Red Wings vs Penguins Prediction & Best Bets (4/11): Who Will Pick Up Two Pivotal Points in Pittsburrgh?

The most important game on tonight’s ten-game NHL schedule is in Pittsburgh, where the Penguins will take on the Detroit Red Wings at PPG Paints Arena (7:00 pm ET, NHLPP/ESPN+).

Just a couple of weeks ago, it was almost time to put Pittsburgh’s playoff hopes to bed. But with a 6-0-2 record in their last eight games, the Penguins (36-30-12, 84 points) are in the thick of the wild-card mix with four games remaining.

Entering tonight’s contest, both Pittsburgh and Detroit (38-32-8, 84 points) are on the outside looking in. However, a lot could change over the final eight days of the regular season.

The Washington Capitals (37-30-11, 85 points) currently occupy the final wild-card slot ahead of their visit to already-eliminated Buffalo tonight, while the New York Islanders (36-27-15, 87 points) are third in the Metropolitan Division, ahead of the Capitals and Pens.

Current Eastern Conference Playoff Picture

Atlantic Division

• 1. Boston Bruins (46-18-15) – 107 points
• 2. Florida Panthers (49-24-6) – 104
• 3. Toronto Maple Leafs (46-24-9) – 101

Metropolitan Division

• 1. New York Rangers (53-22-4) – 110
• 2. Carolina Hurricanes (50-22-7) – 107
• 3. New York Islanders (36-27-15) – 87

Wild Card

• 1. Tampa Bay Lightning (44-27-7) – 95
• 2. Washington Capitals (37-30-11) – 85
• Pittsburgh Penguins (36-30-12) – 84
• Detroit Red Wings (38-32-8) – 84
• Philadelphia Flyers (36-32-11) – 83

The team that comes out on the short end in Pittsburgh won’t suffer a mortal blow tonight, but their road to the playoffs will become much more difficult and more reliant on help elsewhere.

Who will pick up two priceless points tonight at PPG Paints Arena? And how should you bet the matchup? Read on.

Detroit Red Wings vs Pittsburgh Penguins Odds

Odds are courtesy of BetOnline, a longtime fixture among the top online sports betting sites. Check out our BetOnline sportsbook review, then bag a big bonus (100% if your first deposit is with Bitcoin, Ethereum, or another cryptocurrency) to bet on tonight’s NHL slate.

Moneyline

• Detroit Red Wings +139
• Pittsburgh Penguins -156

Over/Under

• Over 6.5 (+102)
• Under 6.5 (-118)

Puck Line

• Detroit Red Wings +1.5 (-183)
• Pittsburgh Penguins -1.5 (+163)

With ten games on tonight’s schedule, there’s a lot of NHL betting action to look forward to. Get free and reliable moneyline, over/under, and puck line consensus picks for all ten games, including this one, from our NHL picks page.

Detroit Red Wings vs Pittsburgh Penguins Prediction and Best Bets

As has been the case far too often this season, failing to hold a lead cost the Penguins precious points last time out.

On Monday in Toronto, Pittsburgh scored first but fell behind in the third period. They did force overtime with a Drew O’Connor goal, but a come-from-behind win was not to be in the cards as Jake McCabe won it for the Maple Leafs in the extra period.

You can perhaps look at it as a point gained since it was on the road against one of the better teams in the NHL, but it was a missed opportunity, nonetheless.

They can ill-afford another one tonight against the Red Wings or anywhere over their final four games, three of which are at home. That might not have mattered much for most of the season, but it could be vital over the next week.

Only one playoff team across both conferences has fewer points at home than Pittsburgh’s 46—the Los Angeles Kings (19-11-7) have 45, while the Nashville Predators (22-16-2) also have 46—but home has recently been a happy place for the Pens, who are 5-1-0 in their last six games and 8-3-0 in their last 11 games.

Last Five Home Games for the Pittsburgh Penguins

• Tampa Bay Lightning (4/6): won 5-4
• Columbus Blue Jackets (3/28): won 3-2
• Carolina Hurricanes (3/26): won 4-1
• Detroit Red Wings (3/17): won 6-3
• New York Rangers (3/16): lost 7-4

Those stretches include a 6-3 win over the Red Wings on March 17. In the win, six different players scored the six goals, while four, including Sidney Crosby, also added an assist. At Bovada, he is -140 to record one or more assists tonight. Crosby has had at least one assist in 11 of his last 15 games against Detroit and in five of his last six home games, so this play is worth going for the shorter odds.

While the Penguins have excelled at home recently, the Red Wings have had a miserable time of it on the road. They picked up a huge win over the Lightning in their most recent road game on April 1, but they are just 1-7-2 in their last ten road games.

Last Five Road Games for the Detroit Red Wings

• Tampa Bay Lightning (4/1): won 4-2
• Florida Panthers (3/30): lost 3-2 (SO)
• Carolina Hurricanes (3/28): lost 4-0
• Washington Capitals (3/26): lost 4-3 (OT)
• Nashville Predators (3/23): lost 1-0

As frustrating as Pittsburgh can be, even when they play well, they should pick up the two points tonight. There’s a little more juice with the ML than I’d like, but there’s value elsewhere in a trend that has been present in most of their wins this season.

In 27 of their 36 wins this season, the Pens have scored four or more goals. That includes their last four wins, 12 of their last 13 wins, and seven of their last eight home wins.

Red Wings vs Penguins Prediction: Penguins to win

Red Wings vs Penguins Best Bets: Penguins team total over 3.5 goals (+100 at BetOnline) & Sidney Crosby to record one or more assists (-140 at Bovada)

Other NHL Betting Information

Where Can You Bet on the NHL?

Throughout the season, NHL odds are available at the top online sports betting sites.

Along with moneyline, over/under, and puck line odds for every game, many sportsbooks also offer Stanley Cup futures odds, award odds, and a plethora of prop bets, which are becoming increasingly popular with NHL bettors.

In addition to BetOnline, here are some of the sportsbooks that we recommend for betting on the National Hockey League:

• BetDSI (review)
• BetUS (review)
• Bookmaker (review)
• Bovada (review)
• MyBookie (review)
• Sportsbetting.ag (review)

If you don’t have an account at a book on this list, check out our reviews to help you determine if it is worth your interest and your betting funds.

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