The Pittsburgh Penguins (-195) are on the road to take on the Chicago Blackhawks (+165), who will be looking to end their losing run, at United Center on Sunday. The total is 6.5 (O: -105, U: -115)Both teams will be playing their second game in as many days. The Penguins are 0-4 without rest, while the Blackhawks are 0-2.
Pittsburgh (8-7-3) is coming off a 3-0 win over the Jets yesterday. The Penguins committed only two penalties in the game, holding Winnipeg without a power play goal. Bryan Rust, Jason Zucker, and Jake Guentzel scored one apiece for the Penguins.
Rust added an assist to share the scoring lead with Sidney Crosby, who had two assists. Tristan Jarry had a great performance with 32 saves to earn his zeroth shutout of the season.
Chicago (6-8-3) dropped their third in a row, falling 6-1 to the Bruins yesterday. Jonathan Toews netted the only goal for the Blackhawks. Petr Mrazek only had 37 saves on 43 shots against (.860%) in the loss.
HEAD TO HEAD
The teams split their two meetings last season, the last of which was a 3-2 (SO) victory for the Blackhawks in November. Jujhar Khaira and Seth Jones were on the scoresheet for Chicago. Jeff Carter (2G 0A) and Guentzel (0G 2A) each had two points to lead Pittsburgh. Marc-Andre Fleury got the win, saving 42 of 44 shots (.954%).
FACING OFF
Pittsburgh is averaging 3.61 goals per game for the season, fourth in the NHL, and they are taking on a Blackhawks team that is allowing 3.29 goals a game (19th). Meanwhile, Chicago has found the net 2.41 times a game on average, 32nd in the league, and the Penguins are allowing opponents to score 3.39 goals per game (21st).
Chicago averages fewer shots per game (25.4) than any other team in the league. With an average of 33.7 attempts, Pittsburgh ranks seventh. The Blackhawks’ 22.64% power play percentage ranks 11th in the league, while the Penguins are 21st with a conversion rate of 19.35%. When it comes to defending power plays, Pittsburgh has the league’s 18th-ranked PK% at 77.97%, while Chicago is 23rd at 74.60%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 23 points this season, Crosby is the top skater for the Penguins. He has nine goals and 14 assists in 18 games. In the net, Casey DeSmith (2-4-1) is Pittsburgh’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 2.86 GAA and a .910% save percentage. Jarry (5-3-2) leads the Penguins in games played in goal.
He has a GAA of 3.60 and a save percentage of .895%.Patrick Kane and Max Domi lead the Blackhawks in scoring with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Kane has two goals and 11 assists, while Domi has four goals and eight assists. Alex Stalock (3-2-1) has the best goals against average for Chicago at 2.93. He has a save percentage of .914%.
HOME AND AWAY
Pittsburgh is 5-5-2 away from PPG Paints Arena this season. Chicago is 4-4-1 at home this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Over 6.5 Goals (-105)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
