The Pittsburgh Penguins (38-30-10) and their high-volume offense host the Minnesota Wild (44-23-10) and their stifling goaltending at PPG Paints Arena on Thursday.
Minnesota is coming off a 4-3 shootout loss against the Golden Knights on Monday. The Wild committed four penalties in the game, though they held Vegas without a power play goal.
Matt Boldy, John Klingberg, and Brandon Duhaime scored one apiece for the Wild. Boldy added an assist to lead the team in scoring. Filip Gustavsson saved only 23 of 26 shots against (.884%) in the loss.
Pittsburgh fell 5-1 to the Devils on Tuesday. Bryan Rust was the only player to score for the Penguins. Tristan Jarry saved only 32 of 37 shots against (.864%) in the loss.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Penguins won the first meeting between the teams this season, a 6-4 victory in November. Sidney Crosby led Pittsburgh with four points (2G 2A). Joel Eriksson Ek led Minnesota with two goals. Jarry got the win despite saving only 19 of 23 shots (.826%).
FACING OFF
Minnesota is averaging 2.92 goals per game for the season, 23rd in the NHL, and they are taking on a Penguins team that is allowing 3.24 goals a game (20th).
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh has found the net 3.18 times a game on average, 17th in the league, and the Wild are holding opponents to 2.64 goals per game (3rd).
Pittsburgh averages more shots/game (34.4) than most teams in the league, ranking fifth, though the team’s 9.3% shooting percentage is 28th. Minnesota has been one of the league’s better shot-stopping teams, ranking No. 3 with a team save percentage of .920%.
The Wild’s 21.79% power play percentage ranks 13th in the league, while the Penguins are 16th with a conversion rate of 21.09%. In terms of defending power plays, Minnesota has the league’s 12th-ranked PK% at 81.33%, while Pittsburgh is 18th at 78.71%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 74 points this season, Kirill Kaprizov is the top skater for the Wild. He is among the league leaders with 39 goals (10th) and has added 35 assists. In the net, Gustavsson (20-9-6) is Minnesota’s top goaltender by goals against average.
He has a 2.03 GAA, second-best in the league, and a .932% save percentage, also second-best. Marc-Andre Fleury (24-14-4) leads the Wild in games played in goal. He has a GAA of 2.82 and a save percentage of .910%.
Crosby leads the Penguins in scoring with 88 points. He has 31 goals and 57 assists in 78 games. Jarry (22-12-6) has the best goals against average for Pittsburgh at 2.99. He has a save percentage of .908%.
HOME AND AWAY
Minnesota is 20-12-6 on the road this season. Pittsburgh is 22-12-5 at home this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Pittsburgh Penguins (-130)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
