The Minnesota Wild (7-7-2) host the Pittsburgh Penguins (6-7-3) at Xcel Energy Center on Thursday. Pittsburgh is playing their first of four games on the road coming off a 5-2 loss against the Maple Leafs on Tuesday.
The Penguins committed only two penalties in the game, holding Toronto without a power play goal. Rickard Rakell and Sidney Crosby both scored once for the Penguins. Casey DeSmith saved only 28 of 32 shots against (.875%) in the loss.
Minnesota is back home for an eight-game homestand after a 2-1 loss against the Predators on Tuesday. Frederick Gaudreau netted the only goal for the Wild. Marc-Andre Fleury saved 23 of 25 shots in the loss.
HEAD TO HEAD
The teams split their two meetings last season, the last of which was a 4-3 (OT) victory for the Penguins in March. Rakell (2G 0A), Evgeni Malkin (1G 1A), and John Marino (0G 2A) each had two points to lead Pittsburgh. Matt Boldy led Minnesota with two points (0G 2A). DeSmith got the win, saving 28 of 31 shots (.903%).
FACING OFF
Pittsburgh is averaging 3.50 goals per game for the season, eighth in the NHL, and they are taking on a Wild team that is allowing 2.88 goals a game (12th). Meanwhile, Minnesota has found the net 2.62 times a game on average, 28th in the league, and the Penguins are allowing opponents to score 3.56 goals per game (25th).
Don’t be surprised to see a few power play opportunities for the Penguins, as the Wild have been penalized 5.31 times a game, second-most in the NHL, for an average of 14.88 minutes (first-highest). The visitors are averaging 3.75 penalties (25th) and 7.81 penalty minutes a game (26th).
The Wild’s 22.22% power play percentage ranks 13th in the league, while the Penguins are 25th with a conversion rate of 18.18%. When it comes to penalty killing, Minnesota has the league’s ninth-ranked PK% at 81.48%, while Pittsburgh is 22nd at 75.93%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 17 points each this season, Crosby and Malkin are the top skaters for the Penguins. Both have seven goals and 10 assists in 16 games. In the net, DeSmith (2-3-1) is Pittsburgh’s top goaltender by goals against average.
He has a 2.67 GAA and a .916% save percentage. Tristan Jarry (4-3-2) leads the Penguins in games played in goal. He has a GAA of 3.56 and a save percentage of .900%. Kirill Kaprizov leads the Wild in scoring with 18 points.
He has 10 goals (6th) and eight assists. Filip Gustavsson (1-3-1) has the best goals against average for Minnesota at 2.82. He has a save percentage of .914%. Fleury (6-3-1) has played the most games in net for the Wild this season. He has a 2.87 GAA and a .905% save percentage.
HOME AND AWAY
Pittsburgh is 3-5-2 on the road this season. Minnesota is 2-4-1 at home this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Minnesota Wild (-115)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
