Alex Nedeljkovic looks to help hit the under in Friday’s matchup versus the Wild, where Marc-Andre Fleury plays in his 1,000th NHL game
Penguins fans will have to make the tough choice of wanting to cheer for their team to win three straight games and maybe finally gain some momentum and find a spot in the playoff picture or supporting one of their past legends in Marc-Andre Fleury, who plays his 1,000th game Friday night. The Pittsburgh faithful love their flower with many showing support for the three-time Stanley Cup Champion with the Penguins.
It’ll be a closer game than people may expect with the Penguins struggling as of late with only three wins in their last eight games. However, they haven’t lost to the Wild in regulation since 2017 and are 9-0-1 in their last ten matchups with four straight wins at Xcel Energy Center. The Wild have beaten good teams as of late with five wins in their last eight games over the Panthers, Hurricanes and Islanders.
These two should open the night with an exciting matchup for Fleury’s 1,000th game with both teams desperately needing a win. If you plan to watch this historic game and want to get in on the action, here are our best bets for tonight’s matchup in the Gopher state.
All betting lines are from Bet365 and are subject to change. Please gamble responsibly.
Pick: Under 6.5 goals (-150)
Fleury has still been one of the best netminders in the league despite being 39 and still making a difference for his team with a 2.95 goals against average this season that outranks Dallas’ Jake Oettinger and is one decimal point behind Nashville’s Juuse Saros. He averages 23.8 saves per game this season and has averaged 25.8 saves per game in his eight career appearances versus the Penguins.
The goalie opposite him, Alex Nedeljkovic, is just outside the top 15 out of goalies who’ve started 16 or more games in fewest goals against with a 2.60 average that outranks New York’s Igor Shesterkin, Colorado’s Alexandar Georgiev and reigning Vezina trophy winner and Bruins netminder Linus Ullmark. These two goalies are elite and the Penguins top five defense allowing just 2.64 goals per game should help this under hit easily.
Pick: Evgeni Malkin over 0.5 points (-160)
Malkin has only played five games in his career versus his former teammate and in only one of the games he walked away without a point. He scored two goals and five points in his five games versus his friend and has been starting to turn around his game lately with eight points in his last ten games and rode a six-game point streak before having it downed by the Jets this past Tuesday. He should keep his streak going against his former teammate and find the scoresheet once again.