On Monday, January 2, 2023, the NHL Winter Classic returns to pit two titans of the Eastern Conference against each other out in the elements.
This season’s edition goes to Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, with the league-leading Boston Bruins playing host to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Weather reports at the time of writing expect a sunny day, a light breeze, and around 8oC for the 2 pm ET puck drop, which should make for a great day at the roughly 38,000-seater stadium on Jersey Street.
Here, we’re looking at how the Bruins and Penguins square up ahead of the outdoor game and who looks set to go big in the 2023 NHL Winter Classic.
2023 NHL Winter Classic Best Odds
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Boston Bruins to Win -175
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Boston Bruins -1.5 (Spread) +140
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Pittsburgh Penguins +2.5 (Spread) -333
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Over 5.5 Goals -111
Read on to see the full 2023 NHL Winter Classic preview and betting odds.
Penguins vs Bruins: 2023 Winter Classic
Both franchises come to Fenway Park having experienced the highs and lows of the Winter Classic.
To date, the Bruins have the most appearances (4) and wins (2) in the showpiece event, with their most recent appearance in 2019 yielding a 4-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks at Notre Dame Stadium.
For the Penguins, this will be their third appearance. They won the first-ever Winter Classic in 2008 and lost to the Washington Capitals at Heinz Field in 2011.
This season, the Boston Bruins have slammed down the gauntlet, surged to the top of the overall standings, and remain the favourites to win the Stanley Cup at +650 in the NHL odds.
Just 35 games into the campaign, the Bs boasted a .843 win percentage and an absurd +57 goal difference, leaving them a good nine points clear of the Toronto Maple Leafs with a game in hand.
Pittsburgh has been battling within the wild card spots for the most part, with their struggles predominantly coming on the road.
At the 35-game mark for the Pens, the admirable 10-3-4 home record was being heavily weighed down by the 9-7-2 record on the road, leaving them 15 points behind the Eastern Conference leaders.
So, it won’t come as a surprise that Boston is the favourite to win the 2023 NHL Winter Classic, out at -175 to take the day, while Pittsburgh remains the underdog at +145.
Ullmark to Dominate in the Crease Again
Boston has been able to ride out the storm out when starting the season without Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy, seen Patrice Bergeron post 29 points in 35 games, and David Pastrnak get himself into Rocket Richard Trophy contention, but the story of the season has, undoubtedly, been Linus Ullmark.
The 6’4’’ Swedish netminder has been in a class of his own all season, even meeting Tuukka Rask’s franchise record for the most wins in a calendar year at 39.
With a 20-1-1 record, a 1.90 goals against average, and .938 save percentage – but only two shutouts to skew those stats – Ullmark is very clearly the best goaltender in the league so far this season.
The one team that did manage to put a dampener on Ullmark’s campaign, even though it still went down as a win for the Bruins goalie, was the Penguins, putting five past the Swede at the PPG Paints Arena.
Since that November 1 meet, Ullmark has conceded three or more on only four occasions, so those in the sport betting markets might be wise to be a bit more reserved and opt for the over 5.5 goals at -111, or even the over 4.5 goals at -500.
Of course, fans watching would love another 6-5 overtime barnburner, and the Bruins are averaging 3.9 goals per game while the Pens hit 3.2 on the road, but Ullmark looks set to keep Pittsburgh in check.
With Boston dominating, the Penguins struggling on the road, and the last three Winter Classic games being decided by two goals, the Bruins at -1.5 on the spread for +140 looks good, as may the Penguins at +2.5 for -333.
Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang are still putting up big performances for the Penguins, but the 2023 NHL Winter Classic odds see the Boston Bruins as the clear favourites at Fenway Park.
*Credit for all images in this article belongs to AP Photo*
FIRST PUBLISHED: 30th December 2022
