The Nashville Predators will be looking for their ninth win in 10 home games during this year’s NHL playoffs when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final as clear -155 favourites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Nashville improved to 8-1 at Bridgestone Arena with a dominating 5-1 win as -153 home chalk in Game 3 to cut their series deficit to 2-1 ahead of Monday night’s Penguins vs. Predators betting matchup.
Goaltender Pekka Rinne returned to form in Saturday night’s win, turning aside 27 of 28 shots to earn the victory and halt a shaky three-game stretch during which he surrendered 11 goals on 77 shots. Rinne particularly struggled in the first two games of this series, which Nashville otherwise dominated, giving up eight total goals on just 36 shots.
Rinne is now a sparkling 16-2-1 in his past 19 starts at home. However, Saturday’s win is just the second of his career in 11 all-time meetings with the defending Stanley Cup champions.
But the Finnish star has had help from a Predators offence that has outshot Pittsburgh by a 97-67 margin over the first three games of the series. Nashville finally solved Matt Murray in Game 3 after the Penguins’ goaltender stopped 37 of 38 shots in Pittsburgh’s 4-1 win in Game 2 as -136 home chalk, and has allowed just 11 total goals in seven post-season outings after returning from a lower-body injury.
Despite Murray’s outstanding play the Penguins have struggled on the road this spring, going 2-4 in their past six, and 5-5 overall, and are +136 road underdogs for Monday night’s game.
Pittsburgh has sported positive odds on the road with regularity since the final days of the regular season. The Penguins have been listed as underdogs in eight of their past 12 overall, going a middling 4-4 during that stretch according to the OddsShark NHL Database, and have tallied two or fewer goals in six of their past 11.
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The Penguins’ offence could use a lift from captain Sidney Crosby, who has failed to find the back of the net in this series, extending his goalless drought to five games overall, and to 12 games in Stanley Cup Final action, with his last such marker coming in Game 4 of the 2009 Final against the Detroit Red Wings.
Crosby has tallied just three total goals in 22 Stanley Cup Final appearances, all on home ice, and the Penguins are a meagre 4-7 in 11 outings when Crosby fails to record a point. Puck drop for Monday night is set for 8:00 p.m. ET in Nashville.
