Golden Knights vs Penguins Picks & Odds: Slumping Pens Favored in Home Date with Vegas

The Vegas Golden Knights (17-6-1) aim to strengthen their grip on first place in the Pacific Division with a third straight road win when they visit the Pittsburgh Penguins (11-8-4) in Thursday NHL action.

The Golden Knights kicked off their current four-game road trip on Monday with a 3-2 victory in Columbus and now sport an NHL-best 10-1-1 road record. The Penguins look to rebound from Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to the visiting Carolina Hurricanes that marked their fifth loss in their past six home dates.

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Golden Knights vs Penguins Sportsbook Odds 

The Penguins have faded to -120 home favorites since Sportsbook as a -132 bet. The Golden Knights have surged to slender +100 underdogs, and the total has held steady since Sportsbook at 6.5.

Thursday’s contest marks the first of two scheduled meetings between these teams this season. The Penguins took two from Vegas last season, including a 5-2 home victory on March 11 that extended their overall head-to-head win streak to three games. The total has reached 7 in four of five clashes, powering a 4-1 run for the OVER in totals betting. 

Get the best Penguins vs Golden Knights odds and lines available from our recommended sportsbooks for your favorite picks of the night.

Eichel, Stone Pointless during Golden Knights’ Swoon

The Golden Knights needed a shootout to settle matters after blowing an early 2-0 lead in Monday’s 3-2 victory over the Blue Jackets. While the win extends this team’s steady run of success on the road, it also extends the club’s lengthening stretch of uneven offensive production. 

Vegas shooters have scored just six goals during the team’s current 1-2 run and have been limited to three or fewer goals in six of the past nine games after averaging 4.22 goals during a preceding nine-game win streak.

Both Mark Stone and Jack Eichel have fallen silent, with the top-line duo going pointless over the last three games after racking up a combined 13 points over the previous five. The club’s offensive woes are not helped by the absence of defenceman Alex Pietrangelo, who is looking increasingly likely to miss a second straight game on Thursday due to unspecified personal reasons.

Letang’s Absence Adds to Penguins’ Scoring Woes

The Penguins saw their offensive struggles continue in Tuesday’s loss to the Hurricanes. Pittsburgh needed a goal in the dying seconds to force overtime and pick up a point. However, the club was also outshot for a third straight game, and has now averaged just 27.3 shots on goal during that stretch.

While most of the Penguins’ big guns have fallen silent, Sidney Crosby has continued to produce. The Penguins captain scored once and added an assist on four shots in the loss to Carolina and has now racked up 15 points over his past eight games.

However, the club received some bad news on Wednesday. The Penguins will be without Kris Letang indefinitely after the star rearguard reportedly suffered a stroke. Reports suggest that Letang has not been impacted by serious symptoms. However, it is the second time he has suffered a stroke since 2014.

With Letang on the shelf, Jeff Petry is poised to take on a bigger role, particularly on the power play. Petry has picked up two assists over his past three games and has seen two of his three goals to date come with the extra man.

Golden Knights Player Prop: Jack Eichel OVER 3.5 Shots on Goal

Jack Eichel has struggled to get on the scoresheet in recent outings, but that has not come from a lack of effort. Eichel recorded six shots in Monday’s win in Columbus and has now averaged 5.5 shots over his past four road games. That trend adds definite value to the -134 odds at Sportsbook of him recording OVER 3.5 shots on Thursday night.

Penguins Player Prop: Jeff Petry At Least 1 Assist

Petry has emerged as a bigger contributor of late, with assists in two of his past three games. And with the huge void now left to be filled on the Pittsburgh blue line and power play due to the loss of Kris Letang, Petry is worth a +200 value bet at Sportsbook to record at least one helper on Thursday.

Golden Knights: Keys to Win

The Golden Knights can do themselves a big favor by avoiding another slow start that puts them behind early for the fifth time in seven games. A return to form by the club’s top shooters, including Eichel, Stone, Chandler Stephenson and Phil Kessel, would take the pressure off the team’s supporting cast, which has been forced to step up in recent outings.

Penguins: Keys to Win

The shock of losing Letang to another stroke is an off-ice distraction the Penguins must put behind them if they are to shake off their recent struggles on home ice. Once again, the team will look to its leader, Sidney Crosby, to provide a spark, and their efforts would be helped by contributions from a power-play unit that has not produced a goal in seven games.

NHL Computer Pick: Vegas -105

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