Penguins Red Wings odds: Game 1 Saturday, May 30 at 8:00 p.m. ET
NHL odds: Penguins +140, Red Wings -160

The big NHL betting rematch is here! The Penguins are poised to avenge their loss from last year. They’re 30-8-4 under new head coach Dan Bylsma, they’re well-rested after sweeping Carolina, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are on fire, and they’ve come up big in clutch situations all playoffs long. I think they’ll be crowned Stanley Cup champs—but they won’t win Game 1. The Penguins breezed past the Hurricanes so quickly that their layoff—five days—may actually slow down their momentum and leave them a bit rusty. The Wings had a three-day layoff—long enough to heal but not long enough to lose the momentum of their Game-5 overtime victory over the Blackhawks. Pavel Datsyuk is a game-time decision for Game 1 but Nicklas Lidstrom will return to the lineup.

Brad Stuart and Niklas Kronwall have given opposing forwards the heebie-jeebies with huge hits throughout the playoffs and you can bet they’ll set out to send a message to Crosby and Malkin Game 1. Detroit‘s power-play is sizzling at 25.7 per cent and will get the crowd into the game early if Pittsburgh takes any bad penalties. Johan Franzen and Tomas Holmstrom will also try to get inside Marc-Andre Fleury’s head early by parking their big bodies in front of the net and creating screens for Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski. The Penguins’ prospects for an upset series win are still good, and they could surprise in the opener if they can get an early goal, but they may be asleep at the switch for Game 1. Bet on Detroit.

NHL betting pick: Red Wings -160