetings. They hit the ice in the opener of the Final on Monday.
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Pittsburgh is a -165 favorite to win Game 1 at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. Nashville has won all three of its series openers on the road so far this postseason and is a +145 underdog to win this one.
Pittsburgh Penguins
It took the Penguins seven games and two overtimes in Game 7 to shake off the pesky Ottawa Senators, but the defending champions finally punched their ticket back to the final with an overtime winner from Chris Kunitz.
After breezing through the Columbus Blue Jackets in five games, the Penguins needed all seven to top both Washington and Ottawa. The three-day break between Game 7 and Game 1 with no travel should help Pittsburgh be rested up for Monday’s game.
In the last 10 games between these two teams, Pittsburgh holds an 8-2 advantage, per the OddsShark NHL Database. The Penguins are 4-1 both straight up and on the puckline at home over that stretch.
Betting Line / Total: Pittsburgh -165 / 5.5 Goals
Nashville Predators
No goaltender this postseason has been as impressive as Pekka Rinne, who has a goals-against average of 1.70 and a save percentage of .941 through the first three rounds.
Rinne and the Predators’ defense will now face their toughest test yet in a Pittsburgh team that has led the league in both the playoffs with 3.05 goals per game and the regular season with 3.39 goals per game. Nashville is 5-2 on the road as a playoff underdog in 2017.
Monday night’s total is set at 5.5 goals. Each of the last three games between these two teams have gone OVER the posted total.
This should be an exciting series. Pittsburgh will be much happier taking on a speed-based team like Nashville after dealing with the defensively smothering Senators in the last round, but that open ice will be a double-edged sword as the Predators’ attack will be much more dangerous than that of Ottawa.
Both of these teams are comfortable playing on the road, and the value on the underdog could be tough to pass up on given the strength of both of these teams.
Nashville Predators at Pittsburgh Penguins
When: Monday, May 29, 8 p.m. ET
Where: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Penn.
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