The Pittsburgh Penguins are just above .500 against the hockey odds at the online bookmaker but they are dealing with injury problems. Forward Jordan Staal has not played this season and the Penguins have missed his presence. He was set to return this week but now will be out for another six weeks with a broken hand. His loss hurts the Penguins against the offshore betting NHL odds at Sbg global.
Staal is one of the best forwards in the NHL and he has been missed. The Penguins are just barely above the break even mark this season. While Staal has been out, the Penguins have a couple of other injuries that may be just as important to consider if you are betting Pittsburgh this week.
Malkin and Letang Should Play
There is other injury news surrounding forward Evgeni Malkin and defenseman Kris Letang. Malkin missed Saturday’s game against Carolina and he did not practice on Monday. He did skate on Tuesday though and he is expected to play on Wednesday against Dallas. Letang also practiced and he is expected to play.
Average Numbers
The Penguins have just been okay on offense as they are 12th in the league at 2.9 goals per game. The defense for Pittsburgh is nothing special either but at least it is 9th in the league. The Penguins are giving up 2.3 goals per game. Sidney Crosby leads the team in points which is no surprise but Brent Johnson has been the best goaltender and that is a surprise.
Three Game Road Trip
The Penguins have an interesting three-game road trip. They are at Dallas on Wednesday and then they have a back-to-back on Friday and Saturday as they are at Anaheim and Phoenix. It will be interesting to see how the Penguins do on the road against the NHL offshore betting line. The Penguins are 3-3 on the road this season against the NHL odds at the online bookmaker. This is a tough travel trip sine the Penguins have to go out west. What helps them is that the three teams are not the best. Dallas has been pretty good but Anaheim has been terrible. The game against Phoenix could be tough though, especially since it is the second half of a back-to-back.