The Pittsburgh Penguins waddle onto Detroit to take on the clock-beating Red Wings on Monday night as part of a very light schedule in the NHL. Pittsburgh needs a win to hold off the hard charging Devils in the Atlantic Division while the Red Wings need a win to keep their playoff aspirations alive. It will be a highly contested affair between the combatants in the last two Stanley Cup Finals.
Pittsburgh Penguins (42-24-6) @ Detroit Red Wings (35-23-13)
7:00 PM ET, Monday, March 22, 2010
Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan
- The Detroit Red Wings rank 16th on offense, and average 2.7 goals per game. The Red Wings are 19.5% on the power play and have 52 power play goals.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins rank 5th on offense, and average 3.0 goals per game. The Penguins are 17.0% on the power play and have 48 power play goals.
- The Red Wings average 2.7 goals per game at home, and give up 2.3 goals against on defense.
- The Penguins average 2.7 goals per game on the road, and give up 3.0 goals against on defense.
Pittsburgh Penguins: +120
The Pittsburgh Penguins will be looking to get back in the win column after letting the Carolina steal an overtime win from them in their last outing. Pittsburgh, who is 6-2-2 in their last 10 games, will be looking to gain two more points to create a little space between them and the New Jersey Devils who are presently only two points back with a game in hand.
Pittsburgh has been playing unspectacular hockey of late but have been getting results despite their play. Sidney Crosby has 31 points in his last 22 games and Alex Ponikarovski has been playing well since his trade to Pittsburgh. Marc-Andre Fleury has returned to the form that saw him enter the conversation as one of the world’s best goaltenders and appears to be peaking at the right time. Evgeni Malkin appears to be fine after sitting out a couple of games with a lower body injury. It is all systems go for the Penguins who should be motivated to take down their Cup Final nemesis and hold off the pesky Devils.
Detroit Red Wings: -140
The Detroit Red Wings have been the cardiac kids in their last couple of outings. After tying the Oilers with .1 seconds on Friday night, the Wings scored an overtime victory on Saturday night with .2 seconds left on the clock. The Wings are in an unfamiliar position – fighting just to make the playoffs and will not need any reminders that every game is crucial for the rest of the season.
Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsuyk have been heating up for the Red Wings who are enjoying a 7-2-1 stretch over their last 10 games. They will have to keep that streak going to hold off a Calgary Flames team that is breathing down their necks for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Red Wings and the Joe Louis faithful will be fired up on Monday night and will accept nothing less than a win against the team that stole that Stanley Cup from them in Game 7 last year.
Monday’s game will be one of the most highly anticipated games on the NHL schedule. Both teams are fighting other teams that are right on their tales in the standings. The home team is 7-1 in their last 8 meetings and Pittsburgh is an underwhelming 3-7 in their last 10 meetings. I still like the better overall team in this contest.
Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins +120
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