Nov 17, 2022, 11:33 am ET in NHL
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Expert Top Pick of the Day: Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Minnesota Wild

Top Pick of the Day

The Penguins and Wild meet in a battle of two teams fighting to move up in their respective divisions.

Pittsburgh is 6-7-3 and seventh in the Metropolitan Division standings and trails the first-place New Jersey Devils by 11 points. They’ve now lost two straight games after having a successful road trip where they won two of three contests.

The Wild are also looking to get their season back on track after a 7-7-2 start. They’re fourth in the Central Division standings and just four points behind the first-place Dallas Stars.

The team is also on a two-game losing streak and has been in a scoring slump, netting just eight goals in the last six games, where they were shut out three times.

 

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Minnesota Wild Schedule

 

  • Date: Thursday, November 17, 2022
  • Time: 7:00 PM CST
  • Location: Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN

 

Pens’ Defense Struggling

The Pittsburgh offense hasn’t had problems putting the puck in the net this season, averaging 3.50 goals per game. However, the team’s defense needs a lot of work. They’ve allowed ten goals in the last two games and have given up 3.56 goals on average.

Number-one goaltender Tristan Jarry has also struggled with a 3.55 GAA, and a .900 save percentage.

Sidney Crosby is healthy this season for Pittsburgh and leads them with 17 points. He’s also tied for the team lead in assists with Evgeny Malkin, who has ten on the season.

Jake Guentzel is first on the team in goals with eight, while Jarry has a 4-3-2 record and has faced 321 shots in his first nine starts.

 

Wild Offense Needs Spark

Minnesota is lucky to be in the position they’re with the offense in a serious slump. They are averaging 2.63 goals and have scored just four times in the previous three games.

However, the defense has played well this season, allowing only 2.88 goals per game. Goaltender Filip Gustavsson has been solid in the net with a .914 save percentage so far. They’ll have a chance to break their two-game losing streak at home tonight.

Kirill Kaprizov is the top scorer for Minnesota with 18 points and leads the team with ten goals. Mats Zuccarello is at the top of the stats in assists for the Wild, also with ten.

Jared Spurgeon is first on the team in plus/minus at +8, and Marc-Andre Fleury has a 6-4-1 record in goal, with a 2.80 GAA and 309 saves.

 

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Minnesota Wild Odds Comparison

Pittsburgh is 3-10 in their last 13 games on the road, and the total has hit over in 13 of their previous 20 games. Minnesota is 2-6 in its last eight home games, and the total has gone over in four of the previous five games against Pittsburgh.

 

  • DraftKings has pk at -110, and the total is 6.5.  
  • FanDuel has Pittsburgh at -114, and the total is 6.5.
  • Caesars has pk at -110, and the total is 6.5.

 

Godds Pick or Prediction of the Game

This should be a competitive game between two teams desperate to move up in the standings. Pittsburgh has been having its own scoring troubles recently but should be able to limit a Minnesota offense that has averaged 2.63 goals per game.

Godds Pick/Prediction: Pittsburgh wins, and the total stays under.