The Pens and Ducks will get their season series wrapped up early this year as they are set to play their second of two 2016 games tonight as Pittsburgh kicks off a West Coast road trip looking for the sweep of Anaheim.
Pittsburgh will call upon Matt Murray for the first time tonight after Marc-Andre Fleury started the first nine games of the year with the Penguins' breakout netminder out with a broken hand he suffered in preseason. The 22-year-old goalie was last seen in action when he helped lead his team to a Stanley Cup championship last season with his 15-6 record and .923 save percentage in 21 starts.
Anaheim is starting to look a little more mighty, having climbed back to .500 after a horrendous start in Randy Carlyle’s second go-around with the Ducks. Backed by John Gibson, the Ducks blanked the Kings last night 4-0, marking just the fourth time in 10 games that they've scored three or more goals.
Gibson is finally showing flashes of the brilliance he has made routine over his past two years in the big show and is in line for another start tonight. It’s hard to gauge what kind of performance we will get from Murray, so I’ll be staying away from total bets and will be leaning toward the Quackers in moneyline wagers.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs Anaheim Ducks Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The Pittsburgh Penguins will look to vanquish their hosts on Wednesday, as they are 6-2-1 this season, while the Ducks are 4-4-2. Pittsburgh is 4-2-3 against the total, while Anaheim is 3-5-2 versus the number. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Anaheim vs Pittsburgh injuries news.
The NHL Power Rankings at Odds Shark show the No. 1-rated Pittsburgh Penguins taking on the No. 11-rated Anaheim Ducks in this contest.
Statistical Matchup
Offensively, the game matches up the Anaheim Ducks No. 20-ranked offense (2.5 goals per game) against a Pittsburgh Penguins defense that ranks No. 21 at 3 goals per game allowed. The Ducks Sportsbook has clicked at a 21.05% rate while the Penguins have a 78.95% rate on the penalty kill.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
Pittsburgh was a 5-4 Sportsbook in its last match on the road against the Flyers. They won as -110 underdogs, while the total score of 9 made Sportsbooks of OVER bettors.
The Ducks were a 4-0 Sportsbook in their most recent outing on the road against the Kings. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got Anaheim at +111 on the moneyline, while the total score (4) was good news for OVER bettors.
Next Betting Matchups
Pittsburgh at Los Angeles, Thursday, November 3rd
Anaheim home to Arizona, Friday, November 4th