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Florida vs. Pittsburgh: NHL Match Prediction
On January 4, Florida will play its second match in two days. This time, the opponent of Alexander Barkov team will be Pittsburgh. The Penguins concede more than others, but they themselves are very good at finishing attacks. The Panthers can't get a winning streak going and suffered an unpleasant defeat to Carolina the day before. This season, the Pens have already beaten the Cats in Pennsylvania. Will they be able to win this time? Read our forecast
Command Analysis
Florida Panthers
USACurrent form
Florida has not pleased its fans with a stable game for a long time and now closes the top five in the conference table. The Panthers have earned 48 points in 39 games, but occupy second place in the Atlantic Division. The Cats played well at the end of December, but were unable to finish the calendar year on a major note. Paul Maurice charges suffered a crushing defeat to Tampa (0:4) and Montreal (0:4) at the start of the current home series, but then beat the Rangers (5:3) with some difficulty. In the first match of January, Aleksander Barkov squad failed to cope with Carolina (1:3), although they had previously beaten the Hurricanes twice.
The hosts cannot boast of a reliable game in defense at this stage of the season. In the last five matches, the red light behind the Florida goal has come on 16 times, and Sergei Bobrovsky does not always help his partners win. The Russian has played 26 games in the current regular season and has reflected only 89.93% of shots. The current champion has only one shutout.
Sam Reinhart remains the leading scorer of the club from the state of the same name, but he left the top ten most productive hockey players in the league. The forward scored 45 points (22+23) in the goal+pass system and often found himself at the forefront of the attack.
Disqualifications and injuries
Johan Gadjevic and Niko Mikolla will not play against the Pens.
Interesting trends for betting
- Florida is averaging 3.38 goals per game.
The Panthers have been showing a productive attack this season, and in recent matches they have greatly improved their scoring.
- The Panthers are blocking 16 shots per game.
The hosts regularly help their goalies, but this does not always save the team from conceding goals.
Pittsburgh Penguins
USACurrent form
Pittsburgh is in ninth place in the East and is still trying to get back into the playoff zone. The team from Pennsylvania has earned 39 points in 39 starts and is one point behind Ottawa, which is higher, having played two games less. The Penguins have been alternating wins and losses since the end of last year. They defeated Philadelphia at home (7:3), exchanged points with the Islanders (3:6 and 3:2), and in the last meeting they lost to Detroit in Michigan (2:4). The visitors came back twice during the match, but fell short at the end and did not achieve the desired result.
The Petes continue to give up more goals than any other team in the East. They have allowed 18 goals in their last five games, and have allowed at least three goals in five of the six games. Alex Nedeljkovic gets another chance after Tristan Jarry poor showing. The Pens goalie has stopped just .8891% of the shots he faces and has not recorded a single shutout.
Sidney Crosby has been named the best NHL player of the 21st century, and he continues to live up to his lofty status. The captain of the pits has made 41 scoring actions (10+31) and constantly leads his partners to finish. Rickard Rakell scores more often than others (17+14).
Disqualifications and injuries
Kris Letang and Jack St. Ivanovic will not help their partners in Florida.
Interesting trends for betting
- Pittsburgh averages 3.08 goals per game
The Penguins have shown a strong level of offensive play since the start of the season.
- The Pens average 6.77 penalty minutes per game.
Guests are sent off more than three times on average per game.
Trends
Bet 1st period: total over 1.5 goals
In three of the four games involving Pittsburgh, the first period was productive
1.70Bet 2nd period: Florida will score
The Panthers have scored in the second period in six of their eight games.
1.33Tip and bets
Florida was good in the game against the Rangers, but again played very poorly in the attack in the previous meeting. The Panthers must pull themselves together and return to the fight for leadership in the Atlantic Division, especially since the hosts do not have personnel problems now. A convenient opponent will come to visit the Cats, who concede a lot. Pittsburgh alternates victories and defeats in this part of the season and is unlikely to repeat the recent success, when Sidney Crosby squad beat the Panthers in Pennsylvania. We believe in the victory of Paul Maurice team and will play a bet on their victory.
Our prediction is Florida victory at 1.78
Bet on individual total
The Panthers are not the best in attack and cannot boast of a stable game in attack lately. The team from the state of Florida is simply obliged to break through the weak defense of the guests, who still concede more than anyone else in the East. In the recent meeting between the rivals, the Panthers scored four goals. We expect at least as many on home ice.
Forecast - Florida individual total over three goals for 1.60
Bet on total
Matches involving Pittsburgh are often extremely productive, because the visitors are very weak on their half of the court. They score a lot and can take advantage of Sergei Bobrovsky not-so-great form, who often lets down his partners. We think that the match will be played on opposite courses and the teams will score at least six times between them.
Forecast - total over 5.5 goals for 1.67
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