Penguins Storm Into Denver With Goaltending Edge and Crosby Still Rolling

The Avalanche faithful might want to temper expectations Friday night. Yeah, Ball Arena is a fortress in theory, but Colorado's 2-2 home mark says otherwise, and they're limping in off a loss. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh rolls into town with an extra day's rest and something far more valuable: a goaltender who can actually stop pucks right now.

Arturs Silovs has been quietly solid for the Pens with an .885 save percentage through five starts. Not Vezina material, but compared to Mackenzie Blackwood's ghastly .879 for Colorado? That's a canyon-sized gap when you're talking about NHL margins. The market's got the Avs priced like they're world-beaters at 65.8 percent, but what are we really buying here? A home team treading water and a netminder leaking goals.

Sidney Crosby's still doing Sidney Crosby things, and this Pittsburgh squad knows how to steal points on the road when the price is right. At +180, we're getting legitimate value on a team that matches up better than the odds suggest. Colorado's offense can explode, sure, but explosions don't mean much when your goalie's playing target practice. Take the Penguins and the plus-money. This one's got upset written all over it.