Free NHL Picks Today: Tampa Bay Lightning vs Pittsburgh Penguins 3/2/23

The Pittsburgh Penguins (30-21-9) will be out to prolong their winning run when they head to face the Tampa Bay Lightning (37-19-4) at Amalie Arena on Thursday. Pittsburgh is coming off a 3-1 win over the Predators on Tuesday, their third straight win.

The Penguins committed only two penalties in the game, holding Nashville without a power play goal. Jason Zucker, Sidney Crosby, and Bryan Rust each scored once for the Penguins. Tristan Jarry saved an impressive 24 of 25 shots (.960%) in the win.

Tampa Bay fell 4-1 to the Panthers on Tuesday. Brayden Point netted the only goal for the Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy saved 37 of 40 shots (.925%) in the loss.

HEAD TO HEAD

The Penguins have won both games between the teams this season, including a 7-3 victory in their most recent meeting in February, their third straight win against Tampa Bay.

Six players had two points for Pittsburgh. Point and Nikita Kucherov each had two points (1G 1A) to lead Tampa Bay. Casey DeSmith got the win despite saving only 26 of 29 shots (.896%).

FACING OFF

Pittsburgh is averaging 3.23 goals per game for the season, 13th in the NHL, and they are taking on a Lightning team that is allowing 2.97 goals a game (12th).

Meanwhile, Tampa Bay has found the net 3.52 times a game on average, fourth in the league, and the Penguins are allowing opponents to score 3.17 goals per game (18th).

Pittsburgh averages more shots a game (33.7) than most teams in the league, ranking fifth. Tampa Bay’s average of 32.2 attempts ranks 14th.

The Lightning’s 25.60% power play percentage is the second-best in the league, while the Penguins rank 13th with a conversion rate of 21.36%. In terms of penalty killing, Tampa Bay has the league’s 12th-ranked PK% at 81.38%, while Pittsburgh is 15th at 80.10%.

TOP PERFORMERS:

With 72 points this season, Crosby is the top skater for the Penguins. He has 27 goals and 45 assists in 60 games. In the net, Jarry (17-7-5) is Pittsburgh’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 2.79 GAA and a .917% save percentage.

Kucherov leads the Lightning in scoring with 86 points (3rd in the league). He has 23 goals and 63 assists (2nd) in 60 games. Vasilevskiy (28-14-2) is the top goalie for Tampa Bay with a goals against average of 2.55. He has a save percentage of .919%.