The Pittsburgh Penguins (-140) welcome the Florida Panthers (+120) at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday. The total is 6.5 (O: -120, U: +100)Florida (23-21-5) is playing the second of a back-to-back after suffering a high-scoring 6-2 loss against the Rangers yesterday. The Panthers committed only one penalty in the game, yet still conceded a power play goal.
Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe each scored once for the Panthers. Alex Lyon only had 20 saves on 25 shots against (.800%) in the loss. Pittsburgh (23-15-8) fell 2-1 (OT) to the Devils on Sunday. Sidney Crosby was the only player to score for the Penguins. Tristan Jarry saved 23 of 25 shots in the loss.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Penguins won the first meeting between the teams this season, a 4-2 victory in December. Four players had two points for Pittsburgh. Ryan Lomberg and Sam Reinhart were on the scoresheet for Florida. Jarry got the win, saving 32 of 34 shots (.941%).
FACING OFF
Florida is averaging 3.35 goals per game for the season, ninth in the NHL, and they are taking on a Penguins team that is allowing 3.00 goals a game (16th). Meanwhile, Pittsburgh has found the net 3.20 times a game on average, 13th in the league, and the Panthers are allowing opponents to score 3.43 goals per game (23rd).
Florida averages more shots per game (35.0) than most teams in the league, ranking third, though the team’s 9.6% shooting percentage is 21st. Pittsburgh’s average of 32.2 attempts ranks 13th. Don’t be surprised to see multiple power play opportunities for the Penguins, as the Panthers are averaging 4.94 penalties per game, most in the NHL.
The visitors’ 12.47 penalty minutes a game ranks second-highest. The home team has been penalized 3.63 times a game (24th) for an average of 7.89 minutes (27th).
The Panthers’ 23.56% power play percentage ranks 14th in the league, while the Penguins are 17th with a conversion rate of 20.99%. When it comes to defending power plays, Pittsburgh has the league’s eighth-ranked PK% at 81.46%, while Florida is 24th at 74.73%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 60 points this season, eighth-most in the NHL, Matthew Tkachuk is the top skater for the Panthers. He has 24 goals and 36 assists in 46 games. In the net, Spencer Knight (9-7-3) is Florida’s top goaltender by goals against average.
He has a 3.06 GAA and a .906% save percentage. Sergei Bobrovsky (12-13-2) leads the Panthers in games played in goal. He has a GAA of 3.25 and a save percentage of .897%.
Crosby leads the Penguins in scoring with 54 points. He has 22 goals and 32 assists. Jarry (16-5-5) has the best goals against average for Pittsburgh at 2.65. He has a save percentage of .921%.
HOME AND AWAY
Florida is 11-15-2 away from home this season. Pittsburgh is 13-5-4 at home this season. Meanwhile, the Panthers are 1-5 without a day off and 0-4 playing with a rest disadvantage. The Penguins are 1-3 with a rest advantage.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Pittsburgh Penguins (-165)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
