The Detroit Red Wings host the Pittsburgh Penguins in a rematch from Thursday night. Welcome back to NHL Predictions here with Last Word On Hockey! Each day, we provide in-depth analysis, insights, and predictions for games around the NHL. In tonight’s matchup, Pittsburgh looks to win back-to-back against an Atlantic Division-leading Detroit team.
NHL Predictions: Pittsburgh Penguins vs Detroit Red Wings
Head-to-Head: Red Wings 0-1 Penguins
Time: 12:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)
How to Watch: Sportsnet+, SN, TVAS, ESPN, ABC
Dylan Larkin and the Detroit Red Wings host Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins in a rematch of their game from Thursday night.
Penguins Story
The Penguins come into this game having beaten the Detroit Red Wings in their last meeting 4-3 in overtime on Thursday night. With the win, Pittsburgh has won three straight and is 4-4-2 in its last ten. With this recent stretch, Pittsburgh improves to 18-12-9 on the season, placing them just a point out of a Eastern Conference Stanley Cup Playoff spot. Goal-scoring and solid defence have been the keys to victory for the Penguins over their last three games.
Pittsburgh has scored 16 goals over its last three-game stretch. While they’ve gotten solid goaltending from Stuart Skinner and Arturs Silovs , the defensive structure of the Penguins has also tightened up compared to where it was in November and December. The Penguins will need to continue to play a solid defensive game as well as stay out of the box, as they took eight penalties against the Red Wings in their prior meeting.
Captain Sidney Crosby continues to be ageless, scoring two goals and an assist for three points in the win against Detroit. With this performance, Crosby has 23 goals and 43 points through 39 games on the season. With the absence of Evgeni Malkin , a ton of different Penguins have chipped in offensively. The chief reason among them has been defenceman Erik Karlsson . Scoring another two assists against Detroit, Karlsson has five points in his last five games, with 30 points in 39 games this season. Fellow star defenceman Kris Letang had the game-winning goal, scored in overtime against Detroit.
In net, expect Stuart Skinner to get the start as Arturs Silovs played against the Red Wings on Thursday night. Skinner is 1-3-0 with the Penguins this season, his last start being a victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. Skinner will need to be better than his .869 save percentage with Pittsburgh to beat a high-scoring Detroit squad. However, this is a good time for our disclaimer to please check social media for the latest lineup news before locking in your daily fantasy roster.
Red Wings Story
Detroit comes into this game hoping to avenge its 4-3 loss in overtime to the Penguins. With the loss, Detroit is 7-2-1 in its last 10, and has a record of 24-14-4 on the season. This record places them tops of the Atlantic Division and the East as a whole. Detroit is a team capable of scoring goals, sitting in the top half of the league for goals scored. However, they have struggled defensively, partly due to a younger defensive group and partly due to shoddy goaltending from a pair of veteran goaltenders. Although Detroit has shown an ability to score goals, they’ll need to do better on the powe play than they did on Thursday night. Through eight opportunities, they were able to score only twice on the power play. They’ll also need to stay out of the box against a high-octane power play from the Penguins.
Scoring three goals against Pittsburgh, the Red Wings got offence from all parts of their lineup. Nine skaters were able to pick up at least one point. The Red Wings are led in scoring by Lucas Raymond . Raymond has 11 goals and 44 points in 40 games. Alex DeBrincat also picked up a goal against Pittsburgh, now up to 21 goals and a total of 41 points in 42 games. Look for Moritz Seider to make an impact once again against the Penguins. He has seven goals and 31 points in 42 games.
With Cam Talbot starting against Pittsburgh on Thursday night, expect John Gibson to play this one. Gibson sports a 13-8-1 record with a .893 save percentage this season. Detroit will need to insulate him against the red-hot offence of the Penguins in this game.
NHL Prediction
The Penguins are building momentum right now, having won three straight. They played an excellent game against Detroit that was kept close due to bad discipline and untimely penalties against. If the Penguins are able to shore up those issues, they may do even better against Detroit in their rematch. Expect the Penguins to come out hot and extend their win streak to four in this game.
NHL Prediction: Penguins win 5-4
Prop Bet of the Night
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