Free NHL Picks Today: Pittsburgh Penguins vs Toronto Maple Leafs 11/15/22

The Toronto Maple Leafs (8-5-3) are on the road to face the Pittsburgh Penguins (6-6-3) at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday. Toronto is coming off a 3-2 win over the Canucks on Saturday. The Maple Leafs committed four penalties in the game, conceding one power play goal. Jordie Benn, Auston Matthews, and Pierre Engvall each scored once for the Maple Leafs. Erik Kallgren saved an impressive 27 of 29 shots (.931%) in the win.

Pittsburgh fell 5-4 (OT) to the Canadiens on Saturday. Four players found the net for the Penguins. Jason Zucker had three assists to lead the team in scoring. Tristan Jarry saved only 37 of 42 shots against (.880%) in the loss.

HEAD TO HEAD

The Penguins won the first meeting between the teams this season, a 4-2 victory on November 11. Evgeni Malkin led Pittsburgh with two points (1G 1A). William Nylander and Zach Aston-Reese were on the scoresheet for Toronto. Casey DeSmith got the win, saving 28 of 30 shots (.933%).

FACING OFF

Toronto is averaging 2.81 goals per game for the season, 23rd in the NHL, and they are taking on a Penguins team that is allowing 3.47 goals a game (24th). Meanwhile, Pittsburgh has found the net 3.60 times a game on average, eighth in the league, and the Maple Leafs are allowing opponents to score 2.75 goals per game (9th).

The Maple Leafs’ 26.42% power play percentage ranks sixth in the league, while the Penguins are 19th with a conversion rate of 19.23%. In terms of defending power plays, Toronto has the league’s 19th-ranked PK% at 78.18%, while Pittsburgh is 24th at 75.47%.

TOP PERFORMERS:

With 18 points this season, Mitchell Marner is the top skater for the Maple Leafs. He is among the league leaders with 15 assists (7th) and has added three goals of his own. In the net, Ilya Samsonov (6-2-0) is Toronto’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 2.23 GAA and a .921% save percentage.

Malkin and Sidney Crosby lead the Penguins in scoring with 16 points apiece. Malkin has seven goals and nine assists, while Crosby has six goals and 10 assists in 15 games.

DeSmith (2-3-1) has the best goals against average for Pittsburgh at 2.67. He has a save percentage of .916%. Jarry (4-3-1) has played the most games in net for the Penguins this season. He has a 3.38 GAA and a .903% save percentage.