Detroit Red Wings vs Pittsburgh Penguins Prediction, 1/1/2026 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Detroit Red Wings vs Pittsburgh Penguins

Date: Thursday, January 1, 2026

Location: PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: Sportsnet Pittsburgh

Odds/Point Spread: Red Wings (-144) Penguins (+120)

PPG Paints Arena is where the Pittsburgh Penguins (16-12-9) will meet the Detroit Red Wings (23-14-3) on Thursday. The moneyline on this contest has the Red Wings at -144 and the Penguins are at +120. The betting total is set at 6.

The Detroit Red Wings will head into their next game feeling good after earning a 3-2 victory over the Maple Leafs their last time out. The Red Wings had a middle of the road offensive performance in the victory. For the game, they earned a goal on 3 of the 36 shots they launched. In addition, they had 1 power play opportunity but didn't net one. Detroit accrued 6 penalty minutes for this contest.

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At even strength, the Red Wings have allowed the opponent to score 106 goals while getting 93 on the offensive side of the ice. Detroit Red Wings opponents have recorded 105 power play tries (22nd in the NHL) and have racked up 21 goals in those chances. In terms of their goal scoring prowess, the Detroit Red Wings have notched 123 goals (8th in hockey) on the season and have given up 127. Detroit has taken 1,178 shots and is the owner of a shooting percentage of 10.4%. For the season, they have recorded 49 points and their points percentage is .613. The Red Wings so far have had 1,105 shots tried against them and are the owners of a save percentage of .885. Detroit skates onto the rink with 120 power play chances and they have tallied 30 goals out of those attempts, garnering them a percentage of 25.00%.

The man in net for this game is Cam Talbot. Opponents have notched 1,405 goals versus Talbot in his pro hockey career and his average for goals against per game is 2.67. Talbot has been in net for 553 contests throughout his NHL career. He has a save percentage of .912 for his 28,297 mins in the crease. He has compiled an overall record of 277-201-49 and he has gotten the start in 526 games. For his professional hockey career, Talbot is sitting with 290 quality starts and his quality starts percentage sits at .551. Talbot has had 15,896 shot attempts taken against him and has accrued 14,491 saves.

When they were on the ice last, Pittsburgh faced the Blackhawks in a game where the Penguins earned a victory by a score of 7-3. The Penguins converted 7 goals of the 24 shots on goal they were seeking. They had 2 power play attempts in this matchup and recorded 1 out of those opportunities.

Pittsburgh has put up 1,053 shots (16th in the NHL) and has accumulated a shooting percentage of 11.02%, while allowing their opponents 1,046 shots. They have a penalty kill percentage of 81.65% on the other teams 109 power play opportunities, and their save percentage currently sits at 88.8%. They have earned 101 opportunities on the power play and they have a power play percentage of 29.70%. The Penguins are sitting with 86 goals at even strength and 30 goals (6th in professional hockey) while having more men on the ice. They have allowed 117 goals to be scored by of a combination of 97 goals at even strength and 20 goals while they were shorthanded. So far this year, the Pittsburgh Penguins have earned a total of 116 goals, 41 points, in addition to a points percentage of .554.

For the opposition you are likely to see Arturs Silovs protecting the goal. He is sitting with 822 saves out of the 931 shots attempted, which gives him a save % of .883. Silovs is sitting with a career mark of 14-13-8 and has participated in 36 games. He has been a starter 35 games and has played 1,047 minutes. Silovs' rate of quality starts comes out to 48.6% and he has accumulated 17 quality starts in his professional career. Opponents are averaging 3.11 goals/game and he has allowed 109 goals altogether.

Who will win tonight's NHL game against the spread or moneyline?

Parlays Pundit's Pick: Take Pittsburgh (+120) and under 6 goals

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