Welcome back to NHL Game Day Predictions. Daily, the Last Word on Hockey brings you a prediction and analysis of every game on the schedule. This will also feature a significant game on the schedule that is must-watch hockey. Today’s featured game is the Pittsburgh Penguins vs Tampa Bay Lightning.
NHL Predictions Including Pittsburgh Penguins vs Tampa Bay Lightning
Detroit Red Wings vs. Ottawa Senators
Head-to-Head: Red Wings 0-0 Senators
When the Ottawa Senators host the Detroit Red Wings later tonight, this is not going to be the battle for the top spots in the standings. Both teams should remain low in the Atlantic Division standings for the entire season. However, there was promise early. The Red Wings began the season with a 3-1 record, including some admirable wins versus the Nashville Predators or the Montreal Canadiens. After that win in Montreal, four straight losses followed, including an unsuccessful road trip through Western Canada.
The Red Wings faced the Vancouver Canucks at home on Tuesday before heading on the road again. The Senators are coming back home off a long trip to the West. The Senators might have only one win all season long, but it came against the Tampa Bay Lightning. In all their remaining tilts, the Sens have always come close to at least take something from those games. Last week, they even pushed the Vegas Golden Knights to the shootout in their home arena.
Because this is a back-to-back situation for Detroit, and Ottawa has not been playing that badly over the past few games, the Senators are slight favorites to win the game on Wednesday night at Canadian Tire Center. From their last seven head-to-head meetings in Ottawa, the Sens hold a 4-3 advantage. However, neither of these contests brought more than five total goals scored. Expect a tight and low-scoring effort.
Prediction: Ottawa wins 3-2
Pittsburgh Penguins vs Tampa Bay Lightning
Head-to-Head: Penguins 0-0 Lightning
The start of the new season has been a bit hectic for both teams. The Penguins, of course, are the Stanley Cup champions from 2016 and 2017, while Tampa Bay is the top-favorite to win the Eastern Conference. The Penguins had a slow start to the season. However, the injuries to key players like Bryan Rust, Evgeni Malkin, or Alex Galchenyuk, provided them with an unexpected spark, as they won five straight games. The Golden Knights halted that winning streak on Saturday night in Pittsburgh, shutting out the Pens.
Now the Penguins embrace the intricate back-to-back set of games on the road. On Tuesday, Pittsburgh visited the nearby Florida Panthers, while tonight, they go and face the Lightning. Tampa Bay bounced back with three huge away triumphs in Toronto, Montreal, and Boston. Nevertheless, when they returned home after a six-game road trip, an unpleasant surprise awaited them. A six-goal pack from the streaky Colorado Avalanche.
Possibly it was just that post-road trip overhaul, perhaps not, but the Lightning had three days to figure it out. The Penguins will try to accomplish something, what the Avalanche did to Tampa Bay in a back-to-back situation. The Lightning have won three straight home meetings with the Penguins. Those three contests featured a total of 26 goals, only nine of those were courtesy of Pittsburgh, though. The Lightning seem to respond at home against a team playing on back-to-back nights.
Prediction: Tampa Bay wins 5-3
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