Free NHL Picks Today: Colorado Avalanche vs Pittsburgh Penguins 3/22/23

Offense meets defense at Ball Arena on Wednesday as the high-volume shooting Pittsburgh Penguins (34-26-10) head to face the stifling goaltending of the Colorado Avalanche (41-22-6). Pittsburgh is coming off a 2-1 loss against the Senators on Monday, their fourth defeat in a row.

The Penguins committed only two penalties in the game, yet still conceded a power play goal. Rickard Rakell scored the lone goal for the Penguins. Tristan Jarry saved only 19 of 21 shots against (.904%) in the loss. Colorado won for the sixth straight game, beating the Blackhawks 5-0 on Monday.

Denis Malgin was the leading goal scorer for the Avalanche, netting twice. Alexandar Georgiev earned his fifth shutout of the season, most in the NHL, with 27 saves.

HEAD TO HEAD

The Penguins won the first meeting between the teams this season, a 2-1 (OT) victory in February. Evgeni Malkin led Pittsburgh with two points (0G 2A). Nathan MacKinnon scored Colorado’s only goal. Casey DeSmith got the win, saving 41 of 42 shots (.976%).

FACING OFF

Pittsburgh is averaging 3.19 goals per game for the season, 16th in the NHL, and they are taking on an Avalanche team that is allowing 2.72 goals a game (8th).

Meanwhile, Colorado has found the net 3.28 times a game on average, 14th in the league, and the Penguins are allowing opponents to score 3.24 goals per game (18th).

Pittsburgh averages more shots (34.2) than most teams in the league, ranking fifth, though the team’s 9.4% shooting percentage is 27th. Colorado has been up to the task of stopping shots, ranking No. 3 with a team save percentage of .917%.

The Avalanche’s 24.77% power play percentage is the fourth-best in the league, while the Penguins rank 16th with a conversion rate of 21.16%. When it comes to penalty killing, Pittsburgh has the league’s 15th-ranked PK% at 79.73%, while Colorado is 18th at 79.15%.

TOP PERFORMERS:

With 83 points this season, Sidney Crosby is the top skater for the Penguins. He has 29 goals and 54 assists in 70 games. In the net, Jarry (20-10-6) is Pittsburgh’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 3.01 GAA and a .907% save percentage.

MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen lead the Avalanche in scoring with 89 and 85 points, respectively. MacKinnon ranks sixth in the league in points scored on the season.

He has 30 goals and 59 assists (8th) in 58 games, while Rantanen has 47 goals (3rd) and 38 assists (). Georgiev (32-14-5) has the best goals against average for Colorado at 2.53. He has a save percentage of .919%, fifth-best in the league.