Will it be boom or bust for the Pittsburgh Penguins in the NHL’s “bubble”?
After waiting in limbo for four months due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Penguins return to the ice as part of the Stanley Cup Qualifiers. The Pens (40-23-6) play a best-of-five series against the Montreal Canadiens (31-31-8). The team that gets ousted will be entered into phase two of the NHL Draft Lottery.
Before their season stopped on March 10, the Penguins were trying to recover from a rough February, when they suffered a six-game losing streak.
The Penguins won the Stanley Cup in 2017 and 2018. The last two seasons, they failed to advance past the second round. They certainly have a championship pedigree, with stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin still producing at a high level.
PlayPennsylvania will follow the Pittsburgh Penguins 2020 postseason betting lines at PA online sportsbooks and recap the results here.
Penguins face elimination on Friday
With a 4-3 loss on Wednesday, the Penguins are one game away from elimination in their qualifying series with the Canadiens. It would be a big upset considering the Canadiens were the last team to make it into the qualifying round. The Penguins entered the series as big favorites but seemed to have lacked urgency.
For bettors, Montreal has been priced about +145 each game. Two of the three games have gone under.
If the Penguins get eliminated, it will be a huge disappointment for NHL bettors at BetRivers. Prior to NHL’s restart, the Penguins were the most popular pick (32%) at BetRivers to win the Stanley Cup.
They are also the second-most bet team, behind the Philadelphia Flyers (17%), since the league returned to the ice last Saturday, accounting for 14% of all NHL wagers.
Pittsburgh Penguins online sportsbook odds boosts for Friday, Aug. 7
FanDuel:
- Sidney Crosby to score a goal and Penguins to win boosted from (+215) to +280
Fox Bet:
- Sidney Crosby to score 2 or more goals boosted from +450 to +500
- Penguins to win 2-0, 4-1 or 5-3 boosted from +700 to +750
- Penguins to win 3-1, 4-2 or 5-2 boosted from +450 to +500
- Canadiens to win 3-0, 4-2 or 5-2 boosted from +800 to +900
- Evgeni Malkin to score a goal boosted from +225 to +250
- Canadiens to win 4-1, 4-2, or 5-3 boosted from +800 to +900
Pittsburgh Penguins return-to-play schedule
(5) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (12) Montreal Canadiens
Saturday, Aug. 1: Canadiens vs. Penguins, 8 p.m. EST
Monday, Aug. 3: Canadiens vs. Penguins, 8 p.m. EST
Wednesday, Aug. 5: Penguins vs. Canadiens, 8 p.m. EST
Friday, Aug. 7: Penguins vs. Canadiens, 4 p.m. EST
Saturday, Aug. 8: Canadiens vs. Penguins*
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Montreal Canadiens qualifying series odds
To win series (via FanDuel Sportsbook) on July 30:
- Canadiens: +185
- Penguins: -230
DraftKings exact outcome of Penguins vs. Canadiens series:
- Penguins win the series 3-2: +335
- Penguins win the series 3-1: +350
- Penguins win the series 3-0: +400
- Canadiens win the series 3-1: +485
- Canadiens win the series 3-2: +500
- Canadiens win the series 3-0: +1000
Pittsburgh Penguins 2020 postseason betting lines and recap
Aug. 1: Canadiens vs. Penguins
Moneyline: MTL: (+140)/PIT: (-165)
Total: 5.5 – Over: (+100)/Under: (-120)
Public (Spread) Betting Percentages via oddsFire: MTL: 4% | PIT: 96%
Final score: Canadiens 3, Penguins 2 (OT)
Winning bets: MTL (+140), UNDER
Penguins player prop info:
- Crosby: 1 goal
- Rust: 1 goal
- Guentzel: 1 assist
Aug. 3: Penguins vs. Canadiens
Moneyline: PIT: (-170)/ MTL: (+145)
Total: 5.5 – Over: (+110)/Under: (-110)
Public (Spread) Betting Percentages via oddsFire: 95% of bets and 97% money for Pittsburgh Penguins.
Final score: Penguins 3, Canadiens 1
Winning bets: PIT (-170), UNDER
Penguins player prop info:
- Sheary: 2 assists
- Crosby: 1 goal
- Guentzel: 1 goal
Wednesday, Aug. 5: Canadiens vs. Penguins
Moneyline: MTL: (+143)/PIT: (-167)
Total: 5.5
Final score: Canadiens 4, Penguins 3
Winning bets: MTL (+143), OVER
Penguins player prop info:
- Zucker: 1 goal
- Blueger: 1 goal
Friday, Aug. 7: Penguins vs. Canadiens, 4 p.m.
Moneyline: PIT: (-175)/MTL (+150)
Total: 5.5
Pittsburgh Penguins promos at PA online sportsbooks
The DraftKings NHL Playoff Goal Bonus: Place a minimum $50 bet on any team to win their qualifying series matchup and get $5 toward a free bet for every goal they score all series. Terms include:
- Round-robin teams excluded
- Must opt in before placing bet
- One qualifying bet per user
Fox Bet NHL return-to-play boosts:
- Penguins to win Stanley Cup boosted from (+1400) to +1600
- Penguins to make second round of playoffs boosted from (+200) to +230
Pittsburgh Penguins futures betting
(As of July 30)
Pittsburgh Penguins Stanley Cup odds:
- FanDuel: +1500
- DraftKings: +1500
- Fox Bet: +1400 boosted to +1600
- BetRivers: +1500
Eastern Conference:
- FanDuel: +900
- DraftKings: +850
- Fox Bet: +900
- BetRivers: +850
Conn Smythe betting
It isn’t the most coveted piece of hockey hardware, but it usually goes to a player on the winning team. In 2019, St. Louis Blues center Ryan O’Reilly won the Conn Smythe award after posting eight goals and 15 assists. When the odds for the award were released last May, O’Reilly opened at +3,500 at FanDuel.
Conn Smythe odds (via DraftKings)
Top favorites:
- Nathan MacKinnon: +1400
- Nikita Kucherov: +1500
- Tuukka Rask: +1700
- David Pastrnak: +2000
- Mark Stone: +2100
Penguins Conn Smythe odds:
- Sidney Crosby: +3000
- Jake Guentzel: +3500
- Evgeni Malkin: +3500
- Kris Letang: +15000
