The Florida Panthers (14-12-4) and their high-volume offense welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins (17-8-4) and their stifling goaltending at FLA Live Arena on Thursday. Pittsburgh is coming off a 2-1 win over the Stars on Monday, their sixth win in a row.
The Penguins committed only two penalties in the game, holding Dallas without a power play goal. Evgeni Malkin and Pierre-Olivier Joseph both scored once for the Penguins. Jason Zucker had two assists to lead the team in scoring.
Tristan Jarry had a great performance with 26 saves (.962%) in the win. Florida beat the Blue Jackets 4-0 on Tuesday. Four players found the net for the Panthers. Sam Reinhart scored and provided two assists to lead the team in scoring. Sergei Bobrovsky earned his zeroth shutout of the season with 22 saves.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Panthers won two of the three games between the teams last season, including a 4-3 victory in their final meeting in March. Carter Verhaeghe (1G 1A) and Aleksander Barkov (0G 2A) each had two points to lead Florida. Bryan Rust and Sidney Crosby each had two points (1G 1A) to lead Pittsburgh. Bobrovsky got the win, saving 32 of 35 shots (.914%).
FACING OFF
Pittsburgh is averaging 3.48 goals per game for the season, eighth in the NHL, and they are taking on a Panthers team that is allowing 3.23 goals a game (19th). Meanwhile, Florida has found the net 3.37 times a game on average, 10th in the league, and the Penguins are allowing opponents to score 2.90 goals per game (11th).
Florida averages more shots (37.0) than any other team in the league, though the team’s 9.2% shooting percentage ranks 26th. Pittsburgh has proven up to the task of stopping shots, ranking No. 5 with a team save percentage of .919%.
Look for a few power play opportunities for the Penguins, as the Panthers have been penalized 4.77 times a game, fifth-most in the NHL, for an average of 10.93 minutes (ninth-highest). The visitors are averaging 3.59 penalties (6th-fewest in the league) and 7.72 penalty minutes a game (5th-fewest).
The Penguins’ 20.41% power play percentage ranks 23rd in the league, while the Panthers are 27th with a conversion rate of 17.86%. Pittsburgh has been equally impressive at penalty killing, boasting the league’s fourth-highest PK% at 82.42%. Florida ranks 18th at 78.26%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 38 points this season, seventh-most in the NHL, Crosby is the top skater for the Penguins. He is among the league leaders with 17 goals (8th) and has added 21 assists. In the net, Jarry (13-3-3) is Pittsburgh’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 2.67 GAA and a .920% save percentage.
Matthew Tkachuk leads the Panthers in scoring with 39 points (8th in the league). He has 14 goals and 25 assists (10th) in 28 games. Spencer Knight (8-4-3) has the best goals against average for Florida at 2.64. He has a save percentage of .919%. Bobrovsky (5-8-1) has played the most games in net for the Panthers this season. He has a 3.58 GAA and a .884% save percentage.
HOME AND AWAY
Pittsburgh has won five straight away from home this season. Florida is 8-3-3 at FLA Live Arena this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Pittsburgh Penguins (-105)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
