A busy Tuesday in the NHL features a matchup between the struggling Pittsburgh Penguins, and the soaring Minnesota Wild. Welcome back to NHL predictions here at Last Word on Hockey! Each day, we examine upcoming games, providing predictions and analyzing head-to-head matchups. In today’s article, Sidney Crosby and the Penguins host Kirill Kaprizov and the Wild. Make sure you check out our other NHL predictions for all the NHLs games this season!
NHL Predictions
Minnesota Wild vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
Time: 7:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT); 4:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT)
TV: FDSNNO; SN-PIT; FDSNWI; Sportsnet+; ESPN+;
With the NHL season approaching the quarter-way mark, both teams in this matchup are looking to establish momentum. The Penguins are on a four-game losing skid, severely lacking consistency and team defence. Meanwhile, the Wild have had a strong start, going 5-1-2 and securing 12 out of a possible 16 points so far.
The Penguins Story
This star-studded Penguins group has shown moments of excellence beneath a whole mess of inconsistency. Evgeni Malkin has been a standout, with 14 points in 10 games. The team’s bottom six has also been a positive contributor. Players like Lars Eller and Jesse Puljujärvi have given life to the team’s depth. However, Pittsburgh’s defence has been horrific. The team has conceded far too many odd-man rushes in their games this season, leaving their goaltenders out to dry.
Speaking on the goaltending, Pittsburgh is still in an uncertain spot with this position. Tristan Jarry is currently playing in the AHL to regain his confidence, leaving Alex Nedeljkovic and rookie Joel Blomqvist to hold down the net. Alex Nedeljkovic will likely start against a skilled Wild team. However, with the team’s defensive lapses on full display, any goaltender they put in will be hard-pressed to keep the team in the game. Pittsburgh needs more from its stars, namely captain Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang to overcome a strong Minnesota team and their own losing skid.
The Wild Story
The Minnesota Wild have had a good start to the season. Russian superstar Kirill Kaprizov leads his team with 15 points in eight games. Forwards Matt Boldy and Mats Zuccarello have also maintained point-per-game rates to start the season. The Wild feature numerous offensive talents capable of changing the game. Centres Marco Rossi and Joel Eriksson Ek have played well with the aforementioned wingers to achieve this hot start. Defencemen Jonas Brodin and Brock Faber will be X-factors from the back end. Activating them will be key, especially with captain Jared Spurgeon likely unable to dress in this contest.
Goaltending-wise, Minnesota features a tandem of former Penguins draft picks. Penguins legend and Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury is likely to start. He has gone 1-0-1 to start the season. With Fluery set to retire at the end of the season, this will be his last time playing in Pittsburgh. Backing him up will be former Penguins second-round pick Filip Gustavsson. Gustavsson typically acts as the starter for the Wild, with a .922 save percentage through a 4-1-1 start. Continuing to find scoring all throughout the lineup will be Minnesota’s key to victory in this game.
Prediction
Despite Jared Spurgeon’s absence, the Minnesota Wild are flying to start the season. This should provide them confidence entering this matchup. Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Penguins are facing a rude awakening, ranking 28th in the league after their first 10 games. They are still looking to find some answers to their game.
Prediction: Wild win 5-3
Prop Bets of the Night
Kirill Kaprizov sports a +115 on FanDuel as any-time goal scorer. With three goals and three assists in six games against Pittsburgh, Kaprizov has already shown the ability to score against them.
Main Photo Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images
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