Even though the WVU Mountaineers finished their season prematurely, there are more than enough betting options in the Mountain State. Winter sports fans can wager on upcoming Pittsburgh Penguins games, along with some great NBA matchups, at West Virginia sportsbooks.
The Penguins’ hot streak came to a halt recently. After losing to Boston by one, the Pens surprisingly dropped two games against the Devils during their three-game set.
With a victory in its latest contest over Buffalo, Pittsburgh sits at 42 points and in third place in the East Division. It’s two back of Washington and four behind the division-leading Islanders.
Pittsburgh can close the gap this weekend and early next week. It faces the Isles on Saturday night, then again on Monday night on NBCSN.
While the Penguins are in a good spot, a successful stretch here could mean a lot for playoff positioning.
WV online sports betting apps are also equipped with plenty of interesting NBA markets. Next week’s schedule features several televised games worthy of paying attention to.
Let’s take a look at all of the best upcoming fixtures available at WV sportsbooks.
Penguins vs. Islanders betting preview
Although Pittsburgh is looking up at the Islanders in the standings, it’s had a decent amount of success against them.
Through six meetings this season, Pittsburgh is 4-2, with two of those wins occurring after regulation.
Since these two games are the last time they play this year, they’re even more important.
That’s good news for the Pens, who will play host to the Isles. They’re an incredible 13-3-1 at PPG Paints Arena so far in 2021.
On the other side of the ice, the Islanders are just average on the road. They’ve compiled an 8-7-2 record away from New York.
The Penguins struggle in road matchups as well. They’re just 7-8-1 in these games, which makes their home contests even more impactful.
If they want to continue their quality play of late, the Pens need their stars to come through. That hasn’t been an issue for the majority of the season.
The ageless wonder Sidney Crosby leads the team in several major categories. The 33-year-old is pacing the Penguins with 34 points in 32 games.
A total of six skaters showcase at least 20 points on the season, including Jake Guentzel with 31.
Crosby and Guentzel will both need to keep up the scoring to contend with the likes of the Islanders’ Mathew Barzal and Anders Lee.
Barzal is the team’s leader in points, while Lee is tied for the top mark in goals with 12.
The Islanders rely heavily on their goaltending, too. Starter Semyon Varlamov is performing great, as he ranks 10th in the league in goals against average. He’s also seventh in save percentage, stopping 92.3% of shots.
It will be interesting to see if the Isles can keep the Penguins off the scoreboard like they did the last time out. They were shut out 2-0 in their last game against New York after scoring at least three goals in each of the other contests.
While there aren’t odds out on this game just yet, WV sportsbooks will probably have a lower total than for most other Pens’ games. Game totals are usually around 6 or 6.5 for Pittsburgh, but with the Islanders in town, this could drop to 5.5 or 5.
NBA odds at WV sportsbooks
After March Madness finishes up at the beginning of the week, the NBA will take center stage again. On Wednesday night, ESPN features two great games offered at WV sportsbooks.
Celtics vs. Mavericks
The Celtics and Mavs have both disappointed this year but still have some time to turn their fortunes around.
Boston is actually two games under .500 right now, barely hanging onto the eighth spot in the conference. It’s lost two straight and has only won four of its last 10 outings.
Dallas is in a similar boat; however, it’s been playing much better lately. The Mavs are winners of seven of their last 10 and have moved up to the seventh seed.
Bettors looking at this game likely will have the option to wager on a variety of player props. Although their odds for scoring won’t be too favorable, each team’s best players are consistent in putting up points.
Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are both averaging over 24 points per game. Dallas’ Luka Doncic, who was the MVP favorite prior to the season at most books, is scoring almost 29 points a night.
In the first matchup with these teams, the Mavs came away with a three-point win at home. This one should be tight again, with both sides pushing for better postseason spots.
Lakers vs. Bucks
In the nightcap on Wednesday, the Bucks have the opportunity to flip the script from an earlier loss in the season, too.
Unfortunately for Lakers fans, it doesn’t appear that their squad will be at full strength. LeBron James recently got injured and joined his teammate Anthony Davis on the bench.
Without at least one of those two, the Lakers are in trouble. Their current roster is set up to complement the main players, so this group that’s playing right now is struggling.
The Bucks probably aren’t the best team to try to figure things out against. They are 9-1 in their last 10 and riding an eight-game winning streak.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is having another monster season, averaging nearly 29 points and 12 rebounds. Los Angeles will have a difficult time containing him without either All-Star on the floor.
The Lakers play a few easier games before taking on the Bucks, but a couple of wins won’t alter their odds going forward. Bettors can expect at least several points coming their way in the spread facing Milwaukee.
