Pittsburgh -225 at Detroit O/U 5.5
Recommendation: Pittsburgh Team Total Over

The Pittsburgh Penguins have been one of the top scoring teams in the NHL for years and they are right near the top again this season 5th in the league averaging 3.3 goals per game. The Penguins got even more dynamic and explosive offensively at this year’s trade deadline when they acquired veteran center Derick Brassard from the Ottawa Senators. After a slow start with the Penguins, he’s collected points in six straight games. Pittsburgh has three lines and nine forwards that form one of the deepest forward groups in the league and it has been on full display in recent weeks with the Penguins scoring 3+ goals in eight of their last 10 games and four or more on five occasions during that span. Pittsburgh should be able to light the lamp against a weak Detroit Red Wings squad that has been porous defensively and gotten unreliable goaltending on a nightly basis. Detroit will be playing the second night of back-to-back games here as well and that should make for a bit of a fatigued blue line for this game which is often when mistakes happen and Pittsburgh is the type of team that turns defensive miscues into goals. Detroit has surrendered 4+ goals in 11 of their last 13 games overall and tonight’s probable starting goaltender for the Red Wings Jimmy Howard has yielded four goals in five of his last six starts. I don’t think it will be asking too much for an elite offensive team like Pittsburgh to strike for four or more goals tonight against a subpar defensive team like Detroit. You can find the Pittsburgh Penguins team total in this game listed at 3.5 with a plus price attached to the over. I think that is solid value and a bet worth making and endorsing on the ice tonight.