NHL Penguins vs Panthers Picks and Odds | January 3, 2025

Written by: Nick Zanghi

Published: Thu Jan 02, 2025, 10:53 pm ET

Read Time: 4 minutes

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FINAL

Pittsburgh Penguins

Florida Panthers

See Picks & Statistics For The Game

An Eastern Conference battle for us tonight and we've got you covered. The Pittsburgh Penguins head south to take on the Florida Panthers. These 2 teams last met in early December and the Pens won the game 5-4.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 17-17-5 this season and 4th in the Metro Division. They're coming into this game off a loss to the Red Wings Tuesday night. On the road this season, the Pens are 6-10-3 and are 5-4-1 in their last 10 games.

Their offense isn't exactly explosive, ranking in the middle of the pack for goals scored and shots on goal per game. Pittsburgh does play well on the power play, converting 26% of the time. On defense is where they have problem.

Pittsburgh has been struggling badly on defense. They are last in the league for goals allowed and 3 worst for shots on goal allowed per game. Goalie Tristan Jarry is expected in net. He has a 8-6-2 record with a 3.58 GAA and a .883 save percentage.

Florida will try to continue momentum from Monday's win

Pittsburgh Penguins' Matt Grzelcyk fights for the puck against Florida Panthers' Aleksander Barkov.

Florida is 23-13-2 this season and 2nd in the Atlantic Division. The Panthers are a good home team with a 11-7-1 record and are 5-5-0 in their last 10 games. They just lost to the Hurricanes yesterday 3-1.

The Panthers are a very heavy offense team. They average almost 3.50 goals score per game as well as 31 shots on goal. Their power play and shooting percentage both rank in the top 10 as well.

On defense, they allow over 3 goals per game but only allow 27 shots on goal per game. They're middle of the pack on the penalty kill and that's good considering they commit a lot of penalties, 3rd most in the league.

Goalie Spencer Knight is expected in net. He has a 6-6-1 record with a 2.88 GAA and a .887 save percentage. Let's check out the odds and get into the picks.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs Florida Panthers Betting Odds and Game Information

Penguins vs Panthers Betting Odds

Puck Line

Pittsburgh Penguins +1.5 (-144)
Florida Panthers -1.5 (+118)

Moneyline

Pittsburgh Penguins +180
Florida Panthers -220

Totals

Over 6.5 (+114)
Under 6.5 (-140)

Odds courtesy of BetOnline – Get 50% up to $1000 on your first deposit

Penguins vs Panthers Game Information

Venue: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV
Date: Friday January 3, 2025
Puck Drop: 7pm EST
TV: SCRIPPS, SportsNet PT, NHL Network

Pittsburgh Penguins vs Florida Panthers Prediction and Picks

Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk takes a breakaway shot on Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry.

Penguins vs Panthers Picks and Predictions: Florida Panthers Spread -1.5 (+118) Get 50% up to $1000 Deposit on BetOnline for this pick

The Panthers are really rolling this year, and this game is a great opportunity to keep it going. It's at home against a team they are clearly better then.

It should be a high scoring game as well, so I definitely lean the over. Both goalies have rather high GAA's, especially Jarry and playing on the road is tough for the Pens.

I expect the Panthers to come out strong and overpower the Pens, try to tire them out quick. They're extremely fast and Pittsburgh is extremely leaky, so it's not good for the Pens.

For some props, I like Jarry for over his saves line. He should get absolutely peppered by the Panthers. I also like Matthew Tkachuk to record 4+ shots on goal and to score a goal. In a game earlier this season, he recorded 2 goals, 2 assists and 7 shots on goal.