The Penguins take on the Sharks in Pittsburgh. Welcome back to NHL Predictions here on Last Word On Hockey! Each day, we provide in-depth analysis, insights, and predictions for all the NHL’s games. Pittsburgh hopes to bounce back from some disappointing losses, while the Sharks aim to continue gaining momentum.
NHL Predictions San Jose Sharks vs Pittsburgh Penguins
Head-to-Head: Sharks 0-1 Penguins
Time: 3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)
How to Watch: Sportsnet+, SN-PIT, NBCSCA
Sidney Crosby and the Penguins host Macklin Celebrini and the Sharks.
Penguins Story
Pittsburgh comes into this game off a 4-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. The loss marked the Penguins’ third-straight loss, the prior two coming in overtime. Pittsburgh showed signs of life, but never looked in control against a Canadiens team sporting rookie goaltender Jacob Fowler in his first-ever NHL start. Importantly, Rickard Rakell is back from injury and will likely slot back in to the top line with Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust. The Penguins, still holding the second wild card spot in the East, desperately need to get ahold of their team game if playoffs is the goal for this season.
The absence of Evgeni Malkin has been sorely felt for Pittsburgh. Scoring 29 points through 26 games, the Penguins have struggled to replace Malkin’s production. His linemates, Anthony Mantha and Justin Brazeau, have similarly struggled to produce without Malkin in the middle. However, the addition of Rakell will certainly help the offence of the team overall, especially if he’s put on the second line instead of being back up with Crosby and Rust. In net, new acquistion Stuart Skinner may be a possibility. With Tristan Jarry moving to Edmonton, expect Skinner to get the start in this game or tomorrow’s versus the Utah Mammoth. Back-up Arturs Silovs will play the game Skinner doesn’t.
Sharks Story
The San Jose Sharks come into this game off a 3-2 win in overtime over the Toronto Maple Leafs. With the win, San Jose improved to 15-14-3, their 33 points placing them in the second wildcard spot in the West. Going 5-5-0 in their last ten, the Sharks have become must-watch hockey due to its star-studded core, led by Macklin Celebrini. As a team coming out of their rebuild, expect the Sharks to play Pittsburgh hard for valuable points, as the young team looks to qualify for the playoffs.
Macklin Celebrini has exploded in production this season. After a solid rookie year, the former first-overall pick has scored 15 goals and 44 points in 32 games thus far in his sophorore season. He ranks third in the NHL in scoring behind Nathan McKinnon and Connor McDavid. On Celebrini’s wing, Will Smith has had a great sophomore season himself. He’s scored 12 goals and 29 points in 32 games. Expect this duo to give the Penguins defence corps a lot of problems in this game. In net, expect Jaroslav Askarov to start. Askarov has had his own coming-out season this year. He is 10-8-1 with a .903 save percentage, and has been a big reason the Sharks have had as much success as he’s had this season.
NHL Prediction
The Pittsburgh Penguins have begun to unravel, while the Sharks are trending upwards. Expect the young guns of the Sharks to get San Jose past Pittsburgh in this game.
NHL Prediction: Sharks win 5-3
Prop Bet of the Night
With two high scoring teams involved, expect another high scoring game in this one with that a popular prop bet of goals over seven with odds of +194 to be a good bet.
Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
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The post NHL Predictions: Dec 13 San Jose Sharks vs Pittsburgh Penguins appeared first on Last Word On Hockey.