Pekka Rinne needed to plug some of his leaks in Game 3 if the Predators were to get back into the Stanley Cup final and that’s exactly what he did. Stopping all but one of the Penguins’ 28 shots on Saturday, Rinne thrust himself back into the Conn Smythe conversation and upped his postseason save percentage at home to .949. With the win Saturday, Nashville is now poised to level this series as faves for Game 4 and to send the best-of-seven back to Pittsburgh for a scale-tipping fifth game.
- The Predators are 12-1 SU in their last 13 games in the playoffs at home.
- The total has gone UNDER in 10 of the Predators' last 13 games with a closing total of 5.5 or more.
- Matt Murray has a .908 save percentage on the road this postseason.
It wasn’t just Rinne who redeemed himself in the crucial victory. Roman Josi, who tied the game with a power-play blast in the second, supplied three points in the victory and fired six shots on net (twice the shots that Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel combined for in Game 3). The Swiss blue-liner has been a mercurial figure this postseason and many were pointing the finger of blame his way after his horrendous showing in Game 2.
He and the Preds could have folded after going down 2-0 to the defending champs but they instead decided to rally. This series isn’t over by a long shot and if Nashville can play another 60 minutes like they did on Saturday, it could be going the distance.
Now outscoring opponents 30-14 in their own barn this postseason, it can easily be understated just how good Nashville has been in front of the home fans. That plus-1.78 goals per game differential is by far the best in the playoffs so the Penguins, who have allowed an average of 3.10 goals per game in their 10 road contests this postseason, will have to be much better on Monday night if they want to put a stranglehold on this series.
Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick
If you're backing the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins in this one, they Penguins listed earlier today as underdogs of 115 at most sportsbooks, including Sportsbook. Those over/under total betting saw the number open in the area of 5.5, depending on the book.
Odds Shark score prediction models pick a 3.2-2.4 result in favor of the Penguins today. View the computer score prediction and who will win the pick on the moneyline for all upcoming NHL matchups here.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs Nashville Predators Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
This season the Nashville Predators are 54-34-13 overall while the Pittsburgh Penguins are 64-27-13. As for the totals, Nashville is 46-43-12 on the OU, and Pittsburgh is 57-40-7. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Nashville vs Pittsburgh injuries news.
The NHL Power Rankings at Odds Shark show the No. 5-rated Pittsburgh Penguins taking on the No. 22-rated Nashville Predators in this contest.
Statistical Matchup
Offensively, the game matches up the Nashville Predators No. 10-ranked offense (2.93 goals per game) against a Pittsburgh Penguins defense that ranks No. 16 at 2.76 goals per game allowed. The Predators Sportsbook has clicked at a 18.93% rate while the Penguins have a 80.12% rate on the penalty kill.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
The Penguins were a 5-1 loser in their most recent outing on the road against the Predators. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got Nashville at -153 on the moneyline, while the total score (6) was good news for OVER bettors.
- Pittsburgh is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games
- Pittsburgh is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
- Pittsburgh is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
- Pittsburgh is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
- Nashville is 14-7 ATS in its last 21 games
- Nashville is 13-6 SU in its last 19 games
- Nashville is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games at home
- Nashville is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Pittsburgh
Next Betting Matchups
Pittsburgh home to Nashville, Thursday, June 8th
