The Penguins take on the Oilers on Tuesday night. 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. In tonight’s matchup, Tristan Jarry and Stuart Skinner take on their respective former teams less than a week after being dealt.
NHL Predictions Edmonton Oilers vs Pittsburgh Penguins
Head-to-Head: Oilers 0-0 Penguins
Time: 7:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)
How to Watch: Sportsnet+, HBOMax, TNT, truTV.
Sidney Crosby and the Penguins host Connor McDavid and the Oilers.
Penguins Story
Pittsburgh comes into this game off of another devastating loss. This time against the Utah Mammoth. Up 3-0 after the second, the Penguins would give up four straight, tying up the game and then losing in overtime. This loss marks the fourth time in the Penguins’ last five games where they’ve blown a lead in the third period to lose the game in overtime. In the fifth game during this time, they lost in regulation to the Montréal Canadiens. The team is 14-8-9, barely holding on in the playoff race, mainly due to having games in hand on teams ahead of them, as well as having nine points given to them for losing in extra time. However, with the trade of Tristan Jarry, it seems general manager Kyle Dubas has decided to get back to the rebuild that this team was originally expected to undergo.
Even with the disappointment surrounding this team right now, there are some highlights to note. The biggest of these is to play of the youth of the Penguins. Rookie defenceman Harrison Brunicke is expected to play for Team Canada in the World Juniors tournament in a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, rookie Benjamin Kindel had a goal and two assists against the Mammoth. He has now scored eight goals and 14 points through 28 games in his rookie season.
Rutger McGroarty seems to be getting back into the swing of things. After going pointless in his first five games, McGroarty has points in back to back contests. Expect a bigger emphasis on the youth of the team. This should also be an interesting game as it likely marks the first appearances of Brett Kulak and Stuart Skinner for the Penguins. Interestingly enough, they’ll be playing against their former team in this game.
Oilers Story
The back-to-back Stanley Cup finalists had a rough start this year. However, they’ve typically started slow before picking up their play in December. Edmonton comes into this game off a 4-1 loss, but, the organization is 6-3-1 in their last 10. Even with their recent struggles, they sit in the top wildcard spot in the West, just a point behind the Kings for third in the Pacific Division. Edmonton has been carried by their explosive offence. They rank second-best in the league in goals for. Defence has been a different story for Edmonton, as the team has allowed the second most goals in the NHL. This is an area of the Oilers will have to show up against Pittsburgh. However, with the Penguins tendency to blow 3+ school leads, Edmonton still stands a chance to win this game even if they go down by a few goals.
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are the superstars that they’ve been for the past half decade. McDavid has 18 goals and 52 points through just 33 games this season. Behind him, Draisaitl has 17 goals and 43 points himself. We will point out, Draisaitl sits at 999 career regular season points. A big story this season has been the arrival of Winger Jack Roslovic, coming in from free agency. Roslovic has scored 10 goals and 18 points through 23 games this season.
Expect former Penguin Tristan Jarry to get the start against his former team. Jarry has started in just one game for Edmonton, picking up a win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night. He saved 25 saves on 28 shots, an .893 save percentage in the contest. Expect a lot of emotions from both sides as Skinner and Jarry go head-to-head against their former teams less than a week after being dealt.
NHL Prediction
Confidence is at an all-time low in Pittsburgh following a few meltdowns of epic proportions. Even if the Penguins do go up by three or more goals, the Edmonton Oilers have to know that they, of all teams, can easily come back and beat a defensively anemic Penguins squad. Expect the Oilers to get the victory in this game.
NHL Prediction: Oilers Win 6-4
Prop Bet of the Night
The Oilers and the Penguins are not strong, defensive teams, and both team teams love to score some goals expect a high scoring game and with that a popular prop bet of goals over 7 with odds of +168 is a solid bet.
Main Photo: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
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The post NHL Predictions: Dec 16 Edmonton Oilers vs Pittsburgh Penguins appeared first on Last Word On Hockey.