Pittsburgh Penguins vs Detroit Red Wings: Penguins start a new winning streak

Prediction for the NHL Pittsburgh Penguins vs Detroit Red Wings match, which will take place on January 29. Check the team conditions and choose several betting options.

Pittsburgh is having another solid regular season. However, it's hard to classify the Penguins as one of the top clubs in the league, which doesn't stop Mike Sullivan from getting the most out of his squad. The Penguins started to play particularly well with the return of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. In their last 20 meetings, the Black and Yellow have won 17 games and lost three, which is a powerful performance. Pittsburgh is currently only in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings due to a poor start to the season, but at this rate, they will have a good chance of climbing higher, only five points away from the leader.

For the past few years, Detroit has been a hopeless NHL underdog, but they finally managed to make some serious progress in the regular season. The Red Wings were in the playoff zone for a long time, but they did not make their debut in 2022. In the last 12 meetings, Jeff Blashill's side has managed only three wins and nine losses, a very poor result. In their three previous meetings, the Red and White lost 4:5 to Dallas, 1:4 to Nashville and 5:8 to Chicago, dropping them to ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings, nine points behind their closest team.

Detroit started the regular season much better than Pittsburgh, but the situation has gradually changed. The Red Wings have lost 9 of their last 12 games, while the Penguins have won 17 of their previous 20 battles. Obviously, the Pennsylvanians are sitting higher in the standings, and they're favourites to win the next game. Moreover, the representatives of Michigan lost for the Black and Yellow on the road in the last four meetings with a total score of 5:18, so we suggest betting on the victory of Pittsburgh with a handicap (-1.5) for 1.90.

Pittsburgh is one of the most productive teams in the league. In their 43 games, the Penguins have already scored 146 goals (3.40 average per game), which is a respectable mark over such a long distance. In the meantime, Detroit doesn't have the most reliable defence, which has allowed the opponents to hit their own goal 147 times (3.42 per game average) over the same 43 games. In their last four away games, the Red and White conceded 18 goals (4.50 goals per game on average), so we suggest betting on an individual total over 3.5 for 1.66.v

Evgeni Malkin has missed a few months since the start of the regular season, but he's made a triumphant comeback and has been a significant contributor since his first game. He has played in nine games and scored 10 points (4 goals + 6 assists). Despite his 35 years of age, the Russian continues to show excellent hockey, and he has every chance to improve his statistics in the upcoming game against Detroit. He scored eight points in the last six games with the Red Wings. In such a situation, we suggest betting on Evgeni Malkin's total over 1.5 for 7.5.