The Pittsburgh Penguins arrive in Vancouver having lost their last two games. The Penguins meet the Vancouver Canucks in their first of back-to-back games in the Pacific Northwest.
For their part, the Vancouver Canucks finally won a game in their last matchup. Pittsburgh is exceeding many people’s expectations to start the season, while the Vancouver Canucks have had another disappointing start to the season.
We’ll sort through the stats and NHL odds to find you the best Penguins vs Canucks betting picks. Puck drop for the Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Vancouver Canucks is set for 10:00 P.M. ET.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Vancouver Canucks
Matchup Info
- Game: Pittsburgh Penguins vs Vancouver Canucks
- Venue: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Puck Drop: Friday, October 28, 2022, at 10:00 P.M. ET
- Watch: ESPN+ or NHLPP
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins enter Friday night’s matchup with the Canucks with a 4-2-1 (W-L-OTL) record. In their last outing on October 25nd, the Pittsburgh Penguins lost 4-1 to the Calgary Flames.
DeSmith Performance Recap
Evgeni Malkin scored the Penguins’ only goal, while Casey DeSmith made 32 saves in the loss.
The Penguins are playing back-to-back games in the Pacific Northwest, so DeSmith is likely to get another start, but we are not sure which game he will start. We think that the Penguins starter Tristan Jarry will start against Vancouver.
Penguins’ Lineup Breakdown
So far in 2022-23, Jarry has a 4-1-0 record, with a 2.82 goals against average and a fantastic .923 save percentage. DeSmith has a 0-1-1 record, with a 3.42 goals against average and a .907 save percentage.
Sidney Crosby leads the Penguins with 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists). Evgeni Malkin has seven points (4 goals, 3 assists), while four other players have at least 6 points for the Penguins.
So far, in 2022-23, the Pittsburgh Penguins are averaging 4.29 goals per game and 3.0 goals against per game. The Penguins’ power play is operating at 24.1%, while the penalty kill is operating at 72.0%.
Key Injuries
The Pittsburgh Penguins have two players of note on the NHL injury report: left-wingers Jake Guentzel and Jason Zucker are both listed as day-to-day.
Betting Trends to Know
According to the betting stats we could find for our Penguins vs Canucks betting picks, the Penguins are 5-2 on the over/under total goals line so far in 2022-23. Pittsburgh has a 4-3 record on the moneyline and against the spread.
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks enter Friday’s NHL schedule with a 1-5-2 (W-L-OTL) record. In their last outing, the Vancouver Canucks defeated the Seattle Kraken 5-4 to get their first win of the season.
Ilya Mikjeyev scored two goals, while Andrei Kuzmenko and Elias Pettersson had a goal and an assist each. Thatcher Demko made 32 saves.
Canucks’ Position at the Stats
The Canucks stats have been horrible to start the season. In goal, Demko has a 1-5-1 (W-L-OTL) record, with a 4.05 goals-against average and a .874 save percentage.
Demko’s backup, Spencer Martin, has a 0-1-1 record, with a 3.79 goals-against average and a .879 save percentage.
Canucks’ Averaging Numbers
Important to our Penguins vs. Canucks betting picks are the Canucks stats: the Canucks are averaging 2.88 goals per game and 4.35 goals against, the powerplay is operating at 22.2%, while the penalty kill is operating at 60.0%
Elias Pettersson leads the Canucks with nine points (4 goals, 5 assists) while Bo Horvat (4 goals, 2 assists) and J.T. Miller (4 goals, 2 assists) have six points each. Eight other Canucks have at least 3 points this season.
Key Injuries
The Vancouver Canucks have a few players on the injury report:
- Curtis Lazar (C)
- Riley Stillman (D)
- Travis Dermott (D)
Are all on injured reserve, while J.T. Miller is listed as day-to-day.
The biggest injury of note for the Canucks is Quinn Hughes, who is listed on the injured reserve and leaves a significant hole in Vancouver’s lineup.
Betting Trends to Know
The Vancouver Canucks are 5-3 on total goal wagers in 2022-23. The Canucks have a 1-7 record on the moneyline and a 3-5 record against the spread.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Vancouver Canucks Odds
Online sportsbooks have the Pittsburgh Penguins as a moneyline betting favorite. The Penguins are listed with moneyline odds from -165 to -178, while the Vancouver Canucks are listed between +138 and +146
As of publication for our Penguins vs Canucks betting picks, the Vancouver Canucks (+1.5) are the betting favorite on most puck line spreads, with odds between -160 and -190.
Penguins as the Underdog
The Pittsburgh Penguins are the betting underdog listed at -1.5 on most puck line spreads, with odds ranging between +135 and +158.
The total goals line to consider for our Penguins vs Canucks betting picks is set at 6.5 on most online sportsbooks.
On online sportsbooks where the puck line is set to 6.5, the over is listed with odds ranging from -110 to -121, while the under is listed with odds ranging from +100 to -110.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Vancouver Canucks Betting Picks
Moneyline
We like the Pittsburgh Penguins betting odds on the moneyline as we expect them to win on Friday night.
The Canucks have started the season poorly and are missing their top defenceman. Regardless of which Penguin’s goalie starts, we’re taking the Penguins on the moneyline.
NHL Pick: Penguins (-170)
Over/Under
The Penguins will do their part and score goals, but we’re not convinced that the Canucks will be able to produce enough goals to hit the over.
There are other NHL games to take the over on; take the under in the Penguins vs Canucks on Friday night.
NHL Pick: Over 6.5 (-115)
Spread
If we’re making a wager on the spread, we’re taking Pittsburgh to cover the spread as one of our Penguins vs Canucks betting picks.
NHL Pick: Penguins -1.5 (+150)
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Vancouver Canucks Score Prediction
We think the Penguins cruise to another victory and Hugh payout for those bettors jumping on decent Penguins betting odds.
Can the Canucks win this game? Can they cover the spread? Yes. But those outcomes are very unlikely, even though Pittsburgh has lost their last two games.
Final score: Pittsburgh Penguins 4, Vancouver Canucks 1
NHL Pick: Penguins (-170)
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