NHL Predictions: Pittsburgh Penguins vs Ottawa Senators, March 26th

Penguins Story

Pittsburgh comes into this game off a 6-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. This marks the Penguins’ second straight loss, bringing their record to a record of 4-3-3 in their last 10. With an overall record of 35-20-16 on the season, Pittsburgh sits third in the Metropolitan Division after the Columbus Blue Jackets finally passed them on Tuesday night. It’s been a difficult month for the Penguins, where, through injuries and suspension troubles, the team has accumulated just 13 out of a possible 26 points so far in March. Getting to the end of the month, Pittsburgh desperately needs to amass some more points to stay afloat in a very tight playoff race.

There were some bright spots in the game, however, chief among them being Egor Chinakhov. Acquired from Columbus months ago, Chinakhov has yet to slow down in his production. With a goal against Colorado, Chinakhov has 14 goals and 26 points in 33 games this season. He’s scored a goal in each of his last three games, with four points during this stretch. Captain Sidney Crosby stayed hot as well. Registering an assist on a goal from Rickard Rakell, Crosby has a goal and five points in four games since returning from injury. Watch for defenceman Erik Karlsson against his former team. Karlsson has had a tremendous season for the Penguins, scoring 11 goals and 54 points in 66 games.

In net, expect Stuart Skinner to get the start with Arturs Silovs appearing in the loss against the Avalanche on Tuesday. Skinner is 9-6-5 with an .887 save percentage with the Penguins this season. However, now is a good time to remind you to always check official lineups before placing any kind of bet.

Senators Story

The Ottawa Senators have battled their way back into a playoff spot. After a very rough stretch through the middle portion of the season, the Senators are 8-2-0 in their last 10 after a crucial 3-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night. With an overall record of 38-24-9, the Senators now hold the second wildcard spot in the East. Although Ottawa has been impressive recently, teams like the Red Wings and the New York Islanders are very close behind them, meaning the Senators need to keep accumulating points in this final stretch of the season.

The biggest story for the Senators right now is injuries. Many of the team’s top defenseman, including Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot, are out with injury. In their absence, defencemen like Artem Zub and Tyler Kleven have been looked to to step up. Kleven played a staggering 28:11, while Zub and Jordan Spence played 25:10 and 26:24, respectively. The trio combined for an assist against Detroit while doing their job in shutting down the Wings’ offence. Former top-ten pick Carter Yakemchuk received an opportunity in the NHL due to these injuries and has taken advantage so far. In his debut game, Yakemchuk scored a goal and an assist in just 12:46 of ice time. Expect him to get a bigger role against the Penguins, a team that’ll be looking to pour on the offence against a depleted defence.

Expect Linus Ullmark to get the start in net for Ottawa. After a difficult couple of months, Ullmark has bounced back with a record of 23-10-7 and a save percentage of .887 on the season.

Prediction

The Ottawa Senators are hot, while the Pittsburgh Penguins are cold. However, Ottawa has a distinct disadvantage in that they’re missing about half of their regular defensive corps. Expect a seasoned, veteran Penguins team to take advantage and gain a much-needed two points.

Penguins win 5-4.

Prop Bet of the Night

Expecting a higher scoring game, a popular prop bet of goals over seven with odds of +210 is a solid bet. 

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Main Photo: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images